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Published On 21 Apr 2026<\/span>21 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran remain uncertain, with Tehran refusing to negotiate under what it calls the \u201cshadow of threats\u201d.<\/p>\n
United States President Donald Trump has said the blockade of Iranian ports will remain until a deal is reached, but Tehran wants it lifted before the talks. A two-week ceasefire expires on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Washington is also preparing for talks between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, even as Israeli forces continue with their strikes in southern Lebanon. At least six people were wounded and homes destroyed in the attacks despite a 10-day ceasefire.<\/p>\n
Here is what we know:<\/p>\n
In Iran:<\/h2>\n\n- Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran is \u201cready to show new cards on the battlefield\u201d if clashes with the US resume after the ceasefire ends.<\/li>\n
- Iran reopened Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports after weeks of war-related closures, aviation authorities said.<\/li>\n
- The US wants Iran to halt its nuclear programme and hand over enriched uranium, a demand Tehran rejects. Iran says its nuclear programme is for research purposes and that it does not intend to make an atomic bomb.<\/li>\n
- Iran has sought the release of its frozen assets and compensation for damage caused by US and Israeli strikes.<\/li>\n
- Academic Zohreh Kharazmi said Tehran believes it holds the upper hand and will not negotiate \u201cunder the shadow of threats\u201d, arguing Trump is \u201creally in need of the negotiations\u201d, though Iran would prefer to avoid renewed fighting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
War diplomacy:<\/h2>\n\n- The Department of State will hold new talks on Thursday following a fragile ceasefire, a US official told the AFP news agency.<\/li>\n
- A US team is expected to travel to Pakistan \u201csoon\u201d for further negotiations, though Iran has not confirmed participation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- French President Emmanuel Macron called the US and Iranian blockades of the Strait of Hormuz \u201ca mistake on both sides\u201d.<\/li>\n
- Russia called for the US-Iran ceasefire to be extended beyond its expiry on Wednesday.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- China, the main buyer of Iranian oil, expressed \u201cconcern\u201d over the US seizure of the Iranian-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend and urged all parties to resume peace talks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In the Gulf:<\/h2>\n\n- UAE arrests Iran-linked group:<\/strong> Authorities said they detained suspects accused of plotting attacks and channelling funds to foreign groups.<\/li>\n
- Qatar resumes flights:<\/strong> Qatar will again allow foreign airlines to land at its main airport after suspensions during the conflict.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In the US:<\/h2>\n\n- Trump said sanctions on Iranian ports would remain until Tehran agrees to a peace deal.<\/li>\n
- Daniel Benaim, former deputy assistant secretary of state for Arabian Peninsula affairs, said the US has fallen short of its key aims in Iran, warning it is now in a more complex military and diplomatic position than at the start of the war.<\/li>\n
- Trump attacked news outlets, including CNN, accusing them of downplaying US strikes on Iran and claiming he is \u201cwinning\u201d the war, while dismissing critical reporting as \u201cfake news\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In Israel:<\/h2>\n\n- Israel has been demanding the Lebanese government disarm Hezbollah, using its continued presence in southern Lebanon as leverage, despite concerns this could trigger wider instability.<\/li>\n
- Amnesty International has accused Israel of contributing to a global decline in human rights, alongside the US and Russia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In Lebanon and Gaza<\/h2>\n\n- Lebanon death toll rises:<\/strong> Israeli attacks have killed at least 2,387 people since fighting escalated six weeks ago, officials said.<\/li>\n
- \u2018Israel talks separate\u2019:<\/strong> Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said planned talks with Israel were \u201cseparate\u201d from the Iran-US negotiations.<\/li>\n
- Violence continues in Gaza:<\/strong> Despite an October ceasefire, Israeli operations have killed more than 780 Palestinians, with recent strikes reported across Gaza.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Global economy<\/h2>\n\n- Oil prices jump:<\/strong> Global oil prices rose on Monday after Iran again closed the Strait of Hormuz and the US Navy seized an Iranian cargo ship near the key waterway.<\/li>\n
- Dutch fuel support:<\/strong> The Netherlands will spend more than $1.1bn to help businesses and households cope with rising fuel costs linked to the war.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
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Diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran are stalled as Tehran rejects talks under pressure. Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026 Diplomatic efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran remain uncertain, with Tehran refusing to negotiate under what it calls the \u201cshadow of threats\u201d. United States President Donald Trump has said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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