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 08, 2026, 2:54 PM EDT

Israeli attacks kill 254 across Lebanon Wednesday, Lebanese Civil Defense says

At least 254 people have been killed and another 1,165 have been injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanese Civil Defense spokesperson Elie Khairallah confirmed to ABC News.

Smoke rises following several Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026.
Hassan Ammar/AP

Of those killed, 92 people were in Beirut, Lebanese Civil Defense said. Another 61 were killed were in Beirut's southern suburbs, according to a breakdown of the casualties in a press release from the Lebanese Civil Defense.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

Apr 08, 2026, 2:49 PM EDT

Leavitt relays Trump's message to NATO: 'They were tested and they failed'

Ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the possibility of the U.S. withdrawing from NATO is something the two will likely discuss.

“I have a direct quote from the president of the United States on NATO, and I will share it with all of you. ‘They were tested and they failed,’” Leavitt said.

Congress would need to provide permission if the president were to withdraw from NATO. In 2023, Congress approved a measure aimed at preventing any U.S. president from unilaterally withdrawing the United States from NATO without congressional approval.

-ABC News' Emily Chang

Apr 08, 2026, 2:17 PM EDT

Israel 'prepared to return to fighting at any moment necessary,' Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benhamin Netanyahu said despite Iran being "weaker than ever," Israel still has "more goals to complete and we will achieve them, either by an agreement or by a return to fighting."

"We are prepared to return to fighting at any moment necessary. Our finger is on the trigger," Netanyahu said in Hebrew at a press conference Wednesday.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Jerusalem, April 8, 2026.
GPO/Reuters

Netanyahu said of the ceasefire, "this is not the end, but a station on the way to reaching our aims."

Netanyahu also said that the ceasefire agreement does not include Hezbollah, saying: "We will continue to go after them." He also said Israeli strikes on Lebanon today were the "hardest since the beeper attack," referencing the 2024 attack on Hezbollah members using exploding electronic devices.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Apr 08, 2026, 1:59 PM EDT

Oil tankers passage halted in Hormuz after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Fars reports

Following Israel's attacks on Lebanon, oil tankers are suspended from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday.

"This morning, after Trump accepted Iran's terms and a ceasefire was formed, two oil tankers were able to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz with permission from Iran," Fars added.

Vessels and boats off the coast of Musandam governorate, overlooking the strait of Hormuz, in Musandam governance, in Oman, April 8, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters

"Simultaneously with the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz has been halted," according to Fars.

Fars News Agency is affiliated with the IRGC but did not attribute the report to a specific source.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

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