U.S. blockade of Iran's ports goes into effect; Trump says he doesn't care about new talks

Iranian Minister of Sport Ahmad Donyamali said today that the country’s national soccer team may go to the World Cup in the U.S., according to semiofficial local media.

Donyamali said that Iran will keep the national team prepared to go to the U.S. for the premier world soccer competition, the semiofficial Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.

The World Cup is being held this summer in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Iran team is scheduled to play in the U.S. Iran had asked that its team’s matches be moved to Mexico, but FIFA denied the request.

The U.S. has said Iran is welcome to go and compete.

Iran’s permanent representative to the U.N. said today that Iran wants compensation from some of its regional neighbors over the war, Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported.

The representative to the U.N. said Iran wants compensation from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan “due to their participation in the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran,” according to Tasnim, a semiofficial news agency with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Tasnim did not report what the alleged participation in the war is. The U.S. maintains military presences in those countries.

The International Energy Agency, the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund warned today that there will be no quick relief for high fuel and fertilizer prices even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

“The situation remains very uncertain, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is yet to normalize,” the heads of the IEA, of which the U.S. is a founding member, and the two other organizations said in a joint statement.

“Even after a resumption of regular shipping flows through the Strait, it will take time for global supplies of key commodities to move back towards their pre-conflict levels — and fuel and fertilizer prices may remain high for a prolonged period given the damage to infrastructure," the heads of the three organizations said in the statement.

U.S. blocks Iranian ports after failed talks

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The U.S. military has an armada of warships positioned just outside the Strait of Hormuz, ready to strike any vessel trying to dock at or depart from the Iranian mainland. A marine tracking website today showed the strait effectively empty.

U.K. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy met with Vance today in Washington after he returned from Pakistan.

"It is vital that the ceasefire continues and we get shipping flowing freely again through the Straits of Hormuz," Lammy said in a statement on X.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon will join the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the U.S. for talks tomorrow, a State Department official said.

The high-level talks between Israel and Lebanon are the first since 1993, the official said.

"This conversation will scope the ongoing dialogue about how to ensure the long-term security of Israel’s northern border and to support the Government of Lebanon’s determination to reclaim full sovereignty over its territory and political life," the State Department official said. "Israel is at war with Hizballah, not Lebanon, so there is no reason the two neighbors should not be talking.”

Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in early March in solidarity with Iran after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28. And Israel has retaliated with attacks across Lebanon that have killed more than 2,000 people.

After the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire last week, both the U.S. and Israel said the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon, a point that Iranian officials say is a violation of their initial agreement with the U.S.

Vance said on Fox News tonight that there were “some good conversations” with Iran in Pakistan this weekend, even though negotiations did not produce an agreement.

Asked whether there would be more talks between the U.S. and Iran, Vance said the question would be “best put to the Iranians, because the ball really is in their court.”

“There really is, I think, a grand deal to be had here, but it’s up to the Iranians, I think, to take the next step,” he said.

Vance said the U.S. needed to get enriched uranium out of Iran.

“We must have the enriched material out of Iran. We must have their conclusive commitment to not develop a nuclear weapon," he said. "And I think that if the Iranians are willing to meet us there, then this can be a very, very good deal for both countries. If they’re not willing to meet us there, that’s up to them."

Vance said Iran showed some flexibility but “didn’t move far enough.”

The internet blackout in Iran has entered its 45th day, according to the internet monitoring group NetBlocks.

"Regime figures and whitelisted influencers post freely on social media while they silence a population of 90 million whom they claim to serve," the organization said on X.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi talked with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by phone tonight local time, according to the Iranian semiofficial Fars News agency.

Araghchi “warned of the dangerous consequences of provocative U.S. actions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz for regional and global peace and security,” the Fars News report said.

The city of Baltimore today said that disruptions of the fluoride supply chain caused by the Iran war are forcing it to reduce how much of the cavity-preventing mineral in its water supply.

"These constraints are part of broader national supply chain disruptions, driven in part by ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as well as reduced domestic production and limited output from key international suppliers," the Department of Public Works said.

“A key supplier based in Israel has experienced significant operational disruptions,” it added.

Fluoride will be reduced from about 0.7 milligrams per liter to 0.4 mg per liter at its Ashburton and Montebello filtration plants, the department sad.

“Drinking water will remain safe and meet all federal and state water quality standards,” it said. The reduction does not affect the overall safety or quality of the water, as fluoride is not a regulatorily required additive.

In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is prepared to continue talks with the U.S. within the framework of international law and with the aim of securing the rights of the Iranian people, according to the Iranian official news agency YJC.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to continue talks solely within the framework of international laws and regulations and with the aim of safeguarding the rights of the Iranian people," Pezeshkian said. "And Europe can play a constructive role in encouraging the United States to comply with these frameworks."

Pezeshkian also said that the threat of military action from the U.S. is ineffective and that Iran prefers diplomacy, adding that Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz "will have wide-ranging consequences for global trade," YJC reported.

Macron reiterated that Lebanon needs to be included in a ceasefire deal.

The S&P 500 today closed up more than 1%, erasing all of its losses since the Iran war began Feb. 28.

The rally came even as oil prices continue to climb, which they did again today. U.S. crude oil rose more than 2%, to around $99 per barrel.

Stocks continue to trade higher on hopes that the war will somehow be defused in the near term. Stocks were also propelled higher today by Trump's saying he was "called" today by "the right people" in Iran.

Read more on today's markets here.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres called talks between the U.S. and Iran to resume.

"After weeks of destruction & distress, it is clear that there is no military solution to the current conflict in the Middle East," Guterres said in a statement on X.

Guterres also called on the ceasefire to be "preserved" and urged all parties to "respect the freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz.

There is continued engagement between the U.S. and Iran and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement, a U.S. official told NBC News.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said today that the group "absolutely reject[s]" the peace talks between Lebanon and Israel planned for tomorrow.

Qassem asked Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to back down from the negotiations, which will be mediated by the U.S., arguing that Israeli attacks against the country have continued with U.S. support.

Qassem also highlighted that the group believes Israel's real objective with its attacks on Lebanon is to annex the entire country as part of its "Greater Israel" project. Greater Israel is a political and religious ideology that says a majority of the Middle East should be part of the state of Israel.

"Our choice is resistance and confrontation in the face of this enemy, and we consider these negotiations to be worthless and will only provide the enemy with free concessions," Qassem said. "These negotiations will only bring defeat for Lebanon's government and people."

The U.S.' threats to blockade the Strait of Hormuz are "senseless," Spain's defense minister said today.

In an interview with Spanish national television RTVE, Margarita Robles called the ongoing conflict “absurd” and warned that the blockade would be "another step" in an escalating crisis.

“This is a situation that is affecting not only Iran, but also Lebanon and other countries in the region,” said Robles, whose country has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration since the war started.

She also voiced “deep concern” over the stalled diplomatic efforts, stressing that “any conflict must be resolved through diplomatic channels."

Trump said at a briefing at the White House today that he will not apologize to Pope Leo because he "said things that are wrong," adding that the pope is "very weak on crime."

"He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result," Trump said.

Asked about the post in which he seemed to depict himself as Jesus, Trump said: "It wasn’t depicted. It was me."

"I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support, and only the fake news could come up with that one," he said.

Trump says he thought controversial AI image he shared depicted him 'as a doctor'

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Trump said at a briefing at the White House today that he got a call from "the right people" in Iran and that "they would like to work a deal."

He asserted that "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," which he said he believes Iran will come to agree to.

"If they don’t agree, there’s no deal, there’ll never be a deal," Trump said. "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we’re going to get the dust back. We’ll get it back, either we’ll get it back from them, or we’ll take it."

Before the briefing, Trump was delivered McDonald's by a woman in a “DoorDash Grandma” shirt as part of an effort to promote new regulations that eliminate taxes on some tips for service industry employees.

A post on Trump’s Truth Social page depicting him as a Christ-like savior appeared to have been removed after swift pushback, some of it from his supporters.

The picture, which was posted last night, showed Trump in a robe with his hand on the forehead of a bedridden man. Light surrounds the man’s head, and an orb of light floats in Trump’s other hand. An American flag and the Statue of Liberty adorn the backdrop.

Trump speaks to the media as he prepares to depart from the White House on Saturday. Matt McClain / Getty Images

The controversial post came shortly after Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV in their ongoing feud over the Iran war, saying, “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” and calling the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” on Truth Social. Leo responded that he had “no fear of the Trump administration.”

Read the full story here.

Japan has expressed hope today for de-escalation and an end to the war with Iran after Washington-Tehran peace talks failed over the weekend.

“What is most important is that de-escalation, including securing the safety of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, is actually achieved,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a news conference.

Kihara said no decision had been made about whether Japan would take part in the U.S. blockade of the strait or efforts to clear it of mines.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, on X today for Japan's support in facilitating U.S.-Iran negotiations in Islamabad.

He said Pakistan remained "committed to sustaining this momentum for peace and stability."

Pope Leo criticized violations of international law by "neocolonial" world powers today, just hours after a direct attack by President Donald Trump on the pontiff.

Trump said in a Truth Social post yesterday that he was "not a fan" of Leo, saying he was "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

He later posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure.

“Today, ⁠this is more urgent than ever ​in the face ​of ⁠continuous violations of international law and neocolonial ⁠tendencies,” ​Leo said, as he embarked on a four-nation tour of African countries.

Leo suggested over the weekend that a "delusion of omnipotence" was fueling the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump threatened to destroy Iranian ships if they "come anywhere close" to his planned U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier today, the president announced his plan to block all ships from passing through the strait. U.S. Central Command clarified later that it would allow traffic on the key waterway traveling between non-Iranian ports.

During a briefing today, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun encouraged the U.S. and Iran to "avoid a resumption of hostilities" and resolve their dispute through political and diplomatic means.

At the same time, U.S. intelligence reporting suggests that China is planning to provide new air defense weaponry to Iran in coming weeks, a person with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

Asked about the reports, Guo said, “China always acts prudently and responsibly on the export of military products, and exercises strict control in accordance with China’s laws and regulations on export control and due international obligations. China opposes groundless smear and ill-intentioned association.”

The European Union's fuel bill has risen by more than $25 billion since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen said today.

“Our bill for fossil fuel imports has increased by over 22 billion euros — 44 days, 22 billion euros,” she said, adding that “the disruption of energy supplies will continue for some time to come.”

Von der Leyen also advised E.U. governments to start coordinating the way they use oil and natural gas stocks, proposing restrictions to ease state aid rules while the crisis lasts.

The International ​Committee of the Red ​Cross said today that it was deeply concerned by attacks ​on medical ‌workers ⁠in Lebanon, following a ‌strike on a Lebanese Red Cross ⁠center in the south of the ​country today.

“The ​loss of those who dedicate their lives to ​saving others is gravely ​concerning, given ​the impact on the civilians ​who depend on their help,” said Agnes Dhur, head of delegation ⁠of the ICRC in Lebanon.

“Saving lives must never cost a life," she added. "Humanitarian and medical personnel must be protected. They must be allowed to reach and help the wounded and return unharmed.”

Also today ahead of talks between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli forces launched an effort to seize from Iran-backed Hezbollah a key town in southern Lebanon. More than 1 million Lebanese have been displaced during the current war.

The ongoing U.S.-Iran ceasefire could be extended for 45-60 days to allow for negotiations to continue, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said today,

The current ceasefire, declared at the eleventh hour last week, is set to run until next Monday. Turkey has played a role as a mediator in talks.

“If the parties make good progress, an additional ceasefire could be introduced — lasting 45 to 60 days — so that negotiations can continue,” Fidan said in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency. 

Fidan warned that Israel remained "a factor" that could disrupt negotiations, and that the issue of uranium enrichment could also be a sticking point.

But, he added, "hopefully, with the support of mediators and other countries, we will try to overcome this as well.”

Thousands of crew members stuck on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are running short of basic supplies, a labor union warned today.

Nearly 20,000 Indian crew members were stranded in the region, Milind Kandalgaonkar, general secretary of the National Union of Seafarers of India, said in a letter to India’s national shipping board.

“Many of these seafarers are reportedly facing acute shortages of food, potable water, and essential medical supplies,” he wrote, while urging authorities to protect seafarers' welfare and prepare evacuation plans if needed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Vice President JD Vance told him that negotiations in Pakistan failed because Iran refused to stop enriching uranium.

Vance said the breakdown in negotiations came from the American side, "which could not tolerate Iran’s blatant violation of the terms for entering negotiations," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

"The agreement was to stop the fire, and the Iranians were supposed to immediately open the straits," he added. "They did not do so, and the Americans could not accept that."

He added that Vance "made it clear that the central issue for President Trump and the United States is the removal of all enriched material and ensuring that there is no further enrichment for years to come – possibly for decades – meaning no enrichment inside Iran. This is their main focus, and of course it is important to us as well."

Netanyahu also said Israel supported the planned U.S. naval blockade and denied claims of a rift between the allies, saying the "exact opposite is true."

Thirty-one vessels in total have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours, according to ship tracking website MarineTraffic. Of those, six were recorded as carrying general cargo, oil, chemical products, or liquefied petroleum gas.

As of 7.32 a.m. E.T today, there were 11 vessels in the waterway, three of them under the Iranian flag. Six of the vessels were oil or chemical tankers and three were cargo ships. As with most of the vessels crossing the strait since yesterday, the majority were recorded as not carrying anything, but four were either partially laden or their load condition was unknown.

Although Trump had threatened to block all ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM clarified later that it would allow traffic on the key waterway traveling between non-Iranian ports.

A newly released satellite image and tracking data appear to show two Iranian vessels going to and from Kharg Island, suggesting possible loading of oil or goods.

An NBC News analysis using MarineTraffic data identified all five vessels near the country’s crucial oil export hub in the image from Copernicus, the European Union’s satellite image service.

Satellite images appear to show vessels going to and from Kharg Island. Copernicus Sentinel

Four of the five vessels are sailing under the flag of Iran, according to Marine Traffic. The one moored at the island’s dock is a passenger ship under the flag of Cuba, the ship-tracking website shows.

The two Iran-flagged ships shown on the west side of the island were seen sailing between the waters and the island’s harbors on Marine Traffic since Saturday.

The announcement of the blockade sent the price of crude oil soaring above $100 and stocks falling.

What will the blockade of Hormuz mean for the U.S. economy?

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It also raised questions around why the U.S. would cut off a trade route it had been trying to force open, how the blockade would work and what it could mean for countries across the world.

Here's what to know.

There can be no stability in the Middle East "while Lebanon is in flames," Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, said today.

Speaking to reports in Brussels after a meeting about the situation in the Middle East, Von der Leyen called for an end to hostilities in Lebanon, saying "security is indivisible."

She also said the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz "is greatly damaging," and that "the restoration of the freedom of navigation is of paramount importance."

The coming days could be a stress test for the Strait of Hormuz and for the rules that are supposed to govern it, according to Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University.

It remains unclear, he added, how the U.S. would track, intercept and board vessels moving from Iranian ports through the strait.

Any U.S. or Iranian attempt to choke off the waterway would run counter to the principle of freedom of navigation, said Mercogliano, who has testified before the U.S. Senate on commercial shipping and written for the U.S. Naval Institute.

“We are challenging the concept of freedom of the seas,” Mercogliano said on his “What’s Going on With Shipping?” podcast, which has more than 600,000 followers on YouTube.

More than 32 million people around the world could be plunged into poverty by the economic fallout of the Iran war, according to a United Nations Development Programme report.

The world was facing a "triple shock," the report said, with energy, food and economic growth all impacted by the conflict and developing nations set to be hit hardest.

"War is development in reverse," said Alexander De Croo, UNDP administrator and former prime minister of Belgium.

"Conflict can undo in weeks what countries have built over years,” he wrote in the report. "The crisis forces impossible trade-offs between stabilizing prices today and funding health, education, and jobs tomorrow."

Iran has dismissed Trump’s latest threats to blockade the Strait of Hormuz as a “bluff,” urging him to “respect the Iranian people,” according to a statement carried by the semi-official Iranian Student News Agency.

“If you want conditions to improve, respect the Iranian people, accept your defeat and do not seek at the negotiating table what you failed to achieve in war,” Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s national security commission, said in response to Trump’s comments.

“We may reveal other cards that we have not yet used in the game,” he added.

The IDF is confident that it will take full control of the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil in the coming days, according to an Israeli military official.

Lebanon is defined as the main operational front at this stage, the official said, adding that only a "small number of terrorists" remain in Bint Jbeil, a municpality in southern Lebanon close to Israel's borders.

Regarding Iran, the official said the IDF maintains a "high level of alert and readiness for any developments."

French President Emmanuel Macron said France and the United Kingdom will organize a conference of like-minded countries to support what he described as a “peaceful multinational mission” aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

In an X post, Macron said discussions would also address Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the situation in Lebanon.

“France stands ready to play its full part, as it has consistently sought to do since the very first day of the conflict,” he added.

Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in a statement released today.

“We call for the restoration of the safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said. 

It added that the bloc hopes dialogue and diplomacy among all parties will lead to peace in the region. The region is hugely dependent on fuel imports and has already felt the effects of the waterway's effective closure.

Americans will soon be “nostalgic for $4 gas,” Iran’s Parliament speaker said last night, ahead of the U.S. blockade

A gas station located in front of an oil refinery in Wilmington, Calif., on Saturday. Etienne Laurent / AFP via Getty Images

“Enjoy the current pump figures,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X. “With the so-called ‘blockade’, Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.”

Oil prices surged overnight.

China said today it hopes the U.S. and Iran will avoid a “resumption of hostilities” despite negotiations in Pakistan over the weekend ending without a deal.

“China hopes that the relevant parties will abide by the temporary ceasefire arrangement, remain committed to resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means, avoid a resumption of hostilities, and create conditions for the early restoration of peace and stability,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a regular briefing in Beijing.

He added that the launch of talks between the two sides was a step in the right direction toward achieving peace in the region.

Pope Leo XIV has told NBC News that he will stick to his message of peace as he pushed back on Trump's criticism.

Pope Leo boards his plane at Rome's Fiumicino Aairport today. Tiziana Fabi / AFP via Getty Images

Speaking aboard the papal plane this morning, the pontiff said "I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do."

He added: "We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the gospel, as a peacemaker."

The pope is embarking on an 11-day tour of four African countries.

The Israeli military said its troops were surrounding the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, a key Hezbollah stronghold.

In a statement, the military said that "over the past week, troops from the 98th Division have surrounded Hezbollah military infrastructure and begun targeted ground operations in the Bint Jbeil area."

It said Israeli troops had killed 100 Hezbollah fighters and destroyed dozens of what it described as “terrorist infrastructure sites.”

“The IDF will continue to act forcefully against Hezbollah and will not allow harm to come to the citizens of the State of Israel,” the statement said. 

The ongoing Israeli assault on Lebanon has threatened the Iran ceasefire.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today that his country is "not supporting a blockade" of Iran's ports.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Starmer said he was focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, because “that’s the way we get energy prices down as quickly as possible.”

A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, pictured yesterday.  Reuters

"It is, in my view, vital that we get the strait open and fully open, and that’s where we’ve put all of our efforts in the last few and we’ll continue to do so,” he said.

Iran's armed forces have accused the U.S. of "piracy" over the planned blockade and said that the security of its ports "is either for everyone or for no one."

Iran will implement a “permanent mechanism” to control the strait due to continued U.S. threats, a spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces said in a statement carried by the semi-official Iranian Student News Agency.

“The criminal actions of America in restricting maritime transit in international waters are illegal and constitute piracy,” the statement said. 

"The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran clearly and firmly declare that security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for no one."

It added that if the security of Iran's ports "is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman will remain safe."

Trump said late last night he isn’t pressing Iran for another round of talks after the weekend’s peace negotiations ended without a resolution.

Speaking on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after he got off Air Force One, Trump was asked how long he might wait for Iran to commit to a possible second round of talks.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t care if they come back or not. If they don’t come back, I’m fine.”

Trump says 'I don't care' whether Iran returns to negotiating table

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Trump suggested negotiations to end the war aren’t crucial, listing what he characterized as key victories.

“Their military is gone,” he said. “Their missiles are largely depleted. The manufacturing capability for missiles and drones is largely defeated.”

Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV in remarks to reporters and on social media yesterday, calling the first American leader of the Catholic Church “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.”

Trump blasts Pope Leo following criticism over war

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“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is OK in our cities. I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” Trump added.

The pope last week criticized Trump’s public threats to “wipe out” Iranian civilization, saying “attacks on civilian infrastructure are against international law” and urging people to contact leaders and members of Congress to call for peace. He has urged Trump to end the war with Iran, and he lamented in his Easter message last week that the world is “becoming indifferent” to violence. 

Read the full story here.