Iran Threatens Retaliation Over US Blockade

Iran on Wednesday threatened to halt all trade in the region in response to a U.S. naval blockade of its ports, as Pakistani mediators tried to salvage the ceasefire between Iran and the United States before it expires next week.

More than 10,000 soldiers, as well as dozens of planes and warships, are enforcing the U.S. blockade, halting goods from going into and out of Iran by sea, the U.S. military said. In response, the Iranian military said on state media that it could expand its grip over critical shipping routes.

“Iran’s powerful armed forces will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea,” said Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, who leads the military joint command that oversees Iran’s army and Revolutionary Guard.

It is unclear how much control Iran can exert over shipping. Iran’s allies in Yemen, the Houthi militia, have proved capable of attacking shipping in the Red Sea, shutting down that route, and Iran’s armed forces, while battered, still have the ability to harass ships in the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf with mines and fast boats.

Mediators were trying to shore up a two-week ceasefire in the war between the United States, Israel and Iran that expires April 21. The United States has not formally agreed to an extension of the ceasefire with Iran, a senior U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations. The United States and Iran continue to engage on a broader peace deal, the official said. Pakistani officials visited Iran and Saudi Arabia for talks.

President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox Business, again claimed the conflict was “close to over” — a claim he has made repeatedly — while also suggesting that U.S. attacks could continue as long as needed to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Here’s What Else We’re Covering:

— Future talks: Iran has continued to exchange messages with the United States through Pakistan since the initial talks ended, but another round of negotiations has not been set, Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Wednesday. Pakistan’s army chief, Syed Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran, the Iranian capital, on Wednesday, state media reported, for what Baghaei earlier said would be a “comprehensive discussion about the perspectives of both sides.”

— Lebanon: Israel is considering a possible ceasefire in Lebanon that could pause its war against Iran-backed Hezbollah, three Israeli officials said Wednesday. The talks of a truce followed rare direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. But it is unclear whether Hezbollah would go along with a ceasefire even if Israel and the Lebanese government agreed to one.

— Iranian rescues: Emergency teams have rescued more than 7,200 Iranians from rubble after U.S. and Israeli bombings throughout the war, the president of Iran’s Red Crescent society, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said. Iranian authorities have released little comprehensive information about the dead and wounded in the country, more than a month into the war.

— Death tolls: The Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 1,701 civilians, including 254 children, had been killed in Iran as of last Wednesday. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that 2,124 people had been killed in the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. In attacks attributed to Iran, at least 32 people have been killed in Persian Gulf nations. At least 22 people had been killed in Israel as of Sunday, as well as 12 Israeli soldiers fighting in Lebanon. The American death toll stands at 13 service members.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Ali Watkins, Peter Eavis, Aaron Boxerman, Erika Solomon and Tyler Pager/Arash Khamooshi
c. 2026 The New York Times Company

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