Live updates: Iran vows retaliation after U.S. ship seizure and says ‘no decision’ yet on new peace talks – NBC News

U.S. Central Command posted photos on X today of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that was seized on Sunday.

One photo shows a large cargo ship with containers on the deck streaming black smoke. A second photo appears to show the same ship from a distance with an American military vessel nearby.

“U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska, April 20, as the Iranian-flagged vessel’s container cargo is searched after U.S. Marines boarded and seized the ship when it attempted to violate the U.S. naval blockade,” CENTCOM said in the post on X.

Trump said that if Iran does not negotiate the country will face serious problems.

“Well, they’re going to negotiate. And if they don’t, they’re going to see problems like they’ve never seen before,” Trump said in an interview on the John Fredericks Show. “And they’re going to negotiate, and hopefully they’ll make a fair deal, and they’ll build their country back up.”

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met today with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon Nabih Berri after meeting with Trump in Washington, D.C.

Last Tuesday, a historic meeting took place between Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh. It was the first direct negotiations between the two countries in decades and resulted in the agreement of a fragile 10-day ceasefire. 

The U.S. is on track to have three aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East in the coming days.

The USS Abraham Lincoln CSG is in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, supporting the blockade.

The USS Ford CSG is in the northern Red Sea. It’s been deployed for roughly 300 days, one of the longest deployments in history.

Both have been supporting the war in Iran (the Ford was derailed by a fire but is back underway).

And now the USS George HW Bush is near Madagascar and expected to continue to transit north to the Arabian Sea in the coming days.

Notably, the Bush departed Virginia on March 31 and rather than travel east — through the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal and into the Red Sea — the ships traveled southeast and went all the way around Africa, extending their transit time but avoiding the dangerous Bab al-Mandab Strait, where the Houthis have threatened to target ships.

The Bush will likely swap out the Ford so they can finally head home, but there’s expected to be an overlap where the U.S. will have 3 carrier strike groups in the Middle East for a time. 

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Iran will not accept negotiations with the U.S. while under threat.

“Trump, by imposing a blockade and violating the ceasefire, seeks, in his view, to turn the negotiating table into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering,” he wrote in a post on X. “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threat, and over the past 2 weeks we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

Ghalibaf led the Iranian delegation in talks with Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad, Pakistan last week.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on the phone today to discuss the regional conflict.

Araghchi mentioned the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attack on an Iranian container ship, calling it “unlawful behavior” and accusing U.S. leaders of acting in a way that contradicts diplomacy, semi-official SNN news agency.

Iran “will take appropriate decisions to safeguard its national interests and security,” Araghchi told Lavrov, according to the outlet.

Lavrov emphasized the need to maintain the ceasefire between Iran, the U.S. and Israel, and said Russia would help facilitate agreements between Iran and Gulf countries, according to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry also said that Iran “reaffirmed its readiness” to allow the unimpeded transit of Russian vessels through the strait.

U.S. Central Command shared a video on X today showing a helicopter warning vessels about the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“This blockade of Iranian ports will be enforced and applies to all vessels, regardless of flag,” an individual is heard saying in the audio. “Any vessel with further intent to enter, exit an Iranian port will be subject to the right of visit and search in accordance with international law. If you attempt to run the blockade, we will compel compliance with force, over.”

Since the start of the blockade, the U.S. army has directed 27 vessels to turn back or return to an Iranian port, according to CENTCOM.

Iran has reopened Tehran’s Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Ten other airports — in the cities of Urumia, Kermanshah, Abadan, Shiraz, Kerman, Rasht, Yazd, Zahedan, Gorgan and Birjand — are expected to be in operation starting on Saturday, the outlet reported.

Trump went on a Truth Social messaging spree today, publishing four posts in about an hour focused on defending the war with Iran and slamming the “Fake News” coverage of it.

In the first post, Trump said that the deal that his administration is working on will be better than the nuclear deal that former President Barack Obama struck with Iran in 2015, though he did not provide any details on how it would significantly differ.

“The DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA, commonly referred to as ‘The Iran Nuclear Deal,’ penned by Barack Hussein Obama and Sleepy Joe Biden, one of the Worst Deals ever made having to do with the Security of our Country. It was a guaranteed Road to a Nuclear Weapon, which will not, and cannot, happen with the Deal we’re working on,” Trump wrote.

In the second post, Trump said he is not under pressure to make a deal with Iran.

“I read the Fake News saying that I am under ‘pressure’ to make a Deal. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!” he wrote. “Time is not my adversary, the only thing that matters is that we finally, after 47 years, straighten out the MESS that other Presidents let happen because they didn’t have the Courage or Foresight to do what had to be done with respect to Iran.” 

A large group of anti-war protesters were arrested at an office building for members of Congress this morning after chanting and holding signs against the war with Iran.

Capitol Police said approximately 66 people were arrested. They’re accused of illegally protesting inside the Cannon House Office Building.

The group was holding signs that said “END THE WAR ON IRAN” and “WE CAN’T AFFORD ANOTHER WAR,” with the group chanting, “Not another nickel, not another dime!” and “Donald Trump is a war criminal!”

“The veterans and military families here today represent three generations of U.S. wars, from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf and the global war on terror, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” one of the protesters said before he was arrested. “We are here because we are weary of war. We are sick and tired of war, yet our political leaders to take the fourth generation to war. We say don’t do these wars.”

The Israel Defense Forces said it launched three attacks on southern Lebanon today “to prevent an imminent threat to Israel’s northern communities.”

Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire following talks mediated by the U.S. last week. Israel has continued to strike southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire.

In two different incidents, the IDF said it identified “terrorists” in the Bint Jbeil area who it believes violated the ceasefire by “operating within the Forward Defense Area” and approaching soldiers. The individuals were struck and eliminated, the IDF said.

In another incident, IDF soldiers eliminated additional individuals that it said posed an imminent threat.

“The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to Israeli civilians and its soldiers,” the military said in a statement.

BEIRUT — Four days into Lebanon’s fragile ceasefire with Israel, there is a cautious calm in Beirut, but residents say they want peace in their country, where Israel-led strikes have killed more than 2,200 people.

Still, life has not slowed in the capital city. The roads are packed with traffic and people walking to and from shops. People are wary that the short-term peace will not hold as they dig out from rubble in a dense part of the city.

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Damage in Tallet El Khayat in Beirut today. Michael Fiorentino

We visited two sites in central Beirut where at least 100 people died just 12 days ago — which was part of the most aggressive bombing day from Israel during this conflict, claiming the lives of more than 300 nationwide. Locals are still questioning why their residential areas were targeted since neither of these Beirut neighborhoods are considered Hezbollah strongholds.

In the area of Mazraa, smoke shop owner Abdelrahman Samir Nami, who witnessed the blasts and saw dozens killed, had tears in his eyes as he said, “We just want to live at peace as Lebanese people.” His wife, Abeer Salah, said she is living with trauma now.

“I wasn’t scared before this attack, but now I have trauma,” she said. “Anything that passes by me scares me. Even a car or a mosquito. It’s affected my memory.”

But their shop is open, next to a new crater and a charred apartment building where workers are actively digging through rubble.

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Inside a smoke shop in Mazraa, Beirut, today. Michael Fiorentino / NBC News

Down the road in Tallet El Khayat, an upscale area, a whole side of a building is crumbled to the ground. Around 20 people were killed there, including the building’s owner, who was on the top floor. His wife survived.

Two women, Yasmina and Mariam, returned to work today next door at a clinic for kids with special needs.

“There are families in this country,” Mariam said, “there are children in this country, people who have invested their whole lives here, who live here, who love it here, and who want to just live in a stable and peaceful country.”

The U.S. is expected to host a second round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon this Thursday at the State Department, according to a State Department official and an Israeli official.

The discussions follow last Tuesday’s historic meeting between Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh. It was the first direct negotiations between the two countries in decades and resulted in the agreement of a fragile 10-day ceasefire. 

“The United States welcomes the productive engagement that began on April 14th,” the state department official said. “We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments.”

In this next round of diplomatic discussions, Lebanon will be represented by its former Ambassador to the U.S. Simon Karam, according to the office of the Lebanese president. The office said in a social media post that the government’s objective is to halt hostile actions, end the Israeli occupation of southern areas, and deploy the army up to the internationally recognized southern borders. Israel will continue to be represented by their ambassador, Leiter, the Israeli official said. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel accepted the temporary ceasefire agreement at the request of President Trump, but also declared on Saturday that his country’s forces “will continue to operate in the security zone” in the southern part of Lebanon “to thwart threats directed against them and our communities.”

Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding next week’s meeting at the State Department.

Drone video shows the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil in ruins following the Israel Defense Force’s strikes on the area.

The insignia in the upper left of the original video belongs to the IDF’s Givati Brigade, which the IDF says has been operating in the area. On-screen text at the beginning of the video reads, “Destruction of terrorist infrastructure, Bint Jbeil, Roaring Lion, Givati Brigade Combat Team.”

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NBC News geolocated the video to Bint Jbeil by matching landmarks shown in the video, including a mosque and what appears to be a well, to satellite imagery of the same locations before the IDF invasion. 

In response to a request for comment, the IDF said it did not distribute the video.

The IDF said in a statement on April 13 that it had “struck and eliminated more than 100 Hezbollah terrorist operatives, both in close-quarters combat and through aerial strikes” since beginning ground operations on April 8.  

More than 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced from their homes, and 2,124 people have been killed since the fighting began, according to its Health Ministry.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country still has “deep historical mistrust” toward the U.S. government, adding that “contradictory signals” from U.S. officials are a sign that they want Iran to surrender.

“Iranians do not submit to force,” Pezeshkian wrote on X, adding that “honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue.”

Trump said on Truth Social that the Israeli government did not talk him into starting a war with Iran, adding that the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and his lifelong opinion that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon were his reasons.

“The results in Iran will be amazing — And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” he wrote.

Late Friday night, on board Air Force One, NBC News asked the president if he was frustrated with Netanyahu, especially as he made the decision to attack Lebanon as peace talks between the country and Israel were being arranged.

“No, look, he’s been a very good partner,” Trump said. “No, we disagree on some things, but he’s been a very good partner.”

Five passenger ships went through the Strait of Hormuz during its temporary opening, MarineTraffic data shows, after the shipping traffic site said the vessels had been stranded since late February.

The Malta-flagged cruise ship Celestyal Discovery crossed the strait shortly after Iran announced the complete opening of the crucial oil choke point on Friday, the shipping data site shows.

Four other cruise ships also cleared from the waterway on Saturday before Iran announced its closure again, MarineTraffic shows.

Another passenger ship, Aroya, also managed to leave the Persian Gulf through the strait on Sunday, a day after Iran reimposed “strict control,” according to the shipping traffic site.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today to discuss “the importance of continued dialogue and engagement at the earliest to resolve all pending issues,” according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

JD Vance and other U.S. negotiators appeared set to travel to Pakistan for a new round of peace talks, but Iran’s Foreign Ministry said “no decision has been made” on whether to hold new talks.

The goal of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel is to end hostilities and the occupation of southern Lebanon, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement today.

The former ambassador of Lebanon to the U.S., Simon Karam, will head the country’s delegation, Aoun said.

Lebanon’s president defended the talks that kicked off last week, which have been criticized by many, including Iran-backed Hezbollah. The group, which is based in Lebanon, asked the president not to go through with negotiations as Israel continued attacking the south of the country.

“Lebanon is faced with two choices: either the continuation of the war with all its humanitarian, social, economic and sovereign repercussions, or negotiating to put an end to this war and achieve sustainable stability,” he said. “I have chosen negotiation and I am full of hope that we will be able to save Lebanon.”

The International Rescue Committee says the attention on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has waned as the conflict in the Middle East continues to flare. 

More than 2 million people remain displaced within the Palestinian enclave six months after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, the IRC said, with the majority sheltering in makeshift tents while facing flooding and storms in winter and high temperatures in the summer.

Around 77% of Gaza’s population is expected to face acute food insecurity this year, the group said. Meanwhile, Gaza’s health care system has all but collapsed with 94% of Gaza’s hospitals destroyed or damaged, it added.

Residents of southern Lebanon are returning home and “finding rubble,” United Nations Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher told the BBC earlier today.

Thousands of people rushed back to their communities after a 10-day ceasefire was announced last week, but he said the devastation is “massive.”

Five of the six bridges that the U.N. used to get aid across have been destroyed, Fletcher said. “So that makes it even more complicated for us to get help in, but also for civilians to get back,” he added. “Many of those civilians that went back over the weekend saw the devastation of their villages and have left again.”

If there are questions over whether this weeks peace talks will go ahead, Pakistan may well have the answer.

The government, which is mediating the negotiations, has already imposed a strict security bubble ready for the arrival of Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation.

Major roads are closed, with police telling NBC News at Srinigar Highway they began stopping traffic at midnight. Hotels have been emptied out in preparation for the sensitive meetings.

The reality is that even the furious Iranian insistence that it hasn’t decided whether to come is part of the negotiations, trying to put the American side on the back foot.

The Israeli military urged residents of southern Lebanon to keep away from several dozen villages in the region despite the ceasefire.

In a post on X earlier today, the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that the Israeli military maintains its position in southern Lebanon despite the 10-day ceasefire “in response to the ongoing terrorist activities of Hezbollah.”

In addition to the restricted access to the villages, Adraee warned against moving south of another 21 villages in the area for safety reasons. “Approaching the Litani River, Wadi al-Salhani, and al-Salouqi is also prohibited,” he said.

The ceasefire brokered last week gave hope to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the Israeli invasion that they could get back to normality. Thousands are weighing whether to return to their homes in southern Lebanon that may no longer exist, NBC News reported. 

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz reduced significantly after Iran announced it had closed the world’s most crucial oil chokepoint again over the weekend, shipping traffic data shows.

Six vessels went through the Strait in the past six hours, five of which went through the Iranian-approved route off Bandar Abbas, Marine Traffic shows. The other one is an Iran-flagged cargo ship.

Iranian military officials announced that control over the strait “has returned to the previous state” Saturday, a day after they said they had opened the waterway completely.

Around 30 vessels went through the waterway from Friday to Saturday during the temporary opening, according to Marine Traffic.

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Ahead of possible peace talks in Islamabad this week, Trump claims that Iran has agreed to let the U.S. remove its enriched uranium, but Iran is saying it won’t be transferred anywhere.

Meanwhile, the president dramatically shifted his tone over the weekend from praising Iran’s leadership to once up again ramping up threats, posting “No more Mr. Nice Guy” on social media. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz to be maintained as Beijing expressed concerns over the “forced interception” by the U.S. of the Iranian ship yesterday.

China’s official Xinhua news agency reported earlier today that Xi’s comments came during a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Beijing calls for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, Xi was cited as saying by Xinhua, while supporting all efforts conducive to restoring peace and remaining committed to resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means.

Xi said that the normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz serves the common interests of regional countries and the international community, Xinhua reported.

China is concerned over renewed instability around the strategic waterway, as a U.S.-Iran ceasefire came under fresh strain after the U.S. seized the Iran-flagged cargo ship and Tehran signaled it would not join new peace talks for now. China is the main buyer of Iranian crude.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun expressed concern earlier today over the U.S. interception of the Iranian ship, Xinhua reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” to learn that an Israeli soldier damaged a Christian religious icon in southern Lebanon after the country’s miliary confirmed a photo depicting the act was authentic.

“I condemn the act in the strongest terms,” Netanyahu said in a post on X this morning. “We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world,” he added. 

A criminal probe is underway, Netanyahu said, and authorities will take “appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.”

The photo depicts an Israeli soldier using what appears to be a sledgehammer or axe to strike the face of a Jesus Christ statue, in what Reuters reported was the town of Debel on the border.

The IDF said in an earlier statement this kind of conduct was “wholly inconsistent” with the values expected of its troops.

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A California woman was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and is accused of helping Iran sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons overseas. KNBC’s Keenan Willard reports.

Iran executed two men convicted of cooperating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and planning attacks inside the country, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan reported, a charge denied by the opposition group they were linked to.

Mizan said the two, identified as Mohammad Masoum Shahi and Hamed Validi, were accused of belonging to a spy network linked to Mossad and had received training abroad, including in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

There have been a number of executions linked to the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran over the last few weeks.

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, the political arm of the PMOI, said on X that their only “crime was their commitment to freedom and the liberation of their people.”

They had been convicted on charges including “enmity against God” and cooperation with hostile groups, and their death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court before being carried out, Mizan reported.

She said a number of PMOI members and other political prisoners remained on death row and called for international action to “halt the wave of executions.”

The Israeli military has confirmed a photo circulating online showing an Israeli soldier striking a Jesus statue in southern Lebanon is authentic, calling it inconsistent with its values.

“The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops,” the IDF said in a post on X last night, commenting on a photo that was originally shared by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi. 

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via X

The IDF said the incident is being further investigated, and appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings. The Israeli military was also working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place, it said.

“The IDF is operating to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols,” the statement added. 

The price of crude oil rose again today after the U.S. seizure of an Iranian ship in the Strait of Hormuz cast doubt on a possible peace process to end the war.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 5% to more than $95 per barrel, reversing much of the declines seen on Friday, while U.S. crude rose 6% to almost $89 per barrel.

Oil prices and stock futures began tumbling yesterday as tensions renewed in the strait, which carries a fifth of the world’s oil supply as well as a large amount of liquid natural has and fertilizer.

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Video released by the U.S. military shows what it said were Marines seizing an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Arabian Sea after it “failed to comply with repeated warnings.”

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad this morning.

The meeting focused on strengthening Pakistan-U.S. relations and preparations for a second round of talks scheduled to take place in Islamabad this week, Naqvi’s office said.

The statement did not specify when the talks are expected to begin.

Naqvi briefed Baker on security arrangements, saying special measures had been taken to ensure the safety of visiting delegations.

“We have made comprehensive security arrangements for our distinguished guests,” Naqvi said in the statement.

Baker offered an appreciated for Pakistan’s role in easing regional tensions and efforts to facilitate dialogue.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters vowed to carry out “necessary action” against the U.S. after the seizure of the Iranian-flagged ship in the Arabian Sea yesterday but said it first had to ensure the safety of the crew and family members on board.

In comments carried by the semi-official Fars news agency, the spokesperson for the military command said Iran’s armed forces were ready for a “decisive response” to what it called “blatant aggression” by the U.S., but due to the presence of some family members of the ship’s personnel, they were “constrained in order to preserve their lives and security which were in danger at any moment.”

After ensuring the safety of the families and personnel, “the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will carry out the necessary action against the American terrorist army,” the spokesperson added, according to Fars. 

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called for a rational approach as the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington showed new strain after an Iranian ship was seized by the U.S. in the Gulf of Oman, saying war was not in anyone’s interest.

In comments carried by Iran’s official state news agency IRNA this morning, Pezeshkian said all rational and diplomatic channels must be used to reduce tensions while maintaining firmness against threats.

At the same time, mistrust of the enemy and vigilance in interactions are an undeniable necessity, he added, according to IRNA.

It comes as the two-week ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday, with no clarity about the future of the peace talks.

U.S. Central Command said there were six hours of repeated warnings from the U.S. forces before they moved to seize Iranian-flagged ship Touska in the Arabian Sea, which they said attempted to sail toward an Iranian port violating the U.S. naval blockade.

CENTCOM published a video of the intercept this morning, saying it showed U.S. Marines departing an amphibious assault ship by helicopter and transiting over the Arabian Sea to board and seize the vessel.

When the ship’s crew failed to comply with the warnings yesterday, the marines rappelled onto it after the vessel’s population was disabled by a U.S. guided-missile destroyer, CENTCOM said. 

Iran has vowed to retaliate for the ship’s seizure.

MarineTraffic data this morning showed that the ship was still in the Gulf of Oman, not moving for the past 7 hours.

Iran has no plans for another round of negotiations with the U.S., Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has said, accusing the U.S. of continuously violating the ceasefire.

“Regarding the next round of negotiations, there is no plan and no decision has been taken in this regard,” Baghaei said at a news conference today.

The U.S.’s naval blockade and the seizure of an Iranian ship were a “clear contradiction between word and action,” he said, which amplifies Iran’s distrust in U.S. intentions.

President Trump said he was dispatching his negotiators to Pakistan today for new talks.