{"id":399597,"date":"2026-04-19T03:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T03:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/399597\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T03:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T03:03:10","slug":"iran-reverses-course-on-reopening-strait-of-hormuz-signals-warning-to-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/399597\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran reverses course on reopening Strait of Hormuz, signals warning to US"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>1 hour ago<\/p>\n<p>Pinned<\/p>\n<p>Beshear rips Trump for \u2018waging new wars&#8217; and \u2018risking American lives\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Saturday blasted President Donald Trump for \u201cwaging new wars\u201d and &#8220;risking American lives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/midwest\/michigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Michigan<\/a> Democratic Party Legacy Dinner in Detroit, the Democratic governor delivered a wide-ranging critique.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is waging new wars and he is risking American lives. Kentucky has also already lost two of our sons and daughters just last week,&#8221; Beshear said. &#8220;The American people and the entire world had to sit a whole day just to see if a president would commit war crimes that would kill thousands of people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beshear added, &#8220;He threatened to end a civilization \u2014 folks, that isn&#8217;t just anti-American. That is flat out crazy. And you know how he followed that up? He attacked the pope and then created an AI-generated image of him as Jesus Christ.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>15 mins agoIsrael to fully reopen schools nationwide after ceasefire agreements<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/world-regions\/israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Israel\u2019s education system<\/a> will fully reopen nationwide beginning Sunday morning, the Education Ministry announced Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>The reopening includes northern communities near the Lebanon border, according to The Jerusalem Post.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes after the IDF\u2019s Home Front Command updated its security guidelines following recent ceasefire agreements between Israel and Lebanon and with Iran.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The system has been prepared in advance for this scenario, and the ministry will provide and continue to provide all necessary resources to ensure the immediate and full opening of all frameworks,&#8221; the ministry said.<\/p>\n<p>Since Operation Roaring Lion began in late February, schools across Israel have faced widespread disruptions.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Michael Sinkewicz<\/p>\n<p>34 mins agoOPINION: Hormuz whiplash proves Tehran can&#8217;t honor any deal it signs<\/p>\n<p>This post is an excerpt from an opinion article by Lisa Daftari. Daftari is a foreign policy analyst and editor-in-chief at The Foreign Desk.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/conflicts\/iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iran\u2019s regime<\/a> just told us everything we need to know.<\/p>\n<p>Within days, Tehran went from signaling that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to threatening to close it. That reversal is a reminder that the regime cannot be trusted to uphold any deal it signs because its strategy depends on constant threats and keeping the world off balance.<\/p>\n<p>The issue isn\u2019t what they say. It\u2019s who\u2019s really in charge.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s regime does not operate as a normal state. Its leaders often signal calm to ease pressure or buy time. But the real authority sits with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/ali-khamenei\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps<\/a>. The IRGC controls the missiles, the proxy networks, and the ability to disrupt global shipping. When it matters, they decide.<\/p>\n<p>And they benefit from instability.<\/p>\n<p>The Strait of Hormuz is one of the regime\u2019s most effective tools of coercion. A fifth of the world\u2019s oil flows through it. Iran doesn\u2019t need to shut it down to create a crisis. It just needs to make the threat believable. Even talk of disruption can rattle markets and drive up energy prices.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re seeing now. Tehran signals restraint, then pivots back to escalation. It\u2019s not meant to sow confusion. It\u2019s meant to gain leverage.<\/p>\n<p>This creates a serious problem for anyone still hoping a new agreement with Iran\u2019s regime will bring lasting stability.<\/p>\n<p>Deals rely on consistency. The Iranian system is built for the opposite.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Michael Sinkewicz<\/p>\n<p>1 hour agoTrump praises Israel as &#8216;courageous&#8217; and a \u2018great&#8217; US ally<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump on Saturday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/world-regions\/israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">praised Israel<\/a> as a \u201cgreat ally\u201d of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, &#8220;Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to WIN!\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>The remarks come days after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, which Trump announced Thursday. He said the deal was reached following conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n<p>2 hours agoCENTCOM releases photos of US naval blockade operations in Arabian Sea<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday evening shared new photos highlighting ongoing U.S. naval blockade operations in the Arabian Sea.<\/p>\n<p>The photos show sailors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/military\/marines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">and Marines<\/a> aboard the USS Rushmore (LSD 47) in action, including a helicopter hovering above the deck and service members operating equipment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSailors and Marines aboard dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) conduct blockade operations in the Arabian Sea,\u201d CENTCOM said in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p>2 hours agoWhitmer takes aim at Trump policies, blames &#8216;war overseas&#8217; for rising costs<\/p>\n<p>Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Saturday appeared to take aim at the Trump administration, criticizing what she called \u201cchaotic tariffs\u201d and pointing to the \u201cwar overseas\u201d as contributing to higher costs.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/midwest\/michigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Michigan<\/a> Democratic Party Legacy Dinner in Detroit, Whitmer described the current time period as \u201ctough\u201d and \u201cchaotic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Now, I know we&#8217;re living through some tough, chaotic times right now. The federal government is making our work harder. The chaotic national tariff \u2014 I would say strategy, but there ain&#8217;t no strategy there. The chaotic tariffs are costing us jobs and investments and making life harder,&#8221; Whitmer said.<\/p>\n<p>She added, \u201cAnd we all know that the war overseas is jacking up the price of everything from gas to energy to housing to fertilizer for our farmers. The constant breaking news cycle is trying to break us, but that&#8217;s exactly when people need us to show up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>2 hours agoUN chief condemns deadly attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon: report<\/p>\n<p>U.N. Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres is strongly condemning an attack on peacekeepers in southern Lebanon that left one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/world-regions\/france\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">French service member<\/a> dead and three others wounded.<\/p>\n<p>The U.N. peacekeeping force came under small arms fire Saturday morning, with two of the injured reportedly in serious condition, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/live\/iran-war-israel-trump-04-18-2026#0000019d-a1d9-d3c1-adfd-fbdd7f620000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>French President Emmanuel Macron blamed Hezbollah terrorists for the attack, though the group has denied involvement.<\/p>\n<p>3 hours agoMedal of Honor recipient warns Iran\u2019s \u2018back and forth\u2019 tactics expected amid Hormuz closure<\/p>\n<p>Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer said tensions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">between the U.S.<\/a> and Iran are likely to continue seesawing after Tehran once again moved to close the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>During a Saturday appearance on Fox News&#8217; \u201cFox News Live,\u201d Meyer described the latest escalation as part of a familiar pattern from Iran, warning the situation could continue shifting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIran wants to deal. We want a deal. We want to get this done without having to escalate this any further,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cI fully expect this to go back and forth. This is what Iran does. They&#8217;re all about misinformation campaigns. They&#8217;re about taking it back, pushing forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the renewed tensions, Meyer expressed optimism that negotiations could still lead to an agreement \u201cpretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m hopeful that we&#8217;re going to get to a deal here pretty soon,&#8221; Meyer said. &#8220;We have a president in place who the world obviously knows is going to uphold what he says he&#8217;s going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>4 hours agoSoaring fuel costs push airlines to raise fees, slash routes: expert<\/p>\n<p>Airlines are raising checked baggage fees and cutting routes as soaring jet fuel prices \u2014 driven by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 put increasing pressure on the industry.<\/p>\n<p>During an appearance on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Fox News Live&#8221; on Saturday, Airlines for America President and CEO Chris Sununu said the global spike in fuel costs is squeezing carriers, even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/travel\/general\/airlines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">as U.S. airlines<\/a> remain in a somewhat stronger position than their European counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;re not as worried as Europe, but we are watching,\u201d Sununu said. &#8220;We could have a very heavy summer. But the prices are really dictated often worldwide, because our carriers will fly to Europe, and they fuel up there as well and fly back.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To avoid steep increases in ticket prices, airlines are turning to alternative revenue streams, including higher baggage fees and route reductions. Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines have all recently announced baggage fee increases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you notice, the actual price of your ticket isn&#8217;t really moving a whole lot \u2014 maybe 5 or 6% \u2014 but they&#8217;re trying to find alternative ways to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fuel makes up roughly 25% to 30% of airline operating costs, and the industry could lose at least $25 billion this year, according to Sununu.<\/p>\n<p>He also noted there is typically a lag before higher fuel costs are felt by consumers, since many travelers book flights months in advance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;ll be slow because remember the folks that are flying today might have bought their tickets three months ago before this crisis even happened,&#8221; Sununu said. &#8220;And the folks who are buying tickets today might be flying three months from now. So there is a bit of a lag here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>4 hours agoCENTCOM releases new image highlighting ongoing naval blockade<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday released a new image highlighting the ongoing naval blockade, showing the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney patrolling.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) patrols regional waters in support of blockade operations,&#8221; CENTCOM wrote on X. &#8220;The blockade has completely halted economic trade going into and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/defense\/wars\/war-with-iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">out of Iran<\/a> by sea.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Naval blockade began on Monday and targets all maritime traffic entering or leaving Iranian ports.<\/p>\n<p>5 hours agoKamala Harris blasts \u2018corrupt\u2019 Trump over Iran war, rising gas prices<\/p>\n<p>Former Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/kamala-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kamala Harris<\/a> on Saturday accused President Donald Trump of dragging the U.S. into a conflict she says &#8220;the American people do not want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Michigan Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus in Detroit, Harris argued the administration\u2019s actions are putting U.S. service members at risk while driving up costs for consumers at home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are dealing with the most corrupt, callous, and incompetent presidential administration in the history of the United States. Period,&#8221; Harris said. \u201c \u2026 He entered a war \u2014 got pulled into it by [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu, let us be clear about that \u2014 entered a war that the American people do not want, putting at risk American service members.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Harris also said the economic impact is falling on consumers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;On average, Americans are paying at least $15 more to fill up their tank,\u201d Harris said. \u201cDiesel costs 50% more, so that&#8217;s what fuels a semi, a truck that otherwise delivers our food and our household items. And where do we think that cost is going to land? It&#8217;s on the consumer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She further accused Trump of attempting to use the situation as a political distraction.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s understand that it is also \u2014 as he wants to do and has always been \u2014his feeble attempt to distract from the Epstein files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>6 hours agoWhite House fires back after reporter criticizes Trump for not taking Iran questions<\/p>\n<p>The White House pushed back after a reporter criticized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">President Donald Trump<\/a> for not addressing Iran during a Saturday Oval Office signing event focused on mental health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump just had an hour-plus executive order signing in the Oval Office with reporters in the room,\u201d ABC News reporter Selina Wang wrote on X. \u201cHe did not take a single question on Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The White House sharply responded, defending the focus of the event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are clueless, @selinawangtv,\u201d the White House wrote. \u201cThe event was about accelerating research to help people struggling with serious mental illnesses \u2014 like veterans, who say it\u2019s a lifeline in their battles with PTSD and contemplating suicide. Is that not a worthwhile topic for you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump on Saturday signed an executive order that he said &#8220;directs the FDA to expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fox News Digital&#8217;s Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p>7 hours agoIran reportedly loses $435M a day as experts warn economy \u2018on life support\u2019 amid blockade<\/p>\n<p>Iran is under intensifying financial pressure, losing an estimated $435 million per day due to the U.S. naval blockade, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fdd.org\/analysis\/2026\/04\/13\/u-s-blockading-ships-entering-or-exiting-iranian-ports-along-strait-of-hormuz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Foundation for Defense of Democracies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>During an appearance on Fox News&#8217; \u201cAmerica Reports,&#8221; former U.S. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) communications director Col. Joe Buccino (Ret.) and former Ambassador-at-Large Nathan Sales said the losses are compounding long-standing economic strain.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/global-economy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">economy is<\/a> on life support,&#8221; Sales said. &#8220;So, for 47 years, the Iranian economy has faced economic mismanagement \u2014 add to that American sanctions pressure for several decades, add to that the destruction of the last 40 days of war. $435 million a day is a lot of money any day. It&#8217;s especially devastating to the regime right now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Despite the mounting losses, Buccino said Iran believes it still holds \u201cleverage,\u201d particularly through its control of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIran believes it&#8217;s won the first phase of the war. \u2026 And they understand the leverage they have [by] closing down the Strait of Hormuz,&#8221; Buccino said. &#8220;They&#8217;re paying attention to the political toll within the United States, they are paying attention to gas prices, and they&#8217;re paying attention to polling here in the United States with regard to this war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>7 hours agoIRGC warns ships nearing Strait of Hormuz will be treated as \u2018enemy:&#8217; report<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly issued a sweeping warning to ships in the region on Saturday, saying any movement toward the Strait of Hormuz will be viewed as cooperation with \u201cthe enemy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFollowing the violation of the ceasefire conditions, the American enemy did not lift the naval blockade of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/defense\/wars\/war-with-iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iranian vessels<\/a> and ports; therefore, from this afternoon, the Strait of Hormuz is closed until this blockade is lifted,\u201d the IRGC said, according to Tehran-based <a href=\"https:\/\/wanaen.com\/irgc-u-s-presidents-statements-on-strait-of-hormuz-lack-credibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WANA News Agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The IRGC also instructed vessels in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to remain at anchor, warning that any ship approaching the strategic waterway \u201cwill be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the violating vessel will be targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>8 hours agoNew CENTCOM photo shows Marine monitoring shipping during US blockade operations<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday afternoon shared photos showing a U.S. Marine monitoring shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during an ongoing U.S. maritime blockade.<\/p>\n<p>The photo, which CENTCOM shared on X, shows a Marine standing on board the USS Nw Orleans, a forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship stationed in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>The X post comes as Iran claims to have reimposed control over the Strait after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">President Donald Trump<\/a> announced it was open for business.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian officials claim the reversal comes as a result of the ongoing U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/us-eyes-iran-fast-boats-kill-tactics-tested-venezuela-drug-boat-strikes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">blockade<\/a> of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n<p>The new photo following others shared by CENTCOM earlier Saturday showing Apache helicopters and a combat ship patrolling the Strait of Hormuz amid the blockade.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump says there are no immediate plans to end the blockade.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>9 hours agoWalz rips Trump and Vance in Europe, says &#8216;feeble-minded, trigger-happy president&#8217; has no exit plan<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota Gov.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/minnesota-democrats-unite-block-walz-ellison-impeachment-push-sparking-online-outrage-theyre-panicking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tim Walz<\/a>\u00a0slammed President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at a conference for progressives in Spain on Saturday, accusing Trump of being a &#8220;feeble-minded, trigger-happy president&#8221; who has &#8220;no exit plan&#8221; for the ongoing conflict with Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Walz delivered the criticism after a crowd at the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization event in Barcelona heard video messages from New York City Mayor\u00a0Zohran Mamdani\u00a0about affordability and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaking about the &#8220;illegal and dangerous wars being waged by Netanyahu and Trump in Iran and Lebanon.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got a feeble-minded, trigger-happy president who plunged us into a war where no threat was present, with no clear objectives and no exit plan. We need to call that what it is. That&#8217;s fascism. Or at least it&#8217;s fascist curious as they would be,&#8221; Walz said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is an excerpt from the reporting of Greg Norman-Diamond. Read\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/walz-rips-trump-vance-europe-says-feeble-minded-trigger-happy-president-exit-plan-iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">full report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n<p>9 hours agoUS Navy releases photos of &#8216;fresh meals,&#8217; pushes back on reports of food shortages on warships<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0U.S. Navy\u00a0released photos Saturday of &#8220;fresh meals&#8221; being served onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli as it pushed back against claims of food shortages on Middle East warships.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Images have\u00a0emerged purportedly showing meager meals being served to sailors during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, but the claims are being rejected at highest levels of the Pentagon, with Secretary of War\u00a0Pete Hegseth\u00a0blasting them as &#8220;fake news.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Fresh meals. Full service. Mission\u00a0ready. Sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli continue to receive regularly prepared meals at sea \u2014 no interruptions, no shortages,&#8221; the\u00a0Navy wrote on X\u00a0on Saturday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It shared photos showing full plates of food being served to sailors. One image showed boxes of food supplies stacked to the ceiling onboard one of the ships.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Recent reports alleging food shortages and\u00a0poor quality\u00a0aboard our deployed ships are false,&#8221; Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Both USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli have sufficient food onboard to serve their crews with healthy options.\u00a0The health and wellbeing of our Sailors and Marines are my top priority, and every crew member continues to receive fully portioned, nutritionally balanced meals,&#8221; he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is an excerpt from the reporting of Greg Norman-Diamond. Read\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/us-navy-releases-photos-fresh-meals-pushes-back-reports-food-shortages-middle-east-warships\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">full report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Greg Norman-Diamond<\/p>\n<p>9 hours agoTrump\u2019s favorite field marshal: Who is Pakistan\u2019s powerful army chief with deep intel ties<\/p>\n<p>President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0publicly thanked what he called <a target=\"_blank\">Pakistan\u2019s<\/a> &#8220;great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!!!&#8221; in a Truth Social post Friday praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan\u2019s military chief, Asim Munir.<\/p>\n<p>Sharif quickly\u00a0responded on X,\u00a0&#8220;On behalf of the people of Pakistan, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and on my behalf, I express my deep and profound appreciation for your kind and gracious words.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The public exchange capped a remarkable rise for Munir, who has become one of the few foreign officials trusted both by Trump and by Iran\u2019s security establishment.<\/p>\n<p>Munir recently became the first foreign military leader to visit Iran since the latest\u00a0escalation between the United States\u00a0and Iran, according to Pakistani and Iranian reports. Arriving in full military uniform, he was warmly greeted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and held meetings with senior Iranian military officials.<\/p>\n<p>Retired Pakistani Gen. Ahmed Saeed told Fox News Digital that Munir has for months served as an\u00a0informal back channel between Washington and Tehran, Iran,\u00a0as the Trump administration tries to negotiate an end to the conflict, Iran\u2019s nuclear program and the naval blockade in the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n<p>Few foreign figures appear to have closer ties both to Trump and to\u00a0Iran\u2019s military hierarchy.<\/p>\n<p>That has raised a striking question: How did the same man become close both to Trump and to some of Iran\u2019s most powerful commanders?<\/p>\n<p>This is an excerpt from the reporting of Efrat Lachter. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/trumps-favorite-field-marshal-who-pakistans-powerful-army-chief-asim-munir-deep-intel-ties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">full report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>10 hours agoIranian official reveals &#8216;non-starter&#8217; allegedly stalling next round of face-to-face talks with US<\/p>\n<p>Iran&#8217;s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh insisted that the country would not hand over any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-says-us-could-take-irans-uranium-after-strikes-how-would-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">enriched uranium<\/a> to the United States, rebutting an earlier claim from President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to United States,\u201d Khatibzadeh told The Associated Press in an interview published Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is non-starter and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we\u2019re not going to accept things that are non-starters,&#8221; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>The rebuke represented Iran&#8217;s first public commentary on the matter after Trump said Friday that they had &#8220;agreed to everything,&#8221; including a demand to give up enriched uranium.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They\u2019ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust that\u2019s way underground because of the attack we made with the B-2 bombers,&#8221; Trump told reporters Friday<\/p>\n<p>Iranian cessation of uranium enrichment has long been a hardline for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Iran&#8217;s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, however, called uranium enrichment &#8220;as sacred to us as Iranian soil,&#8221; adding that Iran will not be transferring uranium &#8220;under any circumstances,&#8221; according to CBS News.<\/p>\n<p>Khatibzadeh called the American terms &#8220;maximalist&#8221; and claimed they prevented a negotiation from moving forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are still not there yet to move on to an actual meeting because there are issues that the Americans have not yet abandoned their maximalist position,\u201d Khatibzadeh said.<\/p>\n<p>Khatibzadeh also claimed another sticking point was U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6393031164112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">economic sanctions on Iran<\/a>, referring to them as &#8220;economic terrorism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The other sides also should understand and address our main concerns, which are illegal unilateral sanctions that Americans have imposed on Iranians and this economic terrorism which has targeted Iranian people to suffocate them and make them to revolt against the political structure inside Iran,&#8221; he told the AP.<\/p>\n<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>11 hours agoIndia summons Iranian ambassador after ships fired upon in Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/world-regions\/india\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">India<\/a> summoned the Iranian ambassador for a meeting after Indian ships reportedly came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi was called in by the Ministry of External Affairs for a meeting with Foreign Secretary this evening,&#8221; the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;During the meeting, Foreign Secretary conveyed India\u2019s deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz,&#8221; it continued.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He noted the importance that India attached to the safety of merchant shipping and mariners and recalled that Iran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships bound for India,&#8221; the ministry said. &#8220;Reiterating his concern at this serious incident of firing on merchant ships, Foreign Secretary urged the Ambassador to convey India\u2019s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The statement follows an earlier Reuters report claiming that two merchant vessels were hit by gunfire as they attempted to cross the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/china-slams-us-military-blockade-strait-hormuz-dangerous-irresponsible-move\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> early Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters also reported that the Sanmar \u200bHerald, an Indian-flagged vessel carrying crude oil, was attacked in the Strait on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>The reported attacks came after Iranian officials reversed a decision to reopen the crucial waterway, citing an ongoing U.S. naval blockade in the Strait.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As long as the United States does not agree to the complete freedom of navigation for vessels&#8230; the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled and in its previous state,&#8221; an Iranian military official said, according to Iranian state media agency Fars.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the reports, President Donald Trump said during an unrelated Oval Office press conference Saturday that negotiations are &#8220;going actually along very well.&#8221; Trump also insisted that Iran &#8220;can&#8217;t blackmail us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>12 hours agoUS CENTCOM touts &#8216;visible presence&#8217; in Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian closure<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6393135794112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)<\/a> on Saturday morning shared photos showing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/entertainment\/kid-rock-sparks-us-army-investigation-military-helicopters-stunt-tennessee-estate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AH-64 Apaches<\/a> fly above the Strait of Hormuz during a Friday patrol.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Army Soldiers are flying in and around the strait providing a visible presence in support of freedom of navigation,&#8221; CENTCOM wrote.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate post Saturday, CENTCOM shared another image showing the Littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30) patrolling the Arabian Sea during the U.S. blockade.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Since commencement of the blockade, 23 ships have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around. American forces are enforcing a maritime blockade against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas,&#8221; CENTCOM wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The posts come as the Iranian regime reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, claiming its armed forces again have control of the key waterway.<\/p>\n<p>While making an unrelated announcement in the Oval Office on Saturday morning, Trump acknowledged that Iran now again wants to close the strait but insisted negotiations are still going well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They got a little cute,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We&#8217;re talking to them. They wanted to close up the strait again, you know, as they&#8217;ve been doing for years, and they can&#8217;t blackmail us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>12 hours agoMacron says Hezbollah responsible for attack that killed French soldier, injured 3 others in Lebanon<\/p>\n<p>French President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/emmanuel-macron\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Emmanuel Macron <\/a>said Hezbollah terrorists were responsible for an attack that killed one French soldier and injured three others in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/world-regions\/middle-east\/lebanon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Lebanon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah,\u201d Macron wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrance demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest those responsible and assume their responsibilities alongside UNIFIL,\u201d\u00a0he added, referencing the United Nations mission in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Macron identified the soldier as Staff Sgt. Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment from Montauban.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Three of his brothers-in-arms are wounded and have been evacuated,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The Nation bows with respect and extends its support to the families of our soldiers and to all our military personnel engaged for peace in Lebanon.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>12 hours agoTrump says Iran &#8216;can&#8217;t blackmail us&#8217; on Strait of Hormuz, says negotiations &#8216;working out very well&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump said Iran &#8220;can&#8217;t blackmail us&#8221; after the country announced they were reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have very good conversations going on. It&#8217;s working out very well,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years, and nobody ever took them on. We took them on. They have no Navy. They have no Air force. They have no leaders. They have no nothing. Actually, their leaders are&#8230; it is regime change.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Despite Iran wanting to close the strait again, Trump said in the Oval Office that negotiations are &#8220;going actually along very well&#8221; and promised more information &#8220;by the end of the day.&#8221; Trump also cited how oil tankers are now coming to U.S. ports to fuel up, including in Texas and Louisiana.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re taking a tough stand. They&#8217;ve killed a lot of people. A lot of our people have been killed. A lot of your fellow soldiers have been killed over the years by Iran,&#8221; Trump said, citing how he ordered the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran&#8217;s elite Quds Force, in January 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Trump described Soleimani as the &#8220;father of the roadside bomb.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And when you see soldiers or others, but soldiers generally walking around with no legs, with no arms or face that&#8217;s been smashed, that was Soleimani, it was Iran that did that,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;So we have a much different view on it than other presidents. They&#8217;ve gotten away with murder for 47 years. They&#8217;re not getting away with it anymore.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>15 hours agoStrait of Hormuz under &#8216;full IRGC control,&#8217; Iran opens fire on at least one vessel: intel official<\/p>\n<p>A regional intelligence official told Fox News that the Strait of Hormuz is &#8220;under full IRGC control and effectively closed at this moment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Multiple vessels have been forced to turn around since this morning as they attempted to pass through the Strait,&#8221; the official said.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/centcom-commander-directed-strike-against-irgc-headquarters-underground-facility-sources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)<\/a> &#8220;opened fire on at least one vessel as part of the closure policy they declared last night,&#8221; the official added.<\/p>\n<p>This comes after Iran\u2019s joint military command said on Saturday that \u201ccontrol of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state&#8221; and is &#8220;under strict management and control of the armed forces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The command warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.<\/p>\n<p>Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament\u2019s National Security Commission, said that the strait was \u201creturning to the status quo,\u201d which he had earlier described as ships requiring Iranian naval authorization and toll payment before transiting.<\/p>\n<p>The development came a day after Iran&#8217;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the strait open while a 10-day ceasefire was announced between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">President Donald Trump<\/a> on Friday had praised the reopening of the strait but said the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports would remain in &#8220;full force.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fox News&#8217; Trey Yingst and The Associated Press contributed to this post.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>15 hours agoIran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz, warns it will continue to block transit<\/p>\n<p>Iran announced it is reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, reversing its decision to reopen the waterway after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">President Donald Trump<\/a> said the move would not end the blockade, according to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/conflicts\/iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Iran&#8217;s<\/a> joint military command said Saturday that \u201ccontrol of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state&#8230; under strict management and control of the armed forces,&#8221; adding that the restrictions will not be lifted as long as the U.S. continues to block Iranian ports.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes a few hours after Trump said the blockade &#8220;will remain in full force&#8221; until a deal is reached between Tehran and the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>For previous Fox News live coverage, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/live-news\/trump-iran-us-war-israel-lebanon-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-blockade-april-17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">click here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p>Posted by Robert McGreevy<\/p>\n<p>Live Coverage begins here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1 hour ago Pinned Beshear rips Trump for \u2018waging new wars&#8217; and \u2018risking American lives\u2019 Kentucky Gov. Andy&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[220,903,85,46,630,225,43,126],"class_list":{"0":"post-399597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-current-news","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-latest-news","13":"tag-national-news","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}