Iran has reversed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and reimposed restrictions on the vital shipping lane after the United States said it would not end its blockade of Iranian ports. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned in a statement that any vessel approaching the strait would be considered cooperating with the enemy and would be targeted.
The move comes as more than 3,400 Iranians have been killed in the conflict with the US and Israel, according to Iran's state-run Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs. Foundation head Ahmad Mousavi said 3,468 'martyrs fell during the recent conflict'. A previous toll from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization on 12 April put the figure at 3,375.
Donald Trump convened a White House Situation Room meeting on Saturday to discuss the renewed crisis and negotiations with Iran. A senior US official told Axios that unless there is a breakthrough in peace talks, the war could reopen within days. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were among those present.
Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said progress had been made in negotiations but the sides were still far from an agreement. 'We made progress in the negotiations, but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain,' he said in a televised address. Iran's supreme national security council said it is reviewing 'new proposals' put forward by the US.
In other developments, Hezbollah denied involvement in a deadly attack against UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon that killed a French soldier. The Israeli military killed two Unicef-contracted truck drivers in northern Gaza, forcing the agency to suspend operations. Israeli forces also began demolishing homes in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil and other border towns.
