Bangladesh has raised retail fuel prices by 10% to 15%, ​citing a sharp surge in global crude oil ‌prices and tightening supplies caused by ​the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the ⁠Energy Ministry said late on Saturday (April 18, 2026).

Under the new rates, petrol will sell at 135 taka ($1.10) per ‌litre, up from 116 taka, diesel at 115 taka and kerosene ‌at 130 taka, according to an official ‌notification.

President Donald Trump said on late Friday (April 17, 2026) that he planned to maintain a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration.

Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday in the wake of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, though Tehran threatened to close the vital waterway once again if the U.S. blockade continues.

 U.S. Vice President JD Vance is departing Pakistan on Sunday (April 12, 2026), according to a pool report, soon after saying that talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement.

Mr. Vance boarded Air Force Two at 7:08 am (0208 GMT) and waved to Pakistani officials from the top of the stairs.

U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) that Iran was taking part in peace talks, suggesting Tehran’s denials were because Iranian negotiators fear being killed by their own side.

Iran-Israel war highlights on March 26, 2026

“They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly. But they’re afraid to say it, because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people,” Mr. Trump told a dinner for Republican members of Congress.

“They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us.”

The U.S. leader’s comments came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “we do not intend to negotiate”.

Mr. Trump repeated his assertion that Iran was being “decimated” in the conflict now in its fourth week, even though Tehran still maintains an effective stranglehold over the crucial Strait of Hormuz oil route.

Lashing out at his domestic opponents, Mr. Trump also claimed Democrats were trying to “deflect from all of the tremendous success that we’re having in this military operation.”

In a mocking reference to calls from Democrats for him to seek the approval of Congress for the conflict, Mr. Trump added: “They don’t like the word ‘war,’ because you’re supposed to get approval, so I’ll use the word military operation.”

The White House said earlier that Mr. Trump was ready to “unleash hell” if Iran did not admit defeat, while also insisting that Tehran is still taking part in talks.

Iranian state media had earlier cited an unidentified official as saying that the Islamic republic had responded “negatively” to a reported 15-point plan from Washington.

‘Talks continue’

“If Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

“President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again.”

Asked if negotiations with Iran had stalled, Ms. Leavitt replied: “Talks continue. They are productive.”

Ms. Leavitt declined to say whom the U.S. was dealing with in Tehran following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whose son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public.

Reports have suggested the Trump administration’s interlocutor is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s speaker of parliament and one of its most prominent non-clerical figures.

The spokeswoman also declined to confirm reports that top U.S. officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, were set to hold talks with the Iranians in Pakistan, which has emerged as a key mediator.

Mr. Trump is moving thousands of airborne troops and extra marines to the Gulf amid speculation that he might order a ground invasion to either seize Iranian oil assets in the Gulf or secure the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House meanwhile appeared to stick to the four to six-week timeline it has previously given for the war.

Mr. Trump announced on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) that his visit to China to meet Xi Jinping had now been rescheduled for mid-May, having postponed it by six weeks to deal with the conflict.

“We’ve always estimated approximately four to six weeks (for the length of military operations against Iran), so you could do the math on that,” Ms. Leavitt added.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday (February 19, 2026) that it must reach a ‌deal over its nuclear program or “bad things” will happen, and appeared to set a 10-day deadline ​before the U.S. might take action.

Amid a massive U.S. military buildup in the West Asia ⁠that has fueled fears of a wider war, Mr. Trump said negotiations with Iran were going well but insisted Tehran has to reach a “meaningful” agreement.

“Otherwise bad things happen,” Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran, told the first meeting of his Board of Peace ‌in Washington.

Trump spoke of the U.S. airstrikes carried out in June, saying Iran’s nuclear potential had been “decimated,” adding “we may have to take it a step further or we may not.”

“You’ll be finding ‌out over the next probably 10 days,” he said, without elaborating.

‘Good talks’: Trump

U.S. threats to bomb Iran, with ‌the ⁠two sides far apart in talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, have pushed up oil prices, and ⁠a Russian corvette warship on Thursday (February 19, 2026) joined planned Iranian naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, a vital sea route for global energy.

Iranian and U.S. negotiators met on Tuesday and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said they had agreed on “guiding principles.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on ​Wednesday (February 18, 2026), however, that the two sides remained apart ‌on some issues.

Mr. Trump said “good talks are being had,” and a senior U.S. official said Iran would make a written proposal on how to address U.S. concerns.

Mr. Trump called on Tehran to join the U.S. on the “path to peace.”

“They can’t have a nuclear weapon, it’s very simple,” he said. “You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they ‌have a nuclear weapon.”

Iran has resisted making major concessions on its nuclear programme, though insisting it is ​for peaceful purposes. The U.S. and Israel in the past have accused Tehran of trying to develop a nuclear bomb. Earlier on Thursday (February 19, 2026), Russia warned against an “unprecedented escalation of tension” around Iran and urged restraint amid the U.S. military buildup in the region, which a senior American official said should be complete by mid-March.

Threat of war

Mr. Trump has sent aircraft carriers, warships and jets to the region, raising the prospect of another ‌attack on the Islamic Republic. The United States and Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities and some military sites last June. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Iran on February 28, the senior U.S. official said.

Washington wants Iran to entirely give up uranium enrichment, a process used to create fuel for atomic power plants but that can also provide material for a warhead.

The U.S. and ally Israel also want Iran to give up long-range ballistic missiles, stop supporting groups around the West Asia and stop using force to quell internal protests.

Iran ‌says it refuses to discuss issues beyond the atomic file, calling efforts to limit its missile arsenal a red line. Satellite pictures have ​tracked both Iranian work to repair and fortify sites since last summer, showing work at both nuclear and missile sites, as well as preparations at U.S. bases across the West Asia over the ⁠past month.

Iran’s joint exercise with Russia came days into an extended series of Iranian naval drills in the Gulf of ⁠Oman, with Iranian state television showing special forces units deployed on helicopters and ships.

In a sign of growing concern over the increased tensions, Poland on Thursday (February 19, 2026) became the latest European country to urge its citizens to ‌leave Iran, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying Poles may only have hours to evacuate. Mr. Trump began threatening strikes on Iran again in January as Iranian authorities crushed widespread protests with deadly violence that left thousands dead ​across the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he wanted a peace deal with Iran, after the United States joined Israel in striking the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites during a brief war earlier this year.

“They got it from one side, from the other, and you know it would be great if we could make a peace deal with them,” Mr. Trump said of Iran, a key backer of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, during a speech to Israel’s parliament.

“Would you be happy with that? Wouldn’t it be nice, I think. Because I think they want to.”

Mr. Trump said the ball was in Tehran’s court for any agreement to come to pass.

“We are ready when you are,” the Republican said.

Mr. Trump also defended pulling Washington out of an agreement brokered under ex-president Barack Obama on Iran’s nuclear programme, long a sticking point in Israel’s relations with its arch-foe.

“I terminated the Iran nuclear deal and I was very proud to do it,” Trump said.

“Yet even to Iran, whose regime has inflicted so much death on the Middle East, the hand of friendship and cooperation is open,” he told the Knesset.

“They want to make a deal and we’re going to see if we can do something,” he added.

“Neither the United States nor Israel bear the people of Iran any hostility. We merely want to live in peace.”

Iran said Tuesday (September 30, 2025) that 120 Iranians detained in the United States for illegally entering the country will be returned to Iran in the coming days.

As many as 400 Iranians would be returning to Iran as part of the deal with the U.S., Iranian state television said, citing Hossein Noushabadi, the Director-General for Parliamentary Affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

The report said the first planeload of Iranians would arrive in one or two days.

The U.S. has not acknowledged striking a deportation deal with Iran. The New York Times first reported the deportations.