President Trump says US Navy will begin blockade of Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. and Iran failed to reach a peace deal after 21 hours of negotiations.

ByDavid Brennan, Jon Haworth, Nadine El-Bawab, and Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: April 12, 2026, 10:22 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.

Trump set a deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure. Hours before the deadline expired, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi then said that "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon -- where intense Israeli strikes continued -- was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Apr 07, 2026, 12:14 PM EDT

Netanyahu says Israel is 'crushing' Iranian regime

Israel is "crushing" the Iranian regime "with increasing force," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday.

“Yesterday we destroyed transport planes and dozens of helicopters, and today we attacked the railroads and bridges used by the Revolutionary Guards," Netanyahu said.

"Yesterday our pilots destroyed transport planes and dozens of helicopters at an Iranian air force base. Today they attacked the railroads and bridges used by the Revolutionary Guards," Netanyahu added. "They use them to transport raw materials for weapons, weapons, and the activists who attack us, the U.S. and the countries of the region."

Apr 07, 2026, 12:12 PM EDT

Rubio says he hopes there is an update on negotiations 'later today'

When asked by reporters if he expected Iran to come to the negotiating table, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "hope we have more news later today on that."

"The whole world’s been impacted, unfortunately, because Iran is violating every law known by striking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and it’s a big problem for the world," he said.

Apr 07, 2026, 12:07 PM EDT

White House says 'only the president knows where things stand' on negotiations

The White House is responding to reports that Iranian officials have reportedly stopped negotiations with the U.S. ahead of President Donald Trump's 8:00 p.m. deadline, telling ABC News that the "only the president knows where things stand."

“The Iranian regime has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

Apr 07, 2026, 11:51 AM EDT

Trump says evening strikes are ‘happening’ but notes things could change

President Donald Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that the strikes on Iran that he promised would begin at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday are “happening,” but cautioned that things “could change.”

Trump’s comments come just hours after the president said "a whole civilization will die tonight never to be brought back again" if a deal was not reached between the U.S. and Iran.

Trump told Fox News that if negotiations were successful then plans for strikes could change, but confirmed that the U.S. was preparing for his deadline.

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