Trump says he does not want to extend ceasefire with Iran President Donald Trump told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday that he did not want to extend a ceasefire with Iran. He added that the US was in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called a great deal. "I don't want to do that.
Shipping traffic through Hormuz remains mostly halted Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains mostly halted, with shipping data showing only three ships passing the waterway in the past 24 hours. Despite a pause in hostilities, Iran maintained its restriction over the strait - through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes - as a response to a US blockade of Iranian ports. The Ean Spir products tanker sailed through Hormuz on Tuesday after previously calling at an Iraqi port, ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform showed.
EU to warn against early nuclear exits in effort to address energy crisis The EU is set to caution its members not to shut nuclear plants early, a draft document seen by Reuters showed, as Europe shores up power supplies to cope with the impact of the Iran war. The European Commission is due to publish a package of measures to offset surging energy prices on Wednesday. A draft of the plans, previously reported by Reuters, would cut electricity taxes and scale up clean technologies.
Israeli minister's convoy hits and kills Palestinian boy in occupied West Bank Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 04/21/2026 - 10:59 Teen from Hebron was riding a bike when he was hit by vehicle reportedly en route to secure settlement minister Orit Strock Mohammad Majdi al-Jaabir, 16, died after being struck by a vehicle in the security convoy of an Israeli minister near Hebron, West Bank, on 21 April 2026 (X) Off A Palestinian boy was killed on Tuesday after being struck by a vehicle in the security convoy of an Israeli minister in the occupied West Bank. The boy was identified as Mohammad Majdi al-Jaabir, 16, from the southern West Bank city of Hebron. He was riding his bicycle to school when he was run over shortly after 6am local time, according to Wafa news agency.
UN maritime agency urges help for seafarers stranded in Hormuz The head of the UN maritime agency appealed on Tuesday for help for thousands of seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, as the Iran war paralyses the vital shipping route. Around 20,000 seafarers and 2,000 ships have been stranded in the waterway since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February that triggered the war, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Around one-fifth of the world's crude and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait.
Trump's 'Board of Peace' held talks with DP World over Gaza reconstruction Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 04/21/2026 - 09:53 Scandal-hit Emirati company was consulted over redevelopment and privatisation plans for devastated enclave US President Donald Trump during speeches at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, DC, 19 February 2026 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via AFP) Off Members of US President Donald Trump's so-called Board of Peace have been in communication with the Emirati company DP World about reconstruction in Gaza. According to people familiar with the matter speaking to the Financial Times, representatives for the US-backed group discussed DP World managing supply chains, humanitarian aid and other goods entering the besieged territory, including warehousing, tracking systems and security. There was also discussion that DP World, a multi-national logistics company whose chairman recently resigned over publicised links to paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, could build a new port in either Gaza or on the nearby Egyptian coast, or develop a free trade zone in the enclave.
Israel's conduct in Lebanon totally unacceptable, says Belgium's foreign minister Israel's actions in Lebanon are "totally unacceptable", Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Tuesday ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. "Israel's conduct is completely unacceptable," Prevot said, adding that Hezbollah's initial attacks must be condemned, "as well as Israel's disproportionate and indiscriminate response. " He also said Belgium is calling for at least a partial suspension of the EU's Association's Agreement with Israel, adding that Belgium is "aware that a full suspension is probably out of reach given the positions of the various European countries".
A history of Israel’s invasions of Lebanon Submitted by MEE correspondent on Mon, 04/20/2026 - 11:26 Israel invaded Lebanon on multiple occasions since 1948 and, most recently, has declared plans to reoccupy large areas of its south Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon points to a map of Lebanon during a press briefing on the military operation against Lebanon at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, 11 June 1982 (AFP/GPO) Off Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a speech that he was prepared to go “wherever necessary” to end Israel 's occupation of south Lebanon. The Lebanese government had “reclaimed Lebanon and Lebanon’s decision-making power for the first time” in nearly half a century, he added. A day earlier, US President Donald Trump suggested he might invite Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House to consolidate a 10-day ceasefire he brokered between the two countries.
Exclusive: Inside Hezbollah’s battle for Bint Jbeil and Khiam Submitted by MEE correspondent on Tue, 04/21/2026 - 09:14 The Lebanese towns hold both strategic and symbolic weight for Israel. Sources close to Hezbollah describe how the Israelis failed to hold them Destroyed buildings in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in northern Israel, 13 April 2026 (Reuters/Florion Goga) On For weeks, Israel bombarded Bint Jbeil and Khiam, repeatedly attempting to encircle the southern Lebanese towns. Yet neither fully fell to Israel’s invading military.
Hezbollah to bury fighters killed Israel's war on Lebanon Hezbollah announced it will hold mass funerals in southern Lebanon on Tuesday for 44 fighters killed during Israel's more than six weeks of war on Lebanon. The burials come after Israel and Lebanon entered into a 10-day ceasefire on Friday announced by US President Donald Trump. Hezbollah has not given the total number of its fighters killed since Israel last month launched a massive wave of air strikes and a ground invasion in Lebanon.
Israeli strikes level homes in southern Lebanon Israeli forces fired artillery near the town of Kunin in the Bint Jbeil district in the south of Lebanon, despite an ongoing ceasefire, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. The report said a series of Israeli demolitions occurred across the south, targeting homes, buildings and other infrastructure. Israeli forces also “booby-trapped” numerous homes in the villages of Beit Lif, Shamaa, Biyyada, and Naqoura, levelling them, the report added.
Germany's Wadephul urges Iran to take 'extended hand' of US for sake of own population German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged Iran to hold constructive talks with the United States in Islamabad. "As we know, the US vice president is prepared to travel to Islamabad," Wadephul said ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. "Iran should now take up this offer for the sake of its own people.
No Iranian delegation has departed for Pakistan yet, state TV says Iranian state television said Tuesday that no Iranian delegation had yet departed for talks with the United States in Pakistan. "So far, no delegation from Iran has departed for Islamabad, Pakistan; whether it is the main or subsidiary delegation; primary or secondary," state TV said, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise. A security personnel walks along a closed road near the Serena Hotel at the Red Zone area in Islamabad on 21 April, 2026.
Netanyahu, Trump: On Gaza and the Iran war, the parallels with World War Two are clear Submitted by Joe Gill on Fri, 04/17/2026 - 12:11 Comparisons between the US-Israeli war on Iran, the Gaza genocide, and Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union are being made by scholars A picture of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on fire during a protest against the US-Israeli military action in Iran, near the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines, 9 April 2026 (AFP) On It has long been considered offensive and antisemitic to draw comparisons between Nazi Germany and Israel , but on the specific question of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its wars of expansion, including the war on Iran , the dam has broken. Norman Finkelstein, the eminent American Jewish scholar and son of Holocaust survivors, drew the direct comparison between Hitler’s war in the east and the war launched by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu on Iran on 28 February in a recent Middle East Eye interview . I have long thought the comparison is merited, for a number of reasons, beginning in 2023 with the start of the war on Gaza.
Israeli settler kills teenager in Hebron An Israeli settler driving a vehicle struck and killed 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammad Majdi al-Ja’bari as he cycled to school early on Tuesday north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reported, citing security sources. The report said the driver was part of the security detail of an Israeli government minister living in the nearby Kiryat Arba settlement. The incident occurred at about 06:00 local time on Route 60 near the Beit Einun junction.
Nepal resumes issuing permits for workers headed to Middle East Nepal has resumed issuing permits for its nationals to work in the Middle East, an official said on Tuesday, six weeks after suspending the procedure because of war in the region. About 75 percent of all Nepali workers abroad work in Middle East nations, mainly as labourers at building sites, and experts say remittances from workers make up more than a quarter of the $42-billion economy of the cash-strapped Himalayan nation. Permit resumption "follows advice from the foreign ministry and high demand from workers", Pitambar Ghimire, a labour ministry spokesperson, told Reuters.
Iran will respond decisively to any renewed hostile action, senior commander says Iran's armed forces are ready to deliver an "immediate and decisive response" to any renewed hostile action by its adversaries, a senior Iranian military commander said on Tuesday, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency. A two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US is set to expire on Wednesday. The two countries have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire and have both tightened control over Gulf maritime transit.
Iranian commander says forces ready to give ‘decisive response’ A senior Iranian military commander said the country is ready to deliver a “decisive” response to any breach of commitments by its adversaries. Major General Gholam Ali Rashid Abdollahi of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Iran’s armed forces remain fully prepared to respond to threats. He said Iran’s military capabilities, including missile and drone forces, have strengthened its position and warned that any violation, including actions related to the Strait of Hormuz, would be met with an appropriate response.
Scam messages offering ships safe transit through Hormuz, security firm warns Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies whose vessels are stranded west of the waterway, Greek maritime risk management firm Marisks has warned. Marisks on Monday issued an alert warning shipowners that unknown actors, claiming to represent Iranian authorities, had sent some shipping companies a message demanding transit fees in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin or Tether, for “clearance”. "These specific messages are a scam," the firm said, adding the message was not sent by Iranian authorities.
IRGC says three unexploded US bombs defused in Lorestan province Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says its bomb disposal unit has defused three unexploded MK-84 aircraft bombs in the western Lorestan province, according to the state broadcaster IRIB. The 900kg bomb can cause craters up to 11 metres deep.
