Here's the latest
• US blockade: Iran’s military has threatened shipping in the Red Sea if the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports. The US Central Command said the blockade has “completely halted” Tehran’s economic sea trade although Iranian media reported four vessels traveled to and from the country Wednesday.
• Deal prospects: The Trump administration feels “good about prospects of a deal” with Iran, the White House said Wednesday, while noting that Pakistan would be the likely location of a potential second round of in-person talks.
• Israel-Lebanon talks: Meanwhile, following direct talks between Lebanon and Israel yesterday, Israel’s security cabinet is meeting now to discuss a possible ceasefire, according to an Israeli source.
White House feels "good about the prospects of a deal" as negotiations continue
The Trump administration feels “good about prospects of a deal” with Iran, the White House said Wednesday, while noting that Pakistan would be the likely location of a potential second round of in-person talks.
“Nothing is official until you hear it from us here at the White House,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters about another possible meeting. “But we feel good about the prospects of a deal.”
She added that any US delegation would likely be returning to Islamabad, where Vice President JD Vance led last weekend’s talks with the Iranians.
“They would very likely be in the same place as they were last time,” Leavitt said.
The press secretary also pushed back on reports of a ceasefire extension, which CNN reported earlier Wednesday the US had not formally agreed to.
“So I saw some reporting, again, bad reporting this morning that we had formally requested an extension of the ceasefire. That is not true, at this moment, we remain very much engaged in these negotiations,” Leavitt said.
A possible extension is still on the table, sources familiar with the talks said, but the Trump administration is eager to work out a potential deal as quickly as possible.
US willing to apply secondary sanctions on countries that buy Iranian oil, Bessent says
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the US is “now willing to apply secondary sanctions” on countries that buy Iranian oil or take Tehran’s money.
Bessent, when pressed about a letter sent by the Treasury Department to allies that suggests current sanctions against Iran are not having the desired impact, said that’s “not a correct characterization.”
“Yesterday, we announced Operation Economic Fury and we, for over a year, we have had maximum pressure on the Iranians, both on blocking payments into the Iranian state and going after the accounts of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps),” he said.
The Treasury secretary added that the administration would like to freeze “more funds of the leadership of the IRGC and any members of Iranian leadership.” And, he said, the Trump administration has told countries, “that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money is sitting in your banks, we are now willing to apply secondary sanctions, which is a very stern measure.”
Bessent said they have reiterated the threat specifically to two Chinese banks, though he did not specify which ones.
Remember: In January, President Donald Trump said he would enact a 25% tariff on countries that do business with Iran “effective immediately.” However, that did not appear to take effect at the time.
A tariff on countries doing business with Iran would directly impact China, a major trading partner of both Iran and the United States.
CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald contributed to this report.
US releases audio of American forces warning ships to "discontinue transit to Iran"
The US military appeared to release radio communications of American forces telling vessels in the Gulf of Oman to “discontinue transit to Iran if that is your next port of call” due to the ongoing blockade.
CENTCOM said in the social media post with the audio that US Navy ships are “on patrol in the Gulf of Oman as CENTCOM continues to execute a US blockade on ships entering and departing Iranian ports.”
The blockade went into effect on Monday morning, and CENTCOM has said that “no vessels” have made it past US forces. However, CNN reported Wednesday that Iranian media has reported four vessels traveled to and from the country on Wednesday, and maritime data shows three of the four entered Iranian waters while the fourth was exiting.
A US official told CNN that interdictions are not occurring in the Strait of Hormuz, which is not a part of the blockade, and are largely taking place in the Gulf of Oman.
S&P 500 hits intraday record high after shedding all Iran war-related losses
The S&P 500 just hit a fresh intraday record high, shrugging off uncertainty and continuing a recent rally on optimism about the fragile US-Iran ceasefire.
The S&P 500 rose 0.5% Wednesday and climbed to 7,003.82 points, surpassing a previous intraday peak of 7,002.28 set on January 28.
US stocks have staged a fierce relief rally on hope for the fragile ceasefire. A pullback in oil prices from recent highs has also helped boost stocks. US crude traded at $95 per barrel Wednesday, down from its Iran war highs above $110, though still well above its pre-war level of $67.
The S&P 500 needs to close with a gain of at least 0.17% to officially close at a record high.
Four vessels traveled to and from Iran despite US blockade, Iranian media say
Iranian media outlets reported that four vessels transited waters near Iran on Wednesday, traveling to and from the country despite a US blockade that took effect Tuesday.
The vessels were the Greek-operated Agios Fanourios, the Chinese-operated Alicia and RHN, and the Iranian-flagged container ship Golbon, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim and Mehr news agencies
MarineTraffic data showed the ships’ movements, indicating that three of the vessels entered Iranian waters, while the Golbon was outbound.
The Iranian container ship Golbon — sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) — “has continued operating near the Strait of Hormuz despite US threats and a US Navy blockade,” Tasnim said.
A US official said Wednesday that interdictions are not occurring in the Strait of Hormuz and are largely taking place in the Gulf of Oman.
US Central Command ( CENTCOM) has said the blockade covers Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, but not the strait itself, and that traffic unrelated to Iran may continue to transit.
CENTCOM also reported today in a post on X that “during the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past U.S. forces.”
“Additionally, 9 vessels have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area,” it added.
Trump tells Fox Business the Iran war is "very close to over"
US President Donald Trump told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo that he sees the war with Iran as “very close to over” in an interview that aired today.
Watch what else Trump discussed in the video below:
In an interview with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, President Donald Trump said the war with Iran is “very close to over.” He suggested Iran could be pushed toward a deal, though a restart of formal talks remains uncertain.
How Iran war has caused a helium supply crunch in China
As a result of the US and Israel’s war with Iran, China is now facing what some analysts have described as the worst helium shock in decades, with prices doubling and supplies dwindling.
A prolonged disruption, analysts warned, could lead to chip factory shutdowns and delays for life-saving medical imaging, triggering cascading effects across the broader economy that relies on semiconductors, from electronics to vehicles.
China’s helium supply crunch is a rare vulnerability in what has otherwise been a largely successful push for energy self-sufficiency that has insulated the country from the worst oil crisis in history.
The collapse of peace talks between the US and Iran over the weekend and Trump’s announcement of a US Navy blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz have further dashed hopes that material shortages could soon be resolved.
And with the halt in helium production in Qatar, which supplies one third of the world’s demand and 54% of China’s, and collateral damage to related energy facilities, the supply chain could still take years to recover. In the meantime, strains on domestic supply are mounting.
“With the Qatari issue, it’s basically taken so much offline globally that there’s no visibility on how we can get a reliable supply moving forward,” said Cameron Johnson, a Shanghai-based senior partner at supply chain consultancy Tidalwave Solutions.
Read more about China’s helium shortage in our full article here.
Israel to discuss Lebanon ceasefire tonight, as US and Iran exchange messages
In the past few hours, we’ve brought you reporting on developments regarding potential ceasefires between both Israel and Lebanon, as well as Iran and the US.
Israel’s security cabinet is set to discuss a possible truce with Lebanon in a few hours, according to an Israeli source.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has hinted that further talks with Iran could come soon, as a key intermediary between the US and Iran has arrived in Tehran carrying a message from Washington.
If you’re just joining us, catch up on the latest developments below:
- Iran is continuing to exchange messages with the US through Pakistan after talks failed at the weekend, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said.
- More than 5,500 people have been killed in Iran and Lebanon since conflict broke out in the region more than six weeks ago, according to recent tolls given by local authorities.
- Israel’s military said that it has struck more than 200 “Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon” in the past 24 hours.
- The vice president of the United Arab Emirates spoke with Iran’s parliament speaker in the first high-level talks between the two nations since the start of the war.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he will not “yield” or change his stance on the Iran war following Trump’s recent criticism.
- Iran’s military has threatened to shut down shipping operations in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman if the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.
- Two vessels that passed through the Strait of Hormuz stopped at the same point in the Gulf of Oman, according to Kpler, a data intelligence and analytics platform, with one vessel having made a U-turn back through the waterway.
CNN’s Tal Shalev, Issy Ronald, Sophie Tanno, Charbel Mallo, Eugenia Yosef, Mostafa Salem, Sarah Tamimi, James Frater, Eleni Giokos, Nadeen Ebrahim and Billy Stockwell contributed to this reporting.
Pope Leo says the world needs unity, not division after renewed Trump criticism
Pope Leo said today that his visit to Africa offers a message of unity and peace “the world needs to hear,” as he continues to face criticisms for his stance on the war in Iran from the president and the vice president of the United States.
Speaking on board the papal plane from Algeria to Cameroon, Leo XIV pointed to his visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, the largest in Africa, and to the birthplace of Saint Augustine of Hippo, a hugely influential Christian figure who inspired him to become a priest.
The pontiff said going to the mosque showed that while “we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace.”
Leo’s trip to Africa, beginning with a Muslim-majority country, comes as he has been increasingly critical of the US military operation in Iran. It has underlined the pope’s stance as a counterweight to the Trump administration.
Leo’s comfortability calling out the US president on the world stage marks a significant escalation in tensions for Trump and the first American pope.
The pope departed for Africa just hours after Trump had launched an extraordinary broadside against the pontiff and his stance on the war, with the president subsequently posting an image of himself seemingly as a Jesus-like figure. The image was later deleted.
Read more about Pope Leo’s trip to Africa and his clashes with Trump in our full article here.
More than 5,500 people killed in Lebanon and Iran since conflict began, authorities say
More than 5,500 people have been killed in Iran and Lebanon since conflict broke out in the region more than six weeks ago, according to recent tolls given by local authorities.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said today that at least 2,167 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in the country since March 2, with at least 43 deaths occurring in the past 24 hours. At least 172 children are among those killed, it said, as well as 91 health workers.
Israel began attacks on what it says are Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon just over six weeks ago, and it has continued to conduct strikes following the current ceasefire between Iran and the US.
At least 3,375 people have also been killed in Iran since the US and Israel began strikes on the country in February, Iranian state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported Sunday.
CNN’s Aida Karimi contributed to this reporting.
Israeli security cabinet to discuss possible Lebanon ceasefire, source says
The Israeli security cabinet will discuss a possible ceasefire with Lebanon later today, according to an Israeli source. The meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).
The discussion comes one day after the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in 40 years, which were held in Washington, DC, under the auspices of the Trump administration.
Under American pressure, Israel has scaled back the pace and scope of strikes in Lebanon, refraining from attacking the capital, Beirut, in recent days.
Strikes must now receive political-level approval. Israel has, however, continued to strike what it says are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli source said one of the ideas being discussed is the potential for a temporary ceasefire as a positive gesture toward the negotiations with Lebanon.
Despite the first day of talks, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire.
CNN previously reported that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had at least three calls last week focused on Lebanon.
The Israeli source said that Netanyahu came to understand that if he didn’t call for direct talks with Lebanon, Trump might simply declare a ceasefire by himself.
Key Pakistani negotiator in Tehran with message from US, Iran state media report
Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has emerged as a key intermediary between the US and Iran, has arrived in Tehran as head of a high-level delegation, the country’s military says.
Munir’s delegation, which is carrying a message from Washington, will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and discuss “issues related to the second round of negotiations,” the official Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) added, citing Pakistani sources.
Such a significant figure making a diplomatic visit this publicly is a positive sign that there could be a second round of talks.
This meeting comes amid a wider diplomatic push for a second round of talks between the US and Iran, after high-level meetings between the two countries at the weekend failed to yield any agreement.
Yesterday, President Donald Trump teased the possibility of “something” happening “over the next two days” in Islamabad, where last week’s talks were held, telling a New York Post reporter on assignment there to stay in the city.
Iran is continuing to exchange messages with the US through Pakistan, a spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry confirmed earlier today.
CNN’s Sophia Saifi contributed reporting.
"Strained" public budgets less able to protect consumers from high energy costs, IMF warns
Government finances around the world were in a fragile state going into the war with Iran and countries should avoid overspending on measures to shield their economies from high energy prices, the International Monetary Fund said today.
“With debt already elevated in many countries, fiscal policy must respond cautiously – providing support where needed without pushing public finances closer to the brink,” IMF economists cautioned in a blog accompanying the fund’s latest Fiscal Monitor report.
“If governments decide to help companies and families facing higher energy or food costs, this support should be targeted and temporary, focusing on those most exposed and least able to absorb price increases,” they advised, noting that public finances are “already strained by long-term issues.”
The warning comes as more countries roll out measures to cushion the blow from a surge in energy prices because of the war. For example, Germany and Australia have temporarily cut taxes on gasoline and diesel, while South Korea has imposed its first fuel price cap in almost 30 years.
The IMF cautioned governments against broad fuel subsidies, which it said were “costly” and encouraged more consumption at a time of constrained supply, pushing prices even higher.
In a separate joint statement today, finance ministers from 11 countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia, said domestic responses to the crisis should reflect the “constrained state of public finances.”
UK finance minister Rachel Reeves noted that energy market volatility following the 2022 energy crunch pushed up the cost of servicing UK debt by £9.4 billion ($12.7 billion), “underlining the risks of large, unaffordable interventions.”
Starmer says he is "not going to yield" on Iran war, despite Trump comments
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today that he will not “yield” or change his stance on the US and Israel’s war with Iran following US President Donald Trump’s recent criticism.
“My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We’re not going to get dragged into this war,” Starmer said at the House of Commons today when asked about Trump’s comments.
In his remarks yesterday during an interview with Sky News, Trump criticized Starmer’s energy and immigration policies and said UK-US relations have “been better.”
The president has repeatedly complained about Starmer’s refusal to allow the US to use British military bases in its offensive operations against Iran, which Britain has judged to be illegal.
“It is not our war, and a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night,” Starmer told members of Parliament today.
A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office also told reporters today that it doesn’t share Trump’s characterization of current US‑UK relations.
Iran and US continue to exchange messages through Pakistani mediators, Tehran says
Iran is continuing to exchange messages with the US through mediator Pakistan after talks failed at the weekend, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said.
There is uncertainty over what happens when the two-week ceasefire expires and, speaking at a press conference, Esmail Baghaei did not confirm it would be extended.
“It is the United States that must prove its seriousness, because it has repeatedly not only failed to honor its commitments, but has essentially undermined the negotiating table itself,” Baghaei added.
According to Baghaei, there is no fresh proposal from Iranian side and no changes to the original 10-point proposal Tehran put forward in the negotiations.
The main sticking points are unclear, but Baghaei called some US demands “unreasonable and unrealistic.” He again insisted on Iran’s right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
Remember: The “10-point proposal” from Iran is a peace plan offered to the US to end hostilities. The US has proposed its own 15-point plan, which has not been revealed in full but is said to include Iran committing to no nuclear weapons, handing over its highly enriched uranium, limits on Tehran’s defense capabilities, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Lebanon submits complaint to UN over Israeli strikes that killed more than 300
Lebanon has urged its permanent representative to the UN to submit an “urgent complaint” about Israeli strikes conducted on April 8 that killed more than 300 people across the country, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement today.
Israel on that day carried out what it said was the largest coordinated strike in Lebanon since it began attacking the country in March.
At least 303 people died as a result of the strikes that day, it said, 30 of whom were children. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry called the attacks a “flagrant violation” of international law.
The Israeli military said last week that “most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within the heart of the civilian population, as part of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields in order to safeguard its operations.” It did not provide evidence for that claim.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 2,124 people since March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said yesterday. At least 168 children are among those killed, it said, as well as at least 88 health workers.
Ships intercepted in Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, data suggests, at least two turn around
Two vessels that passed through the Strait of Hormuz stopped at the same point in the Gulf of Oman, according to Kpler, a data intelligence and analytics platform, with one vessel having made a U-turn back through the waterway.
On Tuesday, US Central Command said that six merchant ships were compelled to turn around to “re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman” after encountering the US naval blockade.
Kpler data shows the Chinese-owned Rich Starry – a US sanctioned tanker due to its Iran ties – exiting through the Iranian outbound lane on 14 April, then reversing course into the Gulf of Oman. Kpler data further shows Elpis, another sanctioned vessel, stopping at the same point as the Rich Starry in the Gulf of Oman before turning off its transponder.
In total, Kpler data shows five laden product tankers that successfully exited through Iran’s toll corridor “in the 48 hours around the blockade’s start are now holding stationary in the Gulf of Oman.”
One vessel, Ostria, turned back from the Strait of Hormuz before loading, Kpler said, noting that that “this is the blockade working as CENTCOM described: a vessel heading toward an Iranian port, turned back before it could load.”
Marine Traffic data reviewed by CNN indicates both the Rich Starry and Elpis crossed the strait on April 13, before the Rich Starry stops and turns around one day later, heading back toward the Persian Gulf. In the same area the Rich Starry made a U-turn, the Elpis also stops before its signal goes dark. Meanwhile, on April 13, the Ostria was heading through the critical chokepoint when it turns around abruptly before it can cross the waterway.
Iran has, however, been reporting the movement of ships heading to Iranian ports and passing through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the US naval blockade.
Asked for further details about the blockade, including whether the US military intercepted the Rich Starry, Elpis or Ostria, CENTCOM referred CNN to its Tuesday statement. “We have nothing further to provide at this time,” it said.
Israel says it struck more than 200 targets in Lebanon in past 24 hours
Israel’s military said a short while ago that it has struck more than 200 “Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon” in the past 24 hours.
Military structures, launchers and “terrorists” were “among the targets struck,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Earlier this morning, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an “urgent warning” to residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate.
“The terrorist activities of Hezbollah are forcing the Defense Army to take strong action against them in that area,” he said, adding that “the Defense Army has no intention of harming you.”
The warning was posted on the social media website X. Iran has implemented an internet blackout since the US and Israel began attacking it on February 28, meaning that is unlikely that most Iranians would be able to access Adraee’s warning.
Israel’s strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 2,124 people since March 2, the Lebanese health ministry said yesterday. At least 168 children are among those killed, it said, as well as at least 88 health workers.
CNN’s Sarah Tamimi and Charbel Mallo contributed to this reporting.
US has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran, senior US official says
The US has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran, a senior US official told CNN, amid reports that Washington and Tehran had agreed in principle to an extension to allow for more time for negotiations.
“The United States has not formally agreed to an extension of the ceasefire. There is continued engagement between the U.S. and Iran to reach a deal,” the official said.
A possible extension is still on the table, sources familiar with the talks said, but the Trump administration is eager to work out a potential deal as quickly as possible.
Trump says China agreed to not send weapons to Iran, happy US is opening strait
President Donald Trump said China is “very happy” the US is working to open the Strait of Hormuz and have agreed to not send weapons to Iran.
He said he expected a “big, fat, hug” from China’s President Xi Xinping when he meets him during a scheduled trip to Beijing in May.
“President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to - far better than anyone else!!!,” Trump wrote.
