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.

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.

Apr 08, 2026, 6:49 AM EDT

Iranian missile, drone attacks continue around Persian Gulf

Iran continued to fire missiles and drones at Persian Gulf nations on Wednesday, according to statements from regional authorities, despite Tuesday's announcement of a two-week ceasefire.

The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry said in a post to X on Wednesday that it was "engaging" missiles and drones launched from Iran.

Kuwait's Army General Staff Headquarters said its air defenses were dealing with "an intense wave of hostile Iranian criminal attacks" beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The post said 28 drones were intercepted.

The Headquarters reported "significant material damage to oil infrastructure facilities, power stations and water desalination plants."

The Bahrain Defence Force said Wednesday that its forces downed 31 drones and six missiles over the previous 24 hours.

A man walks along Dubai's Creek Harbour in the United Arab Emirates on April 3, 2026.
Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Othon Leyva

Apr 08, 2026, 6:40 AM EDT

Maersk says ceasefire details 'limited' for Strait of Hormuz crossings

The announcement of a temporary ceasefire "may create transit opportunities, but it does not yet provide full maritime certainty," in the Strait of Hormuz, Danish shipping company Maersk told ABC News in a statement on Wednesday.

Shipping containers sit on a Maersk vessel arriving Algeciras port, in the province of Cadiz, Spain, on March 17, 2026.
Nacho Doce/Reuters

Maersk, one of the largest container shipping groups in the world, said it welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire but that, "information and details available remain very limited and we are working with urgency to obtain further clarity."

"Any decision to transit the Strait of Hormuz will be based on continuous risk assessments, close monitoring of the security situation, and available guidance from relevant authorities and partners," the group said, adding that for now, no changes were being made to its services.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Apr 08, 2026, 6:31 AM EDT

Vance says some Iranian officials are 'lying,' risking 'fragile' truce

Vice President JD Vance said the nascent ceasefire with Iran is "fragile" during his visit to Hungary on Wednesday.

"The Iranians have agreed to open up the Strait [of Hormuz]. The United States has agreed to stop attacking, and that not just the United States, but also our allies, have agreed to stop attacking. And that is the basis of this fragile truce that we have."

"You have some people on social media within their system who are basically lying about what we've accomplished militarily. They're lying about the nature of the agreement. They're lying about the nature of the ceasefire," Vance said of some Iranian officials.

Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest, Hungary, on April 8, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

"You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we've already struck," Vance added.

"If the Iranians are willing, in good faith, to work with us, I think we can make an agreement," Vance said. "If they're going to lie, if they're going to cheat, if they're going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we've set up from taking place, then they're not going to be happy."

-ABC News' Chad Murray

Apr 08, 2026, 6:12 AM EDT

Israeli strikes continue in Lebanon despite ceasefire

The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday that it was continuing "combat and ground operations" against Hezbollah in Lebanon, while at least one Israeli airstrike was reported in the southern city of Tyre.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said overnight that the two-week ceasefire with Iran "does not include Lebanon," though Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the country was covered by the ceasefire announced on Tuesday.

The IDF issued multiple evacuation warnings in Lebanon on Wednesday morning, including in the city of Tyre and for all residents of Beirut's southern suburbs.

A fireball rises from a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in the area of Abbasiyeh, on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, on April 8, 2026.
Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images

Sponsored Content by Taboola