The US begins a blockade of Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s own ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
Vice President JD Vance accuses Iran of ‘economic terrorism’, warning that ‘two can play at that game’
The White House says it is open to further negotiations, with Trump telling the New York Post that this could be “in the next two days”
Health officials in Lebanon say 2,089 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, including 252 women, 166 children, and 88 medical workers
Hezbollah says it will not abide by any agreements that may result from the direct Lebanon-Israel talks in the United States
Macron, Starmer to co-chair talks on Strait of Hormuz mission to protect shipping
Lebanon and Israel are holding direct diplomatic talks for the first time in decades.
The meeting is taking place on Tuesday in Washington, following more than a month of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese millitant group Hezbollah.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during diplomatic talks with ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel at the State Department in Washington. Credit: AP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will participate in the talks alongside the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has proposed a second round of talks to the US and Iran, according to officials in Islamabad.
It comes as Trump told the New York Times that talks between the US and Iran could restart “in the next two days”.
US Vice President JD Vance said negotiations with Iran at the weekend made “some progress” and after US President Donald Trump claimed “we’ve been called by the other side” and “they want to work a deal.”
The Pakistani officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter with the press.
Earlier, Vance said the ball is in Tehran’s court after the start of a naval blockade of all Iranian ports.
The blockade, which came into effect on Monday, came after negotiations in Pakistan over the weekend failed to reach a breakthrough.
Iran has imposed an effective blockade of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial shipping channel through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Tehran insists that it is only preventing American ships and those of US allies from using the strait, but maritime data shows traffic has fallen sharply since the war began, and the move has sent shockwaves through the global economy.
In an interview with Fox News on Monday night, Vance said: “What they have done is engage in this act of economic terrorism against the entire world.
“They’ve basically threatened any ship that’s moving through the Straits of Hormuz. Well, as the President of the United States showed, two can play at that game.”
The US has been placing Iran under pressure to unblock the Strait of Hormuz
Vance told Fox’s “Special Report” programme that some progress with Iranian negotiators was made in Pakistan over the weekend, adding: “The ball is very much in their court.”
In a warning to Iran, writing on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump said: “If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea.”
Both the nature of the US Navy’s enforcement and the the extent to which ships will comply remained unclear during its first full day in effect on Tuesday.
There were early signs of hesitation, however, as at least two tankers approaching the strait on Monday turned around shortly after it took effect, vessel tracker MarineTraffic showed.
It is also not clear how the new blockade will be applied to ships that are sanctioned by the US but have not left an Iranian port.
The Rich Starry, which is on the US sanctions list, accused of carrying sanctioned Iranian and Russian products, managed to get through the Strait of Hormuz unhindered on Monday night, vesseltracker.com reports.
The vessel, owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd., was loaded in Hamriyah, in the UAE, and therefore had not been at an Iranian port.
The US had gathered about 15 warships around the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Rich Starry sailed a loop when it was closest to Iran, according to tracking data.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei derided the blockade as a “revenge of choice” against the global economy.“Is it ever worthwhile to cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face?!” he wrote on X.
Lebanon and Israel set to hold diplomatic talks in Washington
Meanwhile, Lebanon and Israel are to engaging in their first direct diplomatic talks since 1993 on Tuesday in the US.
Ambassadors met on Tuesday in Washington. Credit: AP
While the delicate ceasefire with Iran is holding, Israel has continued its attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which has seen the displacement of around one million people.
Since the latest Middle East conflict began on February 28, an estimated 2,089 people have been killed by airstrikes in Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry, including 252 women, 166 children, and 88 medical workers.
The Lebanese government hopes the talks will pave the way to an end to the war.
However, Hezbollah, the largest non-state military organisation on the planet, opposes the direct talks, and will not be represented.
The group has said it will not abide by any agreements that may result from these talks, a senior official said on Monday.
In a rare interview with international media on the eve of the talks, Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah’s political council, suggested the negotiations would make little difference to the Shia militant group.
“As for the outcomes of this negotiation between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, we are not interested in or concerned with them at all,” he said. “We are not bound by what they agree to.”
Iran-backed Hezbollah and other critics are sceptical of such direct talks, maintaining that Lebanon’s government in Beirut lacks leverage and that it should instead back the position of Iran, Hezbollah’s key ally and patron.
Meanwhile, Italy has suspended its military partnership with Israel.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that her government has suspended the automatic renewal of a defence agreement with Israel, citing “the current situation”.
Meloni and other Italian government officials have strongly condemned Israel’s air and bombing campaign in Lebanon.
This also comes after Trump criticised Pope Leo on Monday, calling him “weak”.
Rachel Reeves to promote energy security on US trip
British Chancellor Rachel Reeves said families and businesses across Britain are bearing the cost of instability “they did not cause” as she headed to the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings in Washington DC.
There, she is set to urge coordinated action to tackle the global economic shock caused by the Iran conflict, which has seen a spike in energy prices.
Rachel Reeves is heading to the US to discuss global energy security. Credit: PA
The war could leave the average UK household £480 worse off over the current financial year, the Resolution Foundation think tank has said.
“The Iran conflict must be a line in the sand on how we deal with global crisis and instability,” she said.
“I will go to America with a clear message: global leaders must take co-ordinated economic action and supercharge the path to energy security to protect ourselves in the future.”
On Tuesday, Trump offered his own take on the energy question, criticising the UK on Truth Social, writing: “Europe is desperate for Energy, and yet the United Kingdom refuses to open North Sea Oil, one of the greatest fields in the World. Tragic!!! Aberdeen should be booming.”
“DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! It is absolutely crazy that they don’t… AND, NO MORE WINDMILLS!”, the US President added.
White House says it is open to further negotiations
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt remained tight lipped when asked if new talks were being considered, telling reporters: “President Trump, Vice President Vance and the negotiating team have made the US red lines very clear.
“The Iranians’ desperation for a deal will only increase with President Trump’s highly effective Naval blockade now in effect.”
Trump told reporters outside the Oval Office later on Monday that Washington is still willing to engage with Tehran to negotiate a resolution.
Donald Trump has said the US is still open to negotiating with Iran. Credit: AP
“I can tell you that we’ve been called by the other side,” Trump said, adding, “We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal.”
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Iran demands compensation from Gulf states
Meanwhile Iran’s representative to the United Nations has demanded compensation from countries it says participated in the US and Israeli war effort against Iran.Iran’s state media included Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in its list of countries.
UN representative Amir-Saeid Iravani claimed the countries had violated international law and had to “make full compensation for the damages caused to the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
He said this includes “payment of compensation for all material and moral damages resulting from their international violation,” Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
Macron, Starmer to co-chair talks on Strait of Hormuz mission to protect shipping
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-chair a conference Friday in Paris, bringing together non-belligerent nations willing to participate in a mission in the Strait of Hormuz “when security conditions allow.”Other participants will take part via videoconference, Macron’s office said. European and other partners are ready to contribute to a “purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said.France and Britain have been working in recent weeks to set up an operation to escort oil tankers and container ships to help ensure safe passage through the strait.
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