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 11, 2026, 1:09 PM EDT

Iran-US talks enter technical phase with extension possible, Iranian state media says

Negotiators have moved beyond general discussions and entered a more detailed, technical phase of negotiations in the U.S., Iran and Pakistan trilateral face-to-face meeting Saturday, according to Iran’s semiofficial news agencies Fars and Tasnim.

While the negotiations were initially planned as a one-day meeting, there is a possibility they could be extended for an additional day to allow further technical discussions. However, no final decision has been confirmed, according to the Tasnim news agency.

A Pakistani official is seen during the arrival of the U.S. Vice President JD Vance for talks with Iranian officials, on April 11, 2026, at Islamabad, Pakistan.
Jacquelyn Martin, Pool via Getty Images

Specialized teams have joined Iran’s main negotiating delegation in Islamabad, according to Fars. If progress is made, there is a possibility the Iranian delegation’s stay in Islamabad could be extended, according to Fars.

Apr 11, 2026, 11:54 AM EDT

Trump dodges question about oil tankers to US, insists Strait of Hormuz will be open 'soon'

During the phone interview with NewsNation this morning, President Donald Trump was asked about his social media posts in which he claimed that empty oil tankers will be coming to the United States to be filled with oil.

Trump sidestepped the question, instead repeating that “many of them” are on their way to the U.S. to “load up” with oil.

“Just take a look out at the great seas of our world, they're all, many of them are heading to the United States to load up with oil. We have plenty of it,” Trump reportedly said.

The NewsNation reporter pressed him, asking: “So is this because you're saying that Iran isn't opening up the Strait of Hormuz?”

A vessel passes through Strait of Hormuz following the two-week temporary ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran on the condition that the strait be reopened, seen in Oman on April 8, 2026.
Shady Alassar/Anadolu via Getty Images

The president pushed back, insisting that the strait will be open in the “not-too-distant future.”

“No, it's not because they are going to be open in the not-too-distant future. Iran's a failing nation. A very failing nation … And it's gonna be opened up. But I think people are seeing that there are other alternatives to going through the Strait.”

In another social media post this morning, Trump repeated his belief that the strait will be open “soon.”

“The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to ‘load up,’” Trump wrote.

-ABC News’ Emily Chang

Apr 11, 2026, 11:08 AM EDT

US, Pakistan and Iran holding trilateral meeting Saturday

A senior White House official confirms that the United States, Pakistan and Iran are holding a trilateral face-to-face meeting Saturday, per the press pool traveling with the vice president.

The "core" U.S. delegation includes Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Dr. Andrew Baker, deputy national security adviser to the president and national security adviser to the vice president, and Michael Vance, special advisor to the vice president for Asian affairs, will also be in attendance as the broader U.S. delegation, according to a U.S. official.

PHOTO: Vice President JD Vance arrives in Pakistan for Iran war peace talks, April 11, 2026.
US Vice President JD Vance (C) walks with Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir (L) and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, on April 11, 2026.
Jacquelyn Martin, Pool via AFP via Getty Images

"A full suite of U.S. experts on relevant subject areas are present in Islamabad. Additional experts are supporting from Washington," the U.S. official said, per the pool.

-ABC News’ Emily Chang

Apr 11, 2026, 10:11 AM EDT

At least 10 killed by Israeli military action in Lebanon, ministry says

At least 10 people were killed and 9 others injured by Israeli military action in three incidents in the Nabatieh district, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Health. 

The Israel Defense Forces said more than 200 Hezbollah terrorists were hit in the past 24 hours. 

Paramedics and members of the Lebanese Health Authority are among the dead and injured, the ministry of health said.

"It has become clear that the Israeli enemy adopts a systematic method based on making health workers a military target, as they fall martyrs in every rescue action they carry out, which constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law," the ministry said. 

"The Israeli Air Force continues to strike Hezbollah infrastructure and aid the ground forces operating in southern Lebanon," the IDF said Saturday.

Four people were killed and four others wounded in an Israeli raid in the town of Kfarsir, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said in statement Saturday. Among the dead was a paramedic with the Lebanese Health Authority, the statement said.

Three people were killed and two others injured in an Israeli airstrike, the Ministry of Health said in a separate statement. One member of the Lebanese Civil Defense was among the dead, the ministry said.

An Israeli airstrike also killed three people, including a member of the Health Authority in the town of Tul, the ministry said. Three others including a paramedic were wounded in the incident, the statement said.

-ABC News' Guy Davies

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