The U.S. military said Marines had boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker on Wednesday (May 20) in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of attempting to violate Washington’s blockade of Iran.

“American forces released the vessel after searching and directing the ship’s crew to alter course,” said Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the region, in a post on X.

It said that U.S. forces have now redirected 91 commercial ships to ensure compliance with the blockade. – AFP

The success of peace talks between the United States and Iran depends on Washington avoiding “excessive demands” and “unlawful requests,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman said early on Sunday (April 12, 2026) after marathon talks in Islamabad.

“The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran’s legitimate rights and interests,” Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X.

He added that the two sides had discussed a range of issues including the strategic “Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, the lifting of sanctions, and the complete end of the war against Iran.”

– AFP

Iranian officials arrived in Pakistan for peace talks with the United States as Tehran insisted on a truce in Lebanon and unfreezing of its assets for the negotiations to go ahead.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed meanwhile to have the Strait of Hormuz open “with or without” Iran’s cooperation and said his top priority at the Islamabad talks was to ensure the Islamic republic cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Mr. Trump has dispatched Vice President J.D. Vance to Pakistan to meet with the Iranians in a bid to reach a peace deal in the West Asia war following a two-week ceasefire that was agreed on Tuesday (April 7, 2026).

Mr. Vance warned Iran not to “play” Washington as he headed to Islamabad to represent the United States at the high-stakes meeting along with Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

– AFP

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said early ‌on Thursday it fired ⁠rockets at northern Israel in ‌its first attack against ‌the ‌country ⁠since ⁠the United States reached a two-week ceasefire ‌agreement with Iran.

Hezbollah said in a ‌statement that its attack came in response ⁠to what it ‌described as Israeli ceasefire violations, after Israel launched ‌its biggest attack on Lebanon in ⁠this war on Wednesday. 

-Reuters

Pakistan on today invited the U.S. and Iran for talks in Islamabad on April 10.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a social media post, announced that the U.S. and Iran, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.

“With the greatest humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, effective immediately,” he said.

Mr. Sharif said Pakistan has invited delegations from both countries to Islamabad on April 10 for face-to-face talks aimed at reaching a conclusive agreement “to settle all disputes”.

-AFP