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Sunday, April 19, 2026

Trump vows to ‘knock out every power plant’ in Iran if no deal: Live

Iran’s top negotiator said recent talks with the US had made progress but gaps remained over nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, while President Donald Trump cited ‘very good conversations’ with Tehran despite warning against ‘blackmail’ over the key shipping channel.

Neither side offered any specifics about the state of negotiations on Saturday, days before a fragile ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran is set to expire.

The war, now in its eighth week, has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments.

An Israeli soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon and nine were wounded, including one seriously injured, the Israeli military said early on Sunday.

TRUMP: ‘It’s time for the Iran killing machine to end’

President Trump has revealed that Iran fired bullets at a French ship and a Freighter from the United Kingdom in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

The US leader took to the Truth Social on Sunday with a new statement blasting Iran for ‘always wanting to be the tough guy’.

The statement read:

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.

That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations. Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it.

They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be “the tough guy!”

We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!

They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END! President DONALD J. TRUMP

International flights to resume in Iran

International flights will resume in Iran on Monday, the country’s civil aviation department has said.

A statement aired on State TV reportedly revealed that the Mashhad Airport – situated in the north-east of the country – will see flights arriving and departing tomorrow.

‘Permission to operate international passenger flights at Mashhad Airport has been issued, starting tomorrow,’ that statement read.

It comes almost two months after Iranian airports first closed on February 28.

US military deploys sea robots to search for mines in the Strait of Hormuz

The US military is reportedly deploying sea drones and other technology to search for mines in the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to restore commercial shipping through the key waterway.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a US defence official said the operation is using a mix of “manned and unmanned capabilities in the countermine operation”.

Military analysts told the newspaper that initial mine-sweeping could be carried out quickly, with further “sea robots” then deployed to destroy any ordnance discovered.

Former US vice admiral Kevin Donegan said:

You can get a small channel in that area surveyed in days not weeks using Unmanned Underwater Vehicles.

Iran turns two oil tankers back from the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard-linked Tasnim News Agency has claimed two more oil tankers were turned back from the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

According to Tasnim, the vessels – sailing under the flags of Botswana and Angola – attempted to pass through the narrow waterway but were “forced to change course and retreat” following what it described as “timely action” by Iranian armed forces.

The move comes after Tehran announced the strait would remain closed until the United States lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, further tightening pressure on one of the world’s most critical trade routes.

Iran’s president insists Tehran is not seeking war

TEHRAN, IRAN - APRIL 19: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has insisted Tehran is not seeking war, saying the country is acting purely in self-defence following attacks he blames on the US and Israel.

He accused both nations of striking civilian infrastructure, branding the actions a breach of international law and pointing to what he described as double standards on human rights.

We have not attacked any country, and in the current situation we do not intend to attack any party, and we are simply defending ourselves legitimately.

It should not be suggested that Iran is seeking war. On the contrary, we are peace-loving and what we are doing is legitimate self-defence. Just as every human being reacts to aggression, a nation also defends itself against attack.

UN secretary general condemns attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

French contingent vehicles serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) cross the Qasmiyeh Bridge heading toward Sidon and Beirut. Hezbollah on April 18 denied it was involved in a deadly attack on United Nations peacekeepers (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, after France accused the group of being behind the incident. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire on April 16 in order to negotiate an end to six weeks of war between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. The conflict saw massive Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon and also a ground invasion in the south. (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP via Getty Images)
People look through a window of a building damaged in a past Israeli airstrike, during a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in the city of Tyre, southern Lebanon, on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

UN secretary-general António Guterres has condemned a deadly attack on peacekeepers in southern Lebanon that left one French soldier dead and three others wounded.

In a statement relayed by spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, the UN chief denounced the attack after troops serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came under small-arms fire on Saturday morning.

Two of the injured were said to be in a serious condition.

Emmanuel Macron and UNIFIL both pointed the finger at Hezbollah, although the group has denied any involvement.

Iran arrests dozens for spying for US and Israel

Iran has arrested dozens of people accused of spying for the US and Israel, according to officials.

The country’s intelligence agency said it had dismantled “espionage and sabotage networks” allegedly linked to the United States, Israel and the UK in Kerman.

A total of 51 individuals were detained on suspicion of “intelligence gathering, armed organisation and inciting unrest”, authorities claimed.

Officials added that “several spy cells and related groups were also identified and neutralised” as part of the operation.

Iran rules out handing over its enriched uranium to the US

Iran has flatly ruled out handing over its enriched uranium to the United States, directly contradicting claims made by Donald Trump.

Deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said that any such proposal is off the table, despite Trump suggesting on Friday that Washington would work with Tehran to bring the material back to the US.

I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to United States. This is non-starter and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we’re not going to accept things that are nonstarters.

In the same interview, he also accused the US of refusing to soften its stance in ongoing tensions, adding:

We are still not there yet to move on to an actual meeting because there are issues that the Americans have not yet abandoned their maximalist position.

PETER HITCHENS: How ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ could lead us down a VERY dangerous path

Anyone who publicly doubts the actions or opinions of President Trump is swiftly accused of being mad. ‘You have Trump Derangement Syndrome,’ I am often told by Mr Trump’s many hyped-up supporters.

Mr Trump himself has descended to this level. In December 2025, he posted on Truth Social about the violent death of one of his prominent critics, Hollywood director Rob Reiner, saying

Mr Reiner died due to ‘his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind-crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (he wrote the last three words in block capitals). He described TDS as a ‘raging obsession’ and ‘paranoia.’

Read more here.

Iranian president says Trump has no authority to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights

IRAN - MARCH 20: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has hit out at Donald Trump over attempts to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Speaking in comments carried by the state-linked Iranian Student News Agency and reported by Reuters, Pezeshkian questioned Trump’s authority to limit Iran’s nuclear rights.

He said:

Trump says Iran cannot make use of its nuclear rights but doesn’t say for what crime. Who is he to deprive a nation of its rights?

Pakistan ramps up security ahead of potential second round of talks

Fresh uncertainty surrounds efforts to de-escalate tensions, after Iran signalled that no date has been set for a second round of peace talks.

Security has meanwhile been stepped up in Islamabad, with additional police deployed and checkpoints erected across the capital this morning – though the measures stop short of the extensive lockdown seen last weekend.

Police officers stand at a security checkpoint along a road, as Pakistan prepares to host the U.S. and Iran for the second phase of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan April 19, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
A police officer checks a man's identification at a security check post along a road, as Pakistan prepares to host the U.S. and Iran for the second phase of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 19, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Police officers stand at a security checkpoint along a road, as Pakistan prepares to host the U.S. and Iran for the second phase of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan April 19, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Traffic at a standstill in the Strait of Hormuz

Shipping chaos continues in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz after Iranian gunboats opened fire on merchant vessels yesterday.

Iranian authorities shut down traffic just hours after briefly reopening the narrow waterway, as tensions escalated and Tehran demanded the US lift its naval blockade on key ports.

The disruption has left fleets stranded across the Middle East Gulf, with Lloyd’s List reporting that most shipowners are now retreating to previous positions amid growing fears for safety.

Movement through the strait remains at a standstill after radio warnings declared the route back under “strict management and control by the Iranian armed forces.”

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