Iran’s Araghchi discusses efforts to end war and Hormuz security with Oman
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held talks in Oman on Sunday and discussed security in the Strait of Hormuz and broader Gulf waters and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict, according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement.
In talks in Muscat with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, Araghchi said the US military presence in the Middle East was fuelling insecurity and division and called for a regional security framework free of outside interference.
Maira Butt26 April 2026 13:01
Is Trump right about Iran’s ‘seriously fractured’ leadership holding up a peace deal?
Just as fighting was set to resume on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the extension of a 14-day ceasefire at the eleventh hour, saying Iran’s “seriously fractured” leadership was an obstacle to a peace agreement.
Mr Trump said the military would continue a blockade on Iranian ports until Tehran’s “leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal”, following a request from Pakistan.
The political vacuum left in the wake of the assassinations has been filled by ardent nationalists within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to experts.
Maira Butt26 April 2026 12:31
‘We have all the cards’: Trump on why he cancelled envoys trip to Pakistan
President Donald Trump believes that the US is holding “all the cards” as he explained on Saturday evening, why he decided to stop his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner from visiting Islamabad for talks on Iran.
“You’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there, we have all the cards,” Trump said he told the pair.
“They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”
Maira Butt26 April 2026 11:50
Price hikes due to Iran war will be felt for at least eight months, minister warns
Price hikes as a result of the Iran war will be felt for at least eight months after the conflict ends, a government minister has warned.
Chief Secretary to the prime minister, Darren Jones, warned people will see higher energy, food and flight prices “as a consequence of what Donald Trump has done in the Middle East” and said there will be a “long tail from this”.
The government has stepped up planning for how to offset potential shortages sparked by the conflict, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane crucial for the supply of a fifth of global oil and gas, which sent oil prices soaring.
The prime minister will chair another meeting of the Cabinet committee set up to deal with the fallout on Tuesday, after the so-called Middle East Response Committee met last week.
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Maira Butt26 April 2026 11:35
Israeli military issues evacuation warning for seven Lebanese towns
Israel has ordered an evacuation warning for seven Lebanese towns, north of the Litani river.
The military has continued to attack Lebanon despite the announcement of a three-week ceasefire.
Hezbollah accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire while Israel blames Hezbollah.
Maira Butt26 April 2026 11:10
Why a century-old naval disaster means Trump can’t take the Strait of Hormuz by force
The answer is simple – as his advisers will have told Donald Trump before he attacked Iran, it is almost impossible to clear a passage through a minefield when the shoreline is held by the enemy, without being prepared to take significant casualties. And this, it seems, the US is not prepared to do.
It is one thing to bomb a less technologically sophisticated enemy from the air, but quite another to get involved in a real fight at sea level with an opponent who has been planning this form of asymmetric warfare for a very long time.
John Clark, former Royal Naval Reserve officer who commanded various minesweepers and minehunters during his service, reports:
Maira Butt26 April 2026 10:46
White House Correspondents Dinner shooting not linked to Iran, says Trump
President Donald Trump has said that a shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington on Saturday is unrelated to the ongoing war in Iran.
“It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran,” he told reporters in the aftermath of the incident.
“I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, I really don’t think so, based on what we know.”
President Trump was escorted out after a man opened fire with a shotgun outside the room (Reuters)
Maira Butt26 April 2026 10:21
The war in Iran is in a ‘limbo’ phase. Here’s why it could leave the world facing chaos
Even so, experts say Iran has shown far more tolerance to this kind of pressure than outsiders would like to admit, and Trump will still be influenced by domestic political pressure over rising energy prices.
While Iran’s economy will no doubt be damaged by a protracted war, analysts say the status quo could also end up strengthening the authoritarian regime.
James C Reynolds reports:
Maira Butt26 April 2026 09:50
Oman’s sultan meets Iranian foreign minister Araghchi in Muscat
The Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has met Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi in Muscat, where both sides discussed the regional situation and mediation efforts aimed at ending the Iran war, Oman’s state news agency reported on Sunday.
Maira Butt26 April 2026 09:21
Netanyahu ‘shocked’ by ‘attempted assassination’ of Trump
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his shock at a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, which saw President Donald Trump and JD Vance escorted out of event by security officials.
“Sara and I were shocked by the attempted assassination of President @realDonaldTrump last night in Washington, DC,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X.
“We are relieved that the President and the First Lady are safe and strong. We send our wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the wounded police officer and salute the US Secret Service for their swift and decisive action.”
(Getty)
Maira Butt26 April 2026 09:00