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Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the ceasefire “cannot be one-sided,” that fighters would remain “with their hands on the trigger” and respond to Israeli violations, and dismissed the ceasefire text published by the U.S. State Department, which gives Israel a right of self-defence, as “an insult to our country.”
Iran’s joint military command said control of the Strait of Hormuz had “returned to its previous state” under strict armed forces control because of the U.S. blockade. That evening the IRGC Navy declared the strait closed until the blockade is lifted, warned ships not to leave anchorage and said violators would be targeted.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said air routes over eastern Iran reopened at 7 a.m., and the Association of Iranian Airlines said six airports, including Tehran’s Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad, Mashhad, Birjand, Gorgan and Zahedan, had reopened, with flights to resume gradually.
Trump posted that the U.S. would get all of Iran’s “nuclear dust” with no money changing hands, told reporters U.S. and Iranian crews would excavate it together and ship it to the U.S., and said Israel was “PROHIBITED” from bombing Lebanon. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the enriched uranium would “not be transferred anywhere,” and parliament speaker Ghalibaf called Trump’s claims false.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” for the rest of the ceasefire in Lebanon, on a route coordinated by Iran’s maritime authorities; the IRGC Navy said transits still needed its permission and warships remained barred. Trump thanked Iran but said the U.S. blockade would stay “in full force” until a deal with Iran was “100% complete.”
International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol told AP that Europe had “maybe six weeks or so” of jet fuel left and flight cancellations could come “soon” if Hormuz stayed blocked, calling it “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,” with Japan, Korea, India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh hit first.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said all Iranian vessels, ships under active sanctions and those suspected of carrying contraband, including oil, weapons, iron and steel, were subject to visit, search and seizure anywhere in the Gulf, Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. At a Pentagon briefing, Gen. Dan Caine said 13 ships had turned back and none had been boarded, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned bombing of Iranian power and energy infrastructure could follow if Iran “chooses poorly.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message that Israeli troops were about to take the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil and that he had instructed the army to widen and extend eastward the security zone it holds in southern Lebanon, while negotiating with Lebanon on disarming Hezbollah.
OFAC sanctioned more than two dozen people, companies and vessels in an oil-shipping network run by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of the late security official Ali Shamkhani, plus a Hezbollah financier and firms tied to an Iran-Venezuela oil-for-gold scheme. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said countries buying Iranian oil or holding Iranian money now faced secondary sanctions, the “financial equivalent” of the bombing campaign.
Field Marshal Asim Munir landed in Tehran and was received by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in what Pakistan’s military called part of ongoing mediation; Iranian state TV said the delegation carried a new message from Washington and would discuss a second round of talks. A senior U.S. official said no new terms for extending the ceasefire had been agreed.
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the blockade had been fully implemented within 36 hours and U.S. forces had “completely halted” sea trade in and out of Iran; CENTCOM said no ship passed in the first 24 hours, six merchant vessels were turned back and over 10,000 personnel were involved. A U.S. official said a destroyer turned back two tankers from Chabahar, while tracking data showed some Iran-linked ships still crossing the strait.
The U.S. Treasury said the short-term authorization allowing sale of Iranian oil already at sea, set to run through April 19, would not be renewed, and that it was prepared to use secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions supporting Iran. AP reported a Treasury letter warned banks in China, Hong Kong, the UAE and Oman over Iranian money flows.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program offered up to $10 million for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, secretary general of the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, which it said was responsible for attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq and kidnappings of U.S. citizens, including the recent abduction of journalist Shelly Kittleson.
The International Energy Agency's April Oil Market Report said global oil supply plunged by 10.1 million barrels a day to 97 mb/d in March as attacks on Middle East energy sites and restrictions on Hormuz tanker traffic caused the largest disruption in history; Hormuz loadings averaged about 3.8 mb/d in early April against more than 20 mb/d in February. It now expects world oil demand to shrink by 80,000 barrels a day in 2026, with a 1.5 mb/d second-quarter drop the sharpest since Covid-19.
In a televised speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected negotiations with Israel as “futile,” called on Lebanon to cancel the ambassadors’ meeting set for Washington the next day, said no one could take Lebanon down that path without internal consensus, and vowed Lebanon would not lose “a single metre” to an Israeli buffer zone.
The U.S. blockade of all maritime traffic entering or leaving Iranian ports began at 10 a.m. EDT; CENTCOM told mariners that vessels entering or leaving the blockaded area without authorization faced interception, diversion and capture. Trump warned Iranian fast-attack boats approaching the blockade would be “immediately eliminated,” Iran’s armed forces called it illegal “piracy,” and MarineTraffic showed at least two tankers, Rich Starry and Ostria, turning back.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry handed Iraq’s ambassador, Safia Taleb al-Suhail, a formal protest note over what it called continued drone attacks and threats against the kingdom and other Gulf states from Iraqi territory, demanding Baghdad take responsibility. Iran-backed Iraqi militias had claimed dozens of attacks during the war and announced a two-week pause with the ceasefire.
Hours after the Islamabad talks failed, Trump posted that the Navy would “immediately” begin blockading ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, interdict any vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran and destroy Iranian mines. U.S. Central Command later narrowed the order to all traffic entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas from 10 a.m. ET on April 13, saying ships sailing to and from non-Iranian ports could still transit.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said full pumping capacity of about 7 million barrels per day had been restored on the East-West pipeline, which carries crude to the Red Sea and bypasses Hormuz, and that about 300,000 bpd of production had resumed at the Manifa field, with work continuing at Khurais.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli strikes had killed 2,020 people, including 248 women, 165 children and 85 health workers, and wounded 6,436 since March 2, with nearly 100 killed in the previous 24 hours.
U.S. Central Command said the destroyers USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Gulf as it began setting conditions to clear mines it said the IRGC had laid, with underwater drones to follow. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters “strongly” denied the transit, and the IRGC Navy warned it would deal “severely” with any military vessel.
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said Pakistani forces, including fighter and support aircraft, arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base under the two countries’ September defence pact, which treats an attack on either as an attack on both. The base was repeatedly hit by drones and missiles during the Iran war.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote that two "mutually agreed" measures, a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets, had not been implemented and "must be fulfilled before negotiations begin." Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately urged Washington to adhere to its commitments on halting Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Leaving Washington on Friday, Vance said Trump had given the team "pretty clear guidelines," that he expected the talks to be positive, and that if Iran tried "to play us" the negotiators would not be receptive. Trump told the New York Post U.S. warships were being loaded with "the best ammunition" for use if there was no deal.
Trump wrote that Iran "better not" be charging tankers fees and later that it was doing "a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through," adding "That is not the agreement we have!" MarineTraffic data showed six ships crossed Thursday and five on Wednesday.
Kuwait's air defences engaged drones targeting "vital facilities" on Thursday night and KUNA said a National Guard site suffered material damage; the Foreign Ministry blamed Iran and its proxies, and the army later said it dealt with seven drones from Iran in 24 hours that targeted National Guard-linked facilities, injuring personnel. The IRGC denied attacking Gulf states on Thursday and said any such strike was "the work of the Zionist enemy or America."
In its first damage disclosure of the war, Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said a strike on an East-West Pipeline pumping station cut throughput by about 700,000 barrels a day and hits on Manifa and Khurais each cut output by about 300,000 barrels a day; refineries including SATORP, Ras Tanura and SAMREF were also hit, and fires at Ju'aymah disrupted LPG exports. One Saudi security guard was killed and seven people were wounded.
Netanyahu said he had instructed the cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanon "as soon as possible," focused on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations, while insisting there is no ceasefire in Lebanon. A U.S. official said the State Department would host the talks next week, with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa leading and Israel's envoy Yechiel Leiter taking part; CBS said Lebanon would send Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad.
Trump wrote that all U.S. ships, aircraft and personnel, with additional ammunition and weaponry, would "remain in place in, and around, Iran" until a real agreement is fully complied with, warning that otherwise "the 'Shootin' Starts,' bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before." He repeated that the terms meant "NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS" and a Strait of Hormuz "OPEN & SAFE."
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance would lead the U.S. delegation, with envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, at talks in Islamabad whose first round would be Saturday morning local time. Leavitt also said the ceasefire was conditioned on a free reopening of Hormuz with no tolls.