US-Iran ceasefire: Israel, Hezbollah trade strikes; US 'crashes' $240m surveillance drone

The finance ministers of 11 countries including Britain and Japan called Wednesday for "coordinated emergency support" to help countries hit by disruptions from the war in the Middle East.

"We call on the IMF and World Bank to provide a coordinated emergency support offer for countries in need, tailored to country circumstances and drawing on the full range and flexibility of their toolkits," the ministers said in a joint statement issued by the UK government.

"Renewed hostilities, a widening of the conflict or continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz would pose serious additional risks to global energy security, supply chains, and economic and financial stability," said the statement.

"Even with a durable resolution of the conflict, impacts on growth, inflation and markets will persist."

Iranian state TV said Tehran will welcome a Pakistani delegation led by army chief Asim Munir on Wednesday, after the Islamic republic confirmed that exchanges with the US had continued via Pakistan after failed talks in Islamabad to end the war.

State TV reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will welcome the delegation, which will bring a new message from Washington following the negotiations in the Pakistani capital over the weekend.

China's President Xi Jinping met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday as a string of leaders of countries affected by the Middle East war flock to Beijing.

Lavrov joins Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnamese leader To Lam in meeting Xi this week.

The top Russian diplomat told a news conference after meeting Xi that Moscow could "compensate" for China's energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains choked by the Iran war.

Xi has sought to position China as a mediator and stable partner in the face of the US- and Israeli-led conflict.

Israel hailed on Wednesday the opening of direct talks with Beirut as a "historic opportunity" that could end Hezbollah's grip on Lebanon.

"This is indeed a genuine historic opportunity to end decades of Hezbollah stranglehold over Lebanon," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told a press briefing, while insisting there was "no ceasefire discussion" with the Iran-backed militant group.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said he would not "yield" to pressure to join the Iran war after US President Donald Trump threatened to scrap a UK trade deal.

"We're not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war," Starmer told parliament.

"I'm not going to change my mind. I'm not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war," the Labour leader added.

In a phone interview with Sky News, Trump threatened to alter an agreement struck with Britain that limits the impact of his US tariffs blitz.

Trump, who has repeatedly slammed Starmer's policies, said strains in the relationship with the NATO ally would "not at all" negatively affect King Charles III's state visit to the United States this month.

In reference to the royal trip, Starmer told parliament that the two nations' "long standing bonds... are far greater than anyone who occupies any particular office at any particular time".

The United States has not formally agreed to extend its two-week ceasefire with Iran, a senior official said Wednesday, after reports that US President Donald Trump's administration had consented in principle to lengthen the truce.

"The United States has not formally agreed to an extension of the ceasefire," the US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "There is continued engagement between the US and Iran to reach a deal."

Iran's foreign ministry said Wednesday that Tehran's right to enrich uranium was "indisputable" although the level of enrichment is "negotiable".

In a weekly press briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy could not be "taken away under pressure or through war".

"Regarding the level and type of enrichment, we have always stated that this issue is negotiable. We have emphasised that Iran should be able to continue enrichment in accordance with its needs," he added.

Iran said Wednesday that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following failed negotiations over the weekend.

"Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

"Today, we are very likely to receive a Pakistani delegation as a continuation of the discussions in Islamabad," he added.

US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Fox Business on Wednesday that he asked China's leader Xi Jinping not to supply weapons to Iran, and that Xi replied saying he was not doing so.

"I had heard that China's giving weapons to, I mean - you're seeing it all over the place - to Iran," Trump said in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business.

"And I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that essentially he's not doing that."

Trump's comments come ahead of his planned trip to China on May 14-15 for a summit with Xi that was pushed back from late March by Washington because of the war against Iran.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, held a phone call with Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, during which they discussed regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions in the region.

Mediators moved closer Wednesday to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and restarting negotiations to salvage the fragile truce before it expires next week.

The US blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats have imperiled the week-old agreement, but regional officials said Wednesday they were making progress, telling The Associated Press that the United States and Iran had given an “in principle agreement” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy.

Before the two-week ceasefire expires on April 22, mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points that derailed direct talks last weekend — Iran’s nuclear programme, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages — according to one of the regional officials who is involved in mediation efforts.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

Iran's military warned on Wednesday it would block trade through the Red Sea, along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman, if the US naval blockade continues.

In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the head of Iran's military central command centre said if the US continues with its blockade and "creates insecurity for Iran's commercial vessels and oil tankers", it will constitute "a prelude" to violating the ceasefire.

"The powerful armed forces of the Islamic republic will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the [Arabian] Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea," said Ali Abdollahi.

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, even as Israel and Lebanon agreed to pursue direct negotiations.

"In the past 24 hours, the IDF struck over 200 Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon, including launchers and terrorists," the military said.

The United States has confirmed the loss of an MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle, according to a recent mishap summary released by the United States Naval Safety Command.

The US high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) maritime aircraft reportedly crashed in the Arabian Gulf, with officials now confirming the incident.

Under the classification system used by the US Department of War, any incident involving damage exceeding $2.5 million is categorised as a Class A mishap. Media reports citing CBS estimate the value of the reconnaissance aircraft involved in the latest incident at around $240-250 million.

Initial reports suggested that Iranian forces had destroyed the drone during confrontations. However, US authorities have now confirmed that the drone has "crashed.".

Israel's military on Wednesday issued a fresh evacuation order for residents of south Lebanon as it pressed on with an offensive against Hezbollah militants.

"The airstrikes are ongoing as the Israel Defence Forces operate with significant force in the area. Therefore... we reiterate our urgent appeal for you to evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Zahrani River," it said in a statement.

It is the first evacuation order by the military since direct talks were held on Tuesday in Washington between Lebanon and Israel's ambassadors to the United States.

The official Mizan news agency reported that Taj said, “We really do not know and cannot predict what will happen with the war over the next one to two months. Our serious plan was to hold the league until May 10.”

He added, “For this, we wrote to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and also informed Amir Ghalenoei, the head coach of Iran’s national team. But we then saw that no one can tell us what the future plan will be.”

“We will wait and see what happens, but in any case, we will make a decision this week. We are also looking to see what political officials and the Foreign Ministry say.”

He warned, “It would be very bad if we start the league for a few days and then, God forbid, a military attack occurs, which would make things much more difficult to manage.”

Foreign tourists coming to Japan hit a new record in March despite another huge drop in Chinese visitors as well as a fall in those from the Middle East, official data showed Wednesday.

The number of international visitors was 3.6 million, up 3.5 percent year-on-year, a new record for the month, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Chinese visitors dropped 56 percent to 291,600 - Beijing warned people from visiting last year - while those from the Middle East fell 30 percent to 16,700 because of the Iran war.

Israel's army said Hezbollah militants fired around 30 rockets into northern Israel early on Wednesday, just hours after Washington hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades.

The military detected "approximately 30 launches" towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesman told AFP.

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that "very detailed" measures to verify Iran's nuclear activities must be included in a potential US-Iran agreement to end their war in the Middle East.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi stressed the need for the thorough verification regime for Iran's nuclear program, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a second round of talks with Iran could happen over the next two days.

"Iran has a very ambitious, wide nuclear program so all of that will require the presence of IAEA inspectors," Grossi told reporters in Seoul. "Otherwise, you will not have an agreement. You will have an illusion of an agreement."

He said that any agreement on nuclear technology "requires very detailed verification mechanisms."

Iran has not allowed the IAEA access to its nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the United States during a 12-day war in June, according to a confidential IAEA report circulated to member states and seen by The Associated Press in February.

The report stressed that it "cannot verify whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities," or the "size of Iran's uranium stockpile at the affected nuclear facilities."

Sri Lanka has repatriated 238 Iranian sailors stranded in the South Asian country after their warship was torpedoed by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean on March 4, a minister told AFP.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is to embark on a four-day diplomatic blitz to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey on Wednesday, Islamabad's foreign ministry said, as the country engages in feverish diplomacy ahead of a possible second round of US-Iran peace talks.

"Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye from 15-18 April 2026," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement, using Turkey's official name.

The visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar would be conducted "in the bilateral context," while in Turkey PM Sharif will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, and will hold bilateral meetings with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders on the sidelines, the statement said.

UAn Israeli strike on Wednesday hit a vehicle in Saadiyat, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Beirut, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations.

"Enemy aircraft targeted a car in Saadiyat," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said.

Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon in its war with Hezbollah, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a series of attacks across the country on April 8 that killed more than 350 people.

The United States Embassy in the UAE has lifted its 'shelter-in-place' advisory for its government employees following the cessation of recent missile and drone attacks.

In an update, the embassy said staff may resume normal movement but advised that they should be ready to seek immediate shelter indoors if any new aerial threat emerges. The same precaution applies to all US citizens in the country.

Russia's foreign minister said that his country could make up for China's energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is choked by the US-Israeli war with Iran, Russian state media reported Wednesday.

"Russia can, without a doubt, compensate for the shortfall in resources that has arisen" for China and "other countries that are interested in working with us" Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in Beijing in response to a question about the Hormuz blockage.

He also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China in the first half of the year, Moscow's state media reported.

The blockade on Iranian ports had been “fully implemented” within 36 hours of its launch, according to a social media post by the U.S. Central Command late Monday.

The statement quoted CENTCOM head Brad Cooper as saying the U.S. had halted all sea trade going in and out of Iran.

In clips showing excerpts of an interview he taped with Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria," Trump says of the Iran war, "I think it's close to over, yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over."

He adds, "If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we're not finished. We'll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly."

Trump has declared a U.S. victory in Iran repeatedly since mere days after the war started - even as the reality on the ground has been far more complicated.

A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, explained that the strategy is to observe vessels subject to the blockade leave Iranian facilities and clear the Strait of Hormuz before intercepting them and forcing them to turn around.

The official said that the military relies on more than just automated tracking beacons that all merchant ships are required to carry called AIS to determine merchant ships were coming from a port in Iran but wouldn't go into more detail, citing the need for operational security.

The official also wouldn't go into what the military would do should they need to board and capture a ship.

US Vice President JD Vance said Trump told Iran that the United States would "make Iran thrive" if it committed to "not having a nuclear weapon".

At the heart of any renewed US-Iran diplomacy is the dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, with Trump launching the war under the pretext that the Islamic republic was developing an atomic bomb - which it denies.

"That's the kind of Trumpian grand bargain that the president has put on the table. Man, we're going to keep on negotiating and try to make it happen," Vance told an event in the US state of Georgia hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA.

Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press that "our leadership is not giving up" on its efforts to help the U.S. and Iran negotiate. He noted the talks marked the first direct discussion between the two in nearly 50 years.

"We would very much like to see if we can continue to pursue the dialogue," he added, speaking on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. "We'll keep at it, and our leadership is at it."

Aurangzeb said he also this week met with U.S. officials including Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discuss trade and finance concerns. He plans to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a “small bit of economic pain” is worth it if it helps secure the world in the long run, as the International Monetary Fund warned the Iran war could push the global economy toward recession.

Bessent argued the conflict is aimed at removing the threat of Iranian nuclear strikes on Western capitals. His remarks highlight the administration’s view that strategic security concerns outweigh the short-term economic cost.

“I wonder what the hit to global GDP would be if a nuclear weapon hit London... I am saying that I am less concerned about short-term forecasts, for long-term security,” he told the BBC.

Bessent said the biggest risk is one people do not realise they are taking. “The biggest risk you can take is one you don't know you were taking. Now we know for a fact that, as the Iranians shot at Diego Garcia, they do have mid-range intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach London, and we know that they want a nuclear programme,” he said.

His comments came as senior US officials said Iran had uranium enriched to 60% at the start of the war, though Iran does not have nuclear weapons. The UK government has said there is “no assessment” that Iran is trying to target Europe with missiles.

The IMF has warned that the war’s disruption to oil markets, shipping and investor confidence could slow global growth and, in a worse-case scenario, tip the world into recession. Trump also warned the oil prices may remain "elevated" until the November US midterm elections.

A U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that future talks with Iran are under discussion, but no talks have been scheduled at this time.

Oil prices fell as traders bet that renewed ceasefire hopes could ease Middle East tensions and reduce the risk of disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy chokepoint.

The retreat in crude reflected a sharp unwind in the war risk premium, with Brent and WTI both under pressure as investors priced in less chance of a wider regional conflict. Oilprice.com’s latest chart showed WTI crude at $91.25/barrel and Brent at $94.79/barrel (as of 8.47am Tokyo), both down from the previous session, underscoring how quickly sentiment can shift when diplomacy appears to gain traction. Wall Street’s major indexes rose on Tuesday (April 14); European and Asian markets, led by Nikkei, also advanced early on April 15, 2026.

A drone struck an Iranian Kurdish group on Tuesday, killing a woman in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, a party official told AFP.

It was the first such attack against Iranian Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan since a fragile ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran took effect in the region last week.

Commander Mohammed Hakimi from the exiled Komala party blamed the attack on "Iran and its affiliated militias".

During the Middle East war, Iran has repeatedly struck positions belonging to Iranian Kurdish exiled groups in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

A drone hit the Komala party's Camp Sordash late in the afternoon, Hakimi told AFP.

"Three Iranian Kurdish refugees were wounded, including a woman who is in a critical condition," Hakimi said.

The US State Department stressed any cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon must be brokered by governments, not armed groups. This came following “productive discussions” between the two sides hosted by Washington. Negotiators from Israel and Lebanon — the highest-level engagement between the two sides since 1993 — agreed to begin direct talks at a mutually-agreed time and place. The talks came as fierce fighting has displaced civilians and raised regional tensions. The role of Iran-backed Hezbollah continues to be a central sticking point.

Maritime analysts cautioned that ship signals in the area have recently been "disrupted or manipulated", complicating precise tracking.

AFP reported that marine tracking data reviewed Tuesday shows at least three ships departing Iranian ports transited the Strait of Hormuz, despite the US announcement of a "naval blockade" which took effect at 1400 GMT Monday.

The US military insists that its blockade remained in place, and insists no no vessels had breached its cordon. In a statement posted Tuesday, US Central Command said no ships had made it past US forces and that six merchant vessels were ordered to turn back and re-enter Iranian ports on the Gulf of Oman outside the strait during the first 24 hours of enforcement.

The United States military said on Tuesday it had successfully prevented six vessels from leaving Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of a naval blockade imposed on Iran. The United States Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said more than 10,000 American troops, over 10 warships and dozens of aircraft were involved in the operation.

In a post on the X platform, it added that “during the first 24 hours, no vessel was able to breach the US blockade, and six commercial ships complied with instructions from US forces and returned to Iranian ports on the Gulf of Oman”. It said the blockade was being enforced “without discrimination on vessels of all nationalities entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.”

Israel and Lebanon agreed to hold direct negotiations after "productive discussions" between the two sides in Washington, the United States said on Tuesday.

"The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, adding: "All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue."

The US Treasury Department said Tuesday it does not plan to renew a temporary easing of sanctions on Iranian oil that aimed to cushion war-related supply shocks.

"The short-term authorization permitting the sale of Iranian oil already stranded at sea is set to expire in a few days and will not be renewed," the Treasury Department said in a statement.

It added that it is "maintaining maximum pressure" on Tehran.

China vowed Tuesday to impose "countermeasures" after US President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on its goods entering the United States if Beijing provided military assistance to Iran during the Middle East war.

"If the US insists on using this as an excuse to impose additional tariffs on China, China will definitely take resolute countermeasures," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference, adding that reports China was providing weapons to Iran "are completely fabricated".

Day 46: 2 days to US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump thinks so

Day 45: US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks

Day 44: US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday

Day 43: 3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan

Day 42: Trump says Iran has 'no cards' as Vance heads for talks

Day 41: Kuwait condemns drone attacks, US warns vs Hormuz toll

Day 40: Trump agrees to suspend attack on Iran by two weeks

Day 39: UAE, Qatar on alert as Trump's deadline nears

Day 38: Iran and US receive draft proposal for war ceasefire

Day 37: Second F-15E crew member rescued in Iran

Day 36: Trump warns Iran: 48 hours or all hell will reign down

Day 35: Trump seeks $1.5t defence budget as war intensifies

Day 34: UN chief warns world on 'edge of a wider war'

Day 33: Trump says US to hit Iran 'extremely hard'

Day 32: Debris hits several homes in Dubai, 4 injured

Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island