U.S.-Iran Cease-fire
April 16, 2026
The United States and the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, are mediating between Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to arrange a phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the report, this is not the first international effort to arrange a call between the two, but Aoun has refused for months. The proposed three-way call, if agreed, would discuss a ceasefire and steps by both sides toward a potential agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
A second U.S.-sanctioned supertanker has entered the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed, despite a U.S. blockade on vessels visiting Iranian ports.
The U.S. Central Command said on X that 10 vessels have been turned around and no ships have broken through since the start of the blockade on Monday.
Still, Iran's Fars News Agency said on Wednesday that an Iranian supertanker subject to U.S. sanctions crossed the strait towards Iran's Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade. Fars did not identify the tanker or give further details of its voyage.
The empty Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) RHN entered the Gulf on Wednesday, data from LSEG and Kpler showed. It was not immediately clear where the VLCC, which is capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, is heading.
The tanker's entry into the Gulf comes a day after U.S.-sanctioned VLCC Alicia passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The Alicia is heading to Iraq, Kpler data showed.
Both tankers have records of carrying Iranian oil in the past few years, according to Kpler data.
The U.S. and Iran are willing to hold a second round of cease-fire talks, Pakistan's foreign ministry said Thursday, adding that the "process is continuing."
According to the ministry, Iran's nuclear program is among the issues being discussed, although it has no information on the venue for negotiations.
Pakistan emphasized that Lebanon remains part of the cease-fire agreed to by Washington and Tehran, describing it as "essential for peace talks."
A senior Iranian official told Reuters Thursday that there are "greater hopes" for extending the cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran and holding a second round of talks.
The comments follow Pakistani army chief Asim Munir's Wednesday visit to Tehran. According to the official, Munir's visit helped reduce differences between the sides "in some areas."
Fundamental disagreements remain over nuclear issues, the official said, adding that "the fate of Iran's highly enriched uranium and the duration of its nuclear restrictions remain unresolved."
Lebanon's ambassador in Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, has conveyed Israel's position on cease-fire talks to officials in Beirut, the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Thursday, citing informed sources.
According to the report, in a brief memo drafted following direct talks between Moawad and her Israeli counterpart in Washington on Tuesday, the ambassador relayed Israel's clear position that a cease-fire will not be achieved until there is a significant development on the Iranian front, adding that the course of the war in Lebanon remains tied to developments between Washington and Tehran.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an influential Shi'ite leader and head of the Amal Movement, expressed surprise over the approach taken by Lebanese officials after the ambassadors' meeting, Al-Akhbar reported. "They went to the United States to secure a cease-fire and returned to fighting Hezbollah," he said.
Berri said abandoning a broader regional negotiating track in favor of unilateral talks without leverage weakens Lebanon's position rather than strengthening it.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said Thursday that reservists from a unit known as Force 100 who served at the Sde Teiman detention facility and were accused of abusing a Palestinian inmate will be allowed to return to reserve duty after charges against them were dropped.
In March, the IDF's senior legal adviser ordered the dismissal of the charges, citing abuse of process due to "the conduct of senior officials in the Military Advocate General's Corps and the IDF's law enforcement system in this case, and its exceptional and unprecedented circumstances."
Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of proposals it has offered in negotiations with the United States, providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said.
The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran could be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran.
The source did not say whether Iran would also agree to clear any mines it may have placed in that stretch of water or if all ships - even those linked to Israel - would be allowed to pass freely.
But the source added that the proposal hinged on whether Washington was prepared to meet Tehran's demands, a condition that was central to any potential breakthrough with the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran's Foreign Ministry was not immediately available to comment.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has resulted in the largest-ever disruption of global oil and gas supplies due to Iran's interruption of traffic through the strait, which handles about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
Likud Minister Gila Gamliel said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Speaking to Israel's Army Radio, the science and technology minister said talks between the two would take place "after so many years of disconnect between the countries."
"Lebanon needs assistance at this time because it lacks the necessary capabilities, and with the involvement of the United States and Israel, it will ultimately be possible to meet the need to disarm Hezbollah," she said.
According to Gamliel, any military action must be accompanied by a political process. "We are striking Hezbollah to realize the goal of a peace agreement with Lebanon," she said.
Ten vessels have complied with U.S. orders to return to Iranian ports as part of U.S. Central Command's enforcement of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said Thursday.
Yesterday, an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel tried to evade the U.S. blockade after leaving Bandar Abbas, exiting the Strait of Hormuz, and transiting along the Iranian coastline. The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) successfully redirected the vessel, which is
Show moreIn a post on X, the military said a U.S. Navy destroyer on Wednesday had ordered an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel to return to Iran after it had left the port of Bandar Abbas and transited along the Iranian coastline.
"ZERO ships have broken through since the start of the U.S. blockade on Monday," CENTCOM said.
The U.S. blockade of the strait came into effect on Monday, restricting any Iranian vessels or other ships interacting with the regime in Tehran, following the collapse of the U.S.-Iran cease-fire.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the U.S. and Iran failed to reach a deal.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was a unanimous demand from the international community.
Wang Yi told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call that Iran's sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, but freedom of navigation and safety through the strait should be ensured.
"Working to resume normal passage of the strait is a unanimous call from the international community," Wang was quoted as saying in a government statement late Wednesday.
Wang noted that the current situation had reached a critical juncture between war and peace and also said that the window of peace was opening.
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Another five tankers, loaded with approximately 9 million barrels of oil, were spotted in the Gulf of Oman earlier this week and are no longer visible in the images.
Amid a fragile ceasefire, Iranians face mounting concerns about their future, with an economy in tatters and fears of growing government control.
Iran command says Hormuz closed again over US blockade Iran's central military command announced on Saturday it would resume "strict management" of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of nego