Pakistan moved ahead Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place.
Over the weekend, the US attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that it said had tried to evade its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, and its Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told his Pakistani counterpart that American threats to Iranian ships and ports were “clear signs” of Washington’s disingenuousness ahead of the planned talks, Iran state media reported.
With tensions flaring and the ceasefire due to expire midweek, Pakistan has intensified diplomatic contacts with both Washington and Tehran over the past 24 hours with the goal of resuming the talks on Tuesday as planned, according to two Pakistani officials involved in the preparations. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
US President Donald Trump has said American negotiators would head to the Pakistani capital on Monday, but it was not immediately clear whether those plans would now change. Iran has not officially commented on possible talks, but Iranian state media, citing anonymous sources, issued brief reports suggesting that they would not happen.
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman says no plans yet to attend talksApril 20, 2026 2:06 pm
Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Monday said Tehran did not have plans yet to attend any talks with the United States. He did not rule out Iran attending talks. Authorities in Islamabad had been making preparations for another round that could potentially happen there this week. “So far, while I am here, we have no plans for the next round of negotiations and no decision has been made in this regard,” Baghaei said during a news conference. AP
Oil prices on the rise again after renewed conflict in Strait of Hormuz
April 20, 2026 1:58 pm
Islamabad: Oil prices were up again in early trading on Monday, with Brent crude, the international standard, at about USD 95 a barrel – up more than 30 per cent from the day the war started. Iran early Monday warned it could keep up the global economic pain as ships remained unable to transit the strait, with hundreds of vessels waiting at each end for clearance. AP
Trump says US seized Iranian-flagged ship near Hormuz, Tehran threatens response
April 20, 2026 1:55 pm
Washington: President Donald Trump said the US forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week. He said a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom” and that US Marines had custody of the vessel, named Touska, and were “seeing what’s on board!” AP
Over 3,300 people have died in Iran during war
April 20, 2026 12:32 pm
Dubai: Iran on Monday offered a new death toll for the war with Israel and the United States, with its forensic chief saying at least 3,375 people had been killed in the conflict. The figure came from Abbas Masjedi, the head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organisation. Masjedi, quoted by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency and other outlets Monday, said only four of the dead remain unidentified. His comments did not break down casualties among civilians and security forces, instead just saying that 2,875 were male and 496 were female. Masjedi said 383 of the dead were children 18 years old and under. AP
Hezbollah claims attack destroyed Israeli tanks
April 20, 2026 12:26 pm
Washington: Hezbollah said it detonated explosives Sunday afternoon in an attack against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. The group said in a statement Monday that bombs planted by Hezbollah fighters exploded and destroyed four tanks in a convoy of eight tanks that was passing the village of Deir Siryan. It was the first claim of an attack by Hezbollah since a 10-day ceasefire went into effect at midnight Thursday. AP
Iran says it hangs 2 convicts claimed by opposition group
April 20, 2026 12:25 pm
Washington: Iran said Monday it hanged two men it accused of setting fire to buildings on behalf of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. An Iranian exiled opposition group earlier claimed the men as members and alleged their charges stemmed from events that happened after they already had been detained. AP
Iran vows swift response to US seizure of Iranian-flagged ship near Hormuz
April 20, 2026 12:24 pm
Washington: Iran’s military vowed a swift response to the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman, state media reported on Sunday. The military headquarters said the attack and subsequent boarding of the ship by US forces was a violation of the ceasefire and denounced it as piracy, Iran’s state-run broadcaster said. The US Navy attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The US says it fired on the ship and seized it because it had crossed the blockade line after ignoring multiple warnings. AP
Oil prices, stocks climb as US-Iran standoff keeps Strait of Hormuz in limbo
April 20, 2026 10:41 am
Hong Kong: Oil prices climbed more than 5 per cent while Asian shares also advanced Monday as a standoff between Iran and the US prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz. The Persian Gulf waterway was closed again after Iran reversed a decision to reopen the strait and President Donald Trump said a US Navy blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect. US benchmark crude gained 5.6 per cent to USD 87.20 a barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, was up 5.3 per cent at USD 95.16 a barrel. AP
Tehran says restrictions on Iranian oil come with a price
April 20, 2026 8:16 am
Dubai: Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, said global fuel prices could stabilise only if economic and military pressures on Iranian oil exports end. “One cannot restrict Iran’s oil exports while expecting free security for others,” Aref wrote on X. “The choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone.” Oil prices rose in early trading Sunday as a standoff between Iran and the US prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway that is crucial to global energy supplies.