Iran ‘REJECTS second round of peace talks with the US’

The British army has declared the situation at the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to be ‘critical’.

The military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre, cited ‘a high level of activity by naval forces in the region’.

It said there is a ‘risk of attack or miscalculation’ in the passageway.

The Iranian navy reimposed tight restrictions on transit through the strait as the US military implements a blockade on Iranian ports and waters.

The UKMTO also cited multiple attacks on Saturday by Iranian forces on vessels passing through the strait.

Iran has rejected a second round of peace talks with the US after Donald Trump said a fresh round of negotiations would take place on Monday.

Tehran accused the US of ‘excessive demands’ and blamed its ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for its absence, according to Iran’s state IRNA news agency.

The regime blamed ‘Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade’ for its refusal to negotiate, the agency reported.

‘In these circumstances, there is no bright prospect for fruitful negotiations,’ it added in a post on Telegram.

It comes just a day before US Vice President JD Vance was due to arrive in Pakistan for peace talks as a fragile two-week ceasefire continues.

Trump said a new round of ‘negotiations’ would be taking place tomorrow and warned he would ‘knock out’ Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran did not agree to a deal

The Pope has praised the ongoing ceasefire between the US and Iran during a visit to Angola.

Pope Leo XIV also decried the recent ramp-up in the ⁠Ukraine war, calling ‘for the weapons to fall silent and for the path of dialogue to be followed’.

The pontiff said the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon ‘was a reason for hope’ and urged the permanent cessation of fighting.

Leo has been embroiled in a fiery row with Donald Trump this week over his opposition to the war in Iran.

The IDF has shared a map showing where its troops are operating in Lebanon.

Despite signing a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon, Israel has kept its military in the south of the country.

Five military divisions are currently based in southern Lebanon.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have cast doubt over the regime’s involvment in further peace talks.

The state affiliated Tasnim News Agency has said Iran will not join talks with the US if Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues

Fars News Agency said a decision has not been made yet but described the situation as ‘not positive’.

Earlier today, Trump said negotiators will return to Pakistan on Monday for talks.

He said every power plant and bridge in will be destroyed if Tehran does not agree a deal.

The situation for UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has ‘got worse’ over the past week, with several troops killed, according to a spokesperson.

A French UN peacekeeper was killed yesterday despite there being a ten-day ceasefire in place between Israel and Hezbollah.

The soldier died and three people were wounded when a UN patrol came under fire in southern Lebanon.

French President Emmanuel Macron blamed the attack on Hezbollah, but the Iran-backed armed group denied ‘any connection’ to the incident.

UNIFIL’s Tilak Pokharel told Sky News that the goal of the mission, which began in the late 1970s, is to ‘get the parties back to the dialogue table’ – but that is ‘definitely not working at the moment’.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said there have been no reports of any UK-linked ships coming under attack in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday – contradicting Donald Trump’s claim.

The President wrote on social media: ‘Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!

‘Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom.’

But neither the Ministry of Defence nor the Department for Transport are aware of any such incident, the BBC reports.

There were reports of two ships being attacked in the Strait yesterday, with India reporting they were both sailing under its flag.

Counter terror police are investigating whether Iranian proxies are behind the recent spate of arson attacks against London synagogues.

It comes after Ashab al-Yamin – the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right – claimed responsibility for launching a ‘firebomb’ through the window of Kenton United Synagogue, near Harrow, last night.

The pro-Iran group released video footage of the attack showing a man walking up to the building with what appears to be petrol bomb and flinging it at the site.

It has claimed responsibility for several incidents at places of worship, business and financial institutions across Europe in recent months, the Met has said.

The force is now investigating the ‘Iranian regime’s routine uses of criminal proxies’ where Jewish sites have been targeted in the capital.

READ MORE on the spate of antisemitic arson attacks

There is currently no confirmation that Iran will send a delegation to the peace talks.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported there is no guarantee of attendance ‘as long as there is a naval blockade’.

The US continues to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, with US forces vowing to intercept or turn back any vessel travelling to or from Iran’s coast.

Iran considers this a violation of the two-week ceasefire that is currently in place.

Donald Trump has said that his Vice-President, JD Vance, will not be heading to the peace talks in Islamabad – contradicting previous reports.

Earlier today, both the US envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright had indicated Vance would lead the negotiating team.

But now the President says the opposite, citing security concerns.

Trump told ABC News: ‘It’s only because of security. JD’s great.’

Vance was selected to head up the American entourage in the first round of peace talks, but came away empty-handed.

Reports emerged this week that Trump was using Vance’s role as the chief negotiator in Iran as a test of his aptitude over Marco Rubio, possibly with the question of his successor in mind.

Iran has doubled down on its pledge to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed as long as the US blockade remains in place.

The regime considers the blockade a breach of the two-week ceasefire, which is currently due to expire on Wednesday, April 22.

In a televised interview, Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf warned it remained the case that any ships attempting a crossing would be attacked.

He said: ‘It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot.’

Two Indian ships have already reported coming under fire from Iranian gunboats, after the regime changed its mind about opening the waterway.