Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. The ships identified as the Epaminondas and MSC Francesca were transferred to Iran\u2019s coast, with the IRGC warning that \u201cdisrupting order and safety in the strait of Hormuz is considered a red line\u201d.<\/p>\n
It came after reports of two ships and a third vessel coming under attack in the strategic waterway this morning, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the BBC. Iranian media named the third ship as the Euphoria, which is said to be \u201cstranded off the coast of Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan\u2019s request while awaiting a \u201cunified proposal\u201d from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n
Esmail Baghaei, Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson, acknowledged the ceasefire extension in comments reported by Iranian media, but did not specifically say Tehran was ready to attend a new round of talks with the US in Islamabad.<\/p>\n
Lebanon will request a one-month truce extension when Lebanese and Israeli envoys meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington tomorrow, according to reports. The 10-day ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, has urged Lebanon to make joint efforts with his country to counter Hezbollah. \u201cI call on the government of Lebanon \u2013 let\u2019s work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built in your territory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n US-Iran talks could be held in next three days – Trump<\/p>\n A second round of US-Iran talks could take place within the next three days, the New York Post reported Wednesday, citing unnamed Pakistani sources and president Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s possible!\u201d Trump reportedly told the Post by text message, when asked about sources in Pakistan \u2013 which mediated the first round of talks \u2013 saying that a second round was \u201cexpected in Islamabad within the next 36 to 72 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump on Tuesday extended a two-week truce in the war just as it was about to expire. A digital news outlet in Pakistan, News Post, reported the three-day time frame for more talks without a source or further details.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Second French peacekeeper dies after southern Lebanon attack blamed on Hezbollah<\/p>\n The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, said a second French peacekeeper who was \u201cseriously wounded by Hezbollah fighters\u201d in Lebanon has died of his injuries. <\/p>\n Anicet Girardin was wounded in the attack on Saturday which killed another French peacekeeper, identified as Florian Montorio.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Macron said: \u201cCorporal Anicet Girardin of the 132nd Cynotechnical Infantry Regiment of Suippes, repatriated yesterday from Lebanon where he had been seriously wounded by Hezbollah fighters, died this morning from his injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cHe died for France.\u201d<\/p>\n The French soldiers were killed when a patrol came under attack from \u201cnon-state actors\u201d, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Two people killed by Israeli strike in southern Lebanon – report<\/p>\n Two people have been killed after an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Tyre in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon\u2019s official National News Agency (NNA).<\/p>\n NNA said its correspondent also reported Israeli forces carried out \u201ca violent bombing\u201d in the southern Lebanese town of Qantara.<\/p>\n The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.52 EDT<\/p>\n Tehran\u2019s embattled Jewish community endures despite Israeli bombing of synagogue<\/p>\n On the evening of 6 April, Asef, 65, and other members of Tehran\u2019s Jewish community braved the US-Israeli bombing campaign to celebrate an evening Passover service at the Rafi\u2019 Nia synagogue in the centre of the Iranian capital.<\/p>\n Inside the dim hall, lined with Persian carpets and mint green curtains, Torah verses were recited and prayers murmured under the breath. Asef, his shirt neatly tucked into his trousers and a kippah on his head, sat among the men, while the women sat separately on the other side. The atmosphere was reverent but subdued.<\/p>\n Asef, 65, was at the Rafi\u2019 Nia Synagogue the night before it was bombed in an Israeli airstrike. Photograph: Mohammad Mohsenifar\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t let the conflict stop us from celebrating,\u201d he said, adding that the community had made an effort to hold on to their Passover traditions even amid the difficulties of war.<\/p>\n It was already dark when he headed home that night; the streets were quiet, with only a few people out.<\/p>\n By the time he got up the next morning to get ready for work, an Israeli airstrike had completely destroyed<\/a> the synagogue.<\/p>\n In this feature, Mohammad Mohsenifar and Stefanie Glinski report on Tehran\u2019s Jewish community as it finds itself caught in the crossfire of Israel-Iran tensions:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.34 EDT<\/p>\n The United States must end its blockade on Iran<\/a> as a prerequisite for any further ceasefire talks in Islamabad, an Iranian diplomat said Wednesday.<\/p>\n Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian mission in Egypt, told the Associated Press that communications with Pakistani mediators are underway \u201cto implement Iran\u2019s conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t negotiate under threat,\u201d he said. \u201cWe won\u2019t go to Islamabad before the lifting of the blockade.\u201d<\/p>\n He accused the US of using the ceasefire to build up more forces for a possible resumption of military action against the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n \u201cBehind the scenes, they say something, but in public, they say and do something else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n China said after the announcement of an extension of the ceasefire that it is \u201cimperative\u201d to keep the conflict from reigniting.<\/p>\n Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Wednesday that the current situation in the Middle East is at \u201ca critical stage.\u201d<\/p>\n He said China \u201cis ready\u201d to work with the international community to maintain peace, following four principles president Xi Jinping proposed a few days earlier, including peaceful coexistence and adherence to international law.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s imperative to prevent the recurrence of the conflict with utmost efforts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. The ships identified as the Epaminondas and MSC Francesca were transferred to Iran\u2019s coast, with the IRGC warning that \u201cdisrupting order and safety in the strait of Hormuz is considered a red line\u201d.<\/p>\n It came after reports of two ships and a third vessel coming under attack in the strategic waterway this morning, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the BBC. Iranian media named the third ship as the Euphoria, which is said to be \u201cstranded off the coast of Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n Donald Trump said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan\u2019s request while awaiting a \u201cunified proposal\u201d from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n Esmail Baghaei, Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson, acknowledged the ceasefire extension in comments reported by Iranian media, but did not specifically say Tehran was ready to attend a new round of talks with the US in Islamabad.<\/p>\n Lebanon will request a one-month truce extension when Lebanese and Israeli envoys meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington tomorrow, according to reports. The 10-day ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, has urged Lebanon to make joint efforts with his country to counter Hezbollah. \u201cI call on the government of Lebanon \u2013 let\u2019s work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built in your territory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n AFP news agency, citing an official, has reported that Lebanon will request a one-month truce extension when Lebanese and Israeli envoys meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington tomorrow. The 10-day ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday.<\/p>\n Reuters also reported a Lebanese official saying tomorrow\u2019s talks will explore a date for expanded negotiations, in which Lebanon would push for a withdrawal of Israeli troops, the return of Lebanese detainees being held in Israel and a delineation of the land border.<\/p>\n The remains of a home under construction is destroyed by the Israeli army in the southern Lebanese village of Beit Lif, in the Bint Jbeil district. Photograph: Kawnat Haju\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.44 EDT<\/p>\n Esmail Baghaei, Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson, said his country\u2019s armed forces stood ready to defend the nation while suggesting Tehran was still open to further negotiations with the US.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s official Islamic Republic News Agency reported remarks by Baghaei in response to Pakistan\u2019s request for a ceasefire extension, in which he said:<\/p>\n double quotation markIran, while closely monitoring developments in the field and political arena, will take necessary and appropriate measures to protect Iran\u2019s interests and national security, and the armed forces are also fully alert and ready to comprehensively and decisively defend the Iranian nation against any threat and evil.<\/p>\n When asked about the possibility of a second round of talks with the US, he said Iran will negotiate \u201cwhenever we reach the conclusion that the necessary and logical grounds are available to use this tool to achieve our national interests\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here is a summary of the attacks reported in the strait of Hormuz and the statement by the IRGC of the seizure of two of the ships.<\/p>\n The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of a container ship coming under fire off the coast of Oman by a gun boat linked to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Greece\u2019s Kathimerini newspaper reported that the ship was identified as the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas, owned by Greece\u2019s Technomar Shipping and operated by MSC.<\/p>\n The UKMTO said it received a second report of a ship coming under attack in the strait of Hormuz, near the coast of Iran<\/a>. It did not say who launched the attack against the cargo ship, which had stopped in the water. Iranian reports suggest the vessel was called Euphoria.<\/p>\n The maritime intelligence company Vanguard told the BBC that a third ship was attacked in the strait of Hormuz, identifying it as the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca.<\/p>\n Iranian media reported that the IRGC has seized the Epaminondas and MSC Francesca and transferred them to the Iranian coast. The ships were reportedly seized for \u201coperating without the required authorisation and for \u2060manipulating navigation systems\u201d, adding that this \u201cjeopardised maritime security\u201d.<\/p>\n The Epaminondas container ship pictured in March 2025 in Naples, Italy. Photograph: Giovanni Costigliola\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.29 EDT<\/p>\n Iran seizes two ships in strait of Hormuz – report<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to Iran\u2019s semi-official Tasnim news agency.<\/p>\n The ships were identified as MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, which were reportedly directed to Iranian shores after they were \u201coperating without the required authorisation and for \u2060manipulating navigation systems\u201d.<\/p>\n The IRGC was quoted as saying: \u201cDisrupting order and safety in the strait of Hormuz is our red line.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier the UKMTO reported two ships were fired at near the strait, while the BBC reported a third vessel was attacked near the Iranian coast.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Third ship attacked in strait of Hormuz – report<\/p>\n A third ship has been attacked in the strait of Hormuz, the BBC has reported.<\/p>\n Maritime intelligence company Vanguard told BBC Verify that the ship was targeted about 6 nautical miles off the coast of Iran<\/a>. Vanguard said the vessel was hailed by the Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and \u201cinstructed to drop anchor\u201d.<\/p>\n The ship has reported \u201cdamage to the hull and accommodation\u201d.<\/p>\n It follows attacks on two ships earlier this morning<\/a>, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). A container ship was fired at by an IRGC gunboat off the coast of Oman, UKMTO reported, and a cargo vessel came under attack near Iran shortly after.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We have some images on the newswires from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, which is still locked in gear to host US-Iran talks that were pushed back at the last minute.<\/p>\n A worker sweeps a street in Islamabad. Photograph: Asif Hassan\/AFP\/Getty ImagesA police officer crosses a barricaded road in the Pakistani capital. Photograph: Anjum Naveed\/APPeople walk past billboards of the US-Iran talks near the Serena Hotel. Photograph: Anjum Naveed\/APA man reads a morning newspaper at a stall. Photograph: Anjum Naveed\/APPakistani soldiers disembark from a truck as they arrive near the presidential palace. Photograph: Akhtar Soomro\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary of developments so far Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has seized two ships in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-599742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}