Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said “there was no intelligence that showed an immediate, imminent threat.” He added: “That should be normally the criteria.”
Trump and his deputies are gambling that America’s formidable air power will deliver success and cripple Iran, reducing if not removing the threat once posed by a regime that has been a thorn in the side of the United States for nearly 50 years.
Underscoring the uncertainty and risks associated with the campaign, Trump and Hegseth refused to rule out the possibility of deploying ground troops to wage war against Iran. And even as the effects of the war spread across the region, with Iranian retaliatory strikes causing casualties in Israel and Arab states and pushing up oil prices, Trump said the war could last at least four to five weeks or possibly longer.
“Whatever it takes,” the president said at a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on Monday.
When he ordered a one-day bombing raid on Iran in June, Trump said it was designed to prevent Iran from developing an atomic bomb and afterward, he said the operation “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear program.
But this time, Trump has backed a much larger attack on Iran with a list of ambitious goals that have raised questions about the prospects for success and the rationale for launching it.
In his speech posted online Saturday announcing the aerial assault on Iran, Trump outlined several objectives: to prevent Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon, to ensure it cannot threaten the U.S. or its allies with ballistic missiles, to degrade Tehran’s proxy forces, destroy its navy and to trigger the collapse of the Iranian regime.
“The administration has put up a pretty high bar” for success, said Mark Cancian at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Some of the objectives are within reach, he said.
Waves of aerial attacks by U.S. and Israeli forces could seriously damage Iran’s missile arsenal, further damage its nuclear program and deal a blow to its navy, Cancian and other defense analysts said. It could weaken Iran for months or years, making the nation less of a danger to the U.S. and its allies in the region.
Some former officials and military officers said the operations were going reasonably well at this initial stage; Iran’s retaliatory strikes had been mostly deflected and there was a realistic chance of destroying much of Iran’s missile and naval assets.
But it’s less clear how airstrikes alone would cause Iran to cut off its support for proxies in Iraq, Lebanon or Yemen, or whether the targeting of Iran’s leadership would cause the regime to unravel, as Trump has predicted, experts said.
Without an armed opposition on the ground, airstrikes alone likely cannot topple a regime that has shown it is ready to gun down protesters by the thousands, experts on Iran and former intelligence officials said.
Trump, however, appears open to a scenario that unfolded in Venezuela in January, when after American special forces captured the president, Nicolas Maduro, U.S. officials forged a pragmatic understanding with the regime’s vice president who succeeded Maduro, Delcy Rodriguez. Maduro and his wife are being held in the U.S. and have pleaded not guilty to drug conspiracy charges.
“What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect, the perfect scenario,” Trump told the New York Times.
During George W. Bush’s presidency, as his administration headed for a possible invasion of Iraq, his secretary of state, Colin Powell, warned of the perils of ousting a regime, saying: “Once you break it, you are going to own it.”
But Trump appears to have a different view, that removing a regime leader doesn’t have to impose any burdens of ownership.
He promised the Iranian people over the weekend that “the hour of your freedom is at hand,” telling them to “seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”
Iran’s government, with its Revolutionary Guard Corps as its backbone, is less malleable than Venezuela’s regime and will oppose capitulating to U.S. demands, according to Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher at the Israel-based Institute for National Security Studies think tank.
“Iran is not Venezuela. There is no Delcy Rodriguez,” Citrinowicz said. “Iran is not based on one significant leader … No one in this regime will work with the U.S. especially after the killing of Khamenei.”
For the moment, the clerical regime in Iran appears determined to dig in and absorb the blows of much more powerful adversaries, with the overarching goal of hanging on to power at all costs, former officials and analysts said.
Hegseth said Monday the assault was not about installing a new government and dismissed any parallels with America’s debilitating wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” Hegseth said.
“Trump “called the last 20 years of nation building wars dumb, and he’s right,” Hegseth told reporters. “This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission, destroy the missile threat, destroy the Navy, no nukes.”
But Trump has kept his vision of victory ambiguous, stopping short of articulating exactly what would represent a successful campaign.
“There are many outcomes that are good,” Trump told NBC News on Sunday. “Number one is decapitating them, getting rid of their whole group of killers and thugs. And there are many, many outcomes. We could do the short version or the longer version,” he said.
He didn’t elaborate.
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![Iran war: Tehran vows response to US seizure of cargo shipSkip next section Oil prices up, stocks down amid Strait of Hormuz standoff04/20/2026April 20, 2026Oil prices up, stocks down amid Strait of Hormuz standoffCrude prices jumped and the US dollar rose but equity futures fell in early Asian trading on Monday.
The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, soared as much as 7% to .85 a barrel.
The S&P 500 futures, meanwhile, fell about 0.9%, while the US dollar appreciated against several other currencies, including the euro and the Japanese yen.
The market movements signal investor concern over the Middle East situation, with Iran shutting the Strait of Hormuz once again amid the continuing US blockade of Iranian ports and ships.
Will the Iran war cause a global recession?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSfxSkip next section Iran ‘will soon respond’ to US seizure of Iranian-flagged ship, military says04/20/2026April 20, 2026Iran ‘will soon respond’ to US seizure of Iranian-flagged ship, military saysIranian authorities have accused the US of violating the ceasefire agreement between the two sides by firing at one of Iran’s commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran’s top joint military command, the Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, vowed to respond swiftly to the US actions.
“We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier, US naval forces stationed in the region intercepted and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel, which they said had tried to sail through the waters of the Gulf of Oman, in violation of the US blockade of Iranian ports and shipping.
Iranian state media quoted a military spokesperson as saying that the vessel was en route from China to Iran.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSfnSkip next section Why is Iran not planning to join new round of talks with US?04/19/2026April 19, 2026Why is Iran not planning to join new round of talks with US?Pakistan said it was ready to host a new round of talks, but Iran appears unwilling to attendImage: Qamar Zaman/dpa/picture allianceHours after Donald Trump announced he was dispatching US negotiators for a fresh round of talks in Islamabad, Iran said it has no intention of joining.
So far, engagement between Washington and Tehran has been limited to a single 21-hour negotiating session in Islamabad on April 11 that ended without any breakthrough.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said afterwards that the US side “ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiation.”
Washington’s hardline stance further complicates matters
A major sticking point is the US blockade of Iranian ports, which continues to overshadow diplomacy just days before the two-week ceasefire is due to expire.
Trump’s announcement that US Marines had seized an Iranian ship attempting to evade the blockade is likely to fuel tensions further.
Although Iran briefly reopened the Strait of Hormuz following a ceasefire in Lebanon, it quickly reversed course in response to the ongoing US blockade.
Earlier, the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, citing anonymous sources, reported that lifting the US blockade was a precondition for any renewed talks.
Another point of contention: Iran’s enrichment program
Trump said on Friday that Iran had agreed to give up its stock of around 440 kilograms of enriched uranium.
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry later said the stockpile was “not going to be transferred anywhere.”
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV that the “transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium to the US has never been raised in negotiations.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSf6Skip next section Iran has ‘no plans’ to join talks in Islamabad: state media04/19/2026April 19, 2026Iran has ‘no plans’ to join talks in Islamabad: state mediaTehran was not planning to take part in a new round of negotiations with the United States in Islamabad, Iranian state media reported on Sunday
“There are currently no plans to participate in the next round of Iran-US talks,” state broadcaster IRIB reported, in English, on X.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the announcement.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSWZSkip next section Trump: US Marines seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship04/19/2026April 19, 2026Trump: US Marines seized Iranian-flagged cargo shipPresident Donald Trump said US forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday. The vessel was trying to evade a US naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” Trump wrote.
He added that US Marines had taken custody of the ship, named Touska, and were “seeing what’s on board!”
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSMsSkip next section Pakistani PM assures Iranian president of committment as mediator of peace04/19/2026April 19, 2026Pakistani PM assures Iranian president of committment as mediator of peacePakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he discussed the conflict in the Gulf with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday.
Sharif wrote in a post on X that he “shared insights from my recent engagements with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye.”
“I appreciated Iran’s engagement, including its high-level delegation to Islamabad for the historic talks, and recent discussions with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir,” Sharif said.
Sharif told Pezeshkian that Pakistan remains committed to its role as a facilitator of peace and regional stability.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSBlSkip next section Unclear if Iran will join second round of Islamabad talks04/19/2026April 19, 2026Unclear if Iran will join second round of Islamabad talksIt is still unclear whether Iran will ultimately join the second round of talks in Islamabad with the United States.
State-run Iranian news agency Irna reported Sunday that “there is no clear prospect of fruitful negotiations.”
Irna also pointed to Washington’s “maximalism and unreasonable and unrealistic demands, frequent changes of positions, constant contradictions and the continuation of the so-called naval blockade.”
Meanwhile, the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, quoting anonymous sources, said, “The overall atmosphere cannot be assessed as very positive.”
Fars cited one source as saying that the lifting of a US blockade on Iranian ports was a precondition for continued talks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CS5vSkip next section IN DEPTH: Mines in the Strait of Hormuz: How dangerous are they?04/19/2026April 19, 2026IN DEPTH: Mines in the Strait of Hormuz: How dangerous are they?Underwater mines can pose a threat in infested areas for decades to come [FILE: Black Sea, Bulgaria on July 1, 2022]Image: BULGARIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Via REUTERSOn Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country was prepared to supply mine clearance and maritime reconnaissance to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
The same day, Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi declared the critical waterway “completely open” for the duration of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, and US President Donald Trump likewise said it was “ready for full passage.”
The following day, Iran reversed its decision, shutting the strait again.
Either way, maritime traffic might still be at risk, given that Iranian authorities had previously indicated there may be underwater mines in the strait.
How dangerous are naval mines, and what can be done to clear them? Find out here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CS5KSkip next section Vance to return to Islamabad for new round of talks04/19/2026April 19, 2026Vance to return to Islamabad for new round of talksThe trio — JD Vance (right), Jared Kushner (left) and Steve Witkoff (middle) — were in Islambad during the first round of talks [FILE: April 12, 2026]Image: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo/picture allianceUS Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of talks between the US and Iran last weekend, will return to Islamabad for the negotiations, according to a White House official.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will also be part of the delegation.
Earlier, Trump had said Vance would not go to the Pakistani capital. “It’s only because of security,” Trump told ABC News. “JD’s great.”
Last Sunday, Vance left Islamabad after 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials ended without a breakthrough. Iran war: What’s next after Islamabad talks fail?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRyrSkip next section Two cruise ships pass through Hormuz04/19/2026April 19, 2026Two cruise ships pass through HormuzThe Mein Schiff 4, seen here on the right in 2020, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (File photo: July 2020)Image: Petra Nowack/penofoto/imago imagesGermany-based TUI Cruises said that its Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
According to the maritime data service MarineTraffic, only one other cruise ship, the Celestial Discovery, formerly known as the Aida aura, had been able to pass the strait since the start of the Iran war on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran.
Tui said that all passengers had previously been brought home and both ships were operating with reduced crews, adding that it had obtained approvals from relevant authorities to cross the strait, under careful consideration of the security situation.
It said the ships would now continue on to the Mediterranean Sea.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRvSSkip next section Macron to meet with Lebanese PM04/19/2026April 19, 2026Macron to meet with Lebanese PMMacron has demanded that the Lebanese government arrest those responsible for the attack [FILE: April 8, 2026]Image: Tom Nicholson/REUTERSFrench President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris this week, his office announced.
The meeting comes amid a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The visit was announced a day after France blamed Hezbollah for an ambush on UN peacekeepers that left one French soldier dead and three others wounded.
Macron is expected to urge Lebanese authorities to “shed full light on the incident” and “identify and prosecute those responsible without delay,” his office added.
With the move, the French government will highlight Macron’s commitment to seeing “full and complete respect for the ceasefire in Lebanon” as well as France’s support for Lebanon’s “territorial integrity,” the president’s office said on Sunday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRvRSkip next section Iran not sending negotiating delegation to Pakistan, Tasnim reports04/19/2026April 19, 2026Iran not sending negotiating delegation to Pakistan, Tasnim reportsIran is not sending a negotiating delegation to Pakistan “as long as there is a naval blockade,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
The development came after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, had said his country was working to “bridge” differences between Washington and Tehran.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had announced that US negotiators were due in Islamabad on Monday evening.
Late Saturday, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who has emerged as Iran’s main negotiator, said in an interview on state television that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy.” [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TDeUMPkqbE[/embed]
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRvESkip next section Trump accuses Iran of ceasefire violations04/19/2026April 19, 2026Trump accuses Iran of ceasefire violationsTrump has said he won’t let Tehran ‘blackmail us’ over the Strait of Hormuz [April 16, 2026]Image: Mehmet Eser/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture allianceUS President Donald Trump accused the Iranian regime of violating the current ceasefire agreement and threatened to “to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge,” if Iran does not make a deal with the US.
Tehran said on Saturday it would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. At least two ships reported they had been fired upon while approaching the strait on Saturday.
“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” Trump wrote in a post Sunday on his Truth Social platform. “That wasn’t nice, was it?”
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRlKSkip next section Iran accuses US of violating ceasefire via blockade04/19/2026April 19, 2026Iran accuses US of violating ceasefire via blockadeIran has called the US blockade on its ports a “violation” of the ceasefire agreement mediated by Pakistan some 10-days ago, which paused over six weeks of fighting.
“The United States’ so-called ‘blockade’ of Iran’s ports or coastline is not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismaeil Baqaei said Sunday on X.
He cited a United Nations General Assembly resolution to argue that the blockade was an “act of aggression” against Iran.
“Moreover, by deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population, it amounts to war crime and crime against humanity,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman went on to say.
Iran has reverted to shuttering the critical Strait of Hormuz after Trump refused to lift the blockade.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRlfSkip next section US negotiators due in Pakistan early next week, Trump says04/19/2026April 19, 2026US negotiators due in Pakistan early next week, Trump saysUS negotiators are due in the Pakistani capital on Monday evening, US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, as Islamabad mediates efforts aimed at ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” Trump said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform.
He then strayed into criticism and threats against Iran, which he accused of violating the ceasefire agreement by attacking ships attempting to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Iran had briefly reopened the critical waterway on Friday, only to announce closing it again less than 24 hours later after Trump refused to lift a blockade on its ports.
Questioning Iran’s closure of the strait, Trump called it “strange” because “our BLOCKADE has already closed it.”
Without mentioning any of the terms, he also said the US proposed a peace agreement.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” Trump went on to say.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRiQ#Iran #war #Tehran #vows #response #seizure #cargo #ship](https://i0.wp.com/static.dw.com/image/76386594_6.jpg?ssl=1 "Iran war: Tehran vows response to US seizure of cargo shipSkip next section Oil prices up, stocks down amid Strait of Hormuz standoff04/20/2026April 20, 2026Oil prices up, stocks down amid Strait of Hormuz standoffCrude prices jumped and the US dollar rose but equity futures fell in early Asian trading on Monday.
The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, soared as much as 7% to .85 a barrel.
The S&P 500 futures, meanwhile, fell about 0.9%, while the US dollar appreciated against several other currencies, including the euro and the Japanese yen.
The market movements signal investor concern over the Middle East situation, with Iran shutting the Strait of Hormuz once again amid the continuing US blockade of Iranian ports and ships.
Will the Iran war cause a global recession?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSfxSkip next section Iran ‘will soon respond’ to US seizure of Iranian-flagged ship, military says04/20/2026April 20, 2026Iran ‘will soon respond’ to US seizure of Iranian-flagged ship, military saysIranian authorities have accused the US of violating the ceasefire agreement between the two sides by firing at one of Iran’s commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran’s top joint military command, the Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, vowed to respond swiftly to the US actions.
“We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier, US naval forces stationed in the region intercepted and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel, which they said had tried to sail through the waters of the Gulf of Oman, in violation of the US blockade of Iranian ports and shipping.
Iranian state media quoted a military spokesperson as saying that the vessel was en route from China to Iran.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSfnSkip next section Why is Iran not planning to join new round of talks with US?04/19/2026April 19, 2026Why is Iran not planning to join new round of talks with US?Pakistan said it was ready to host a new round of talks, but Iran appears unwilling to attendImage: Qamar Zaman/dpa/picture allianceHours after Donald Trump announced he was dispatching US negotiators for a fresh round of talks in Islamabad, Iran said it has no intention of joining.
So far, engagement between Washington and Tehran has been limited to a single 21-hour negotiating session in Islamabad on April 11 that ended without any breakthrough.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said afterwards that the US side “ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiation.”
Washington’s hardline stance further complicates matters
A major sticking point is the US blockade of Iranian ports, which continues to overshadow diplomacy just days before the two-week ceasefire is due to expire.
Trump’s announcement that US Marines had seized an Iranian ship attempting to evade the blockade is likely to fuel tensions further.
Although Iran briefly reopened the Strait of Hormuz following a ceasefire in Lebanon, it quickly reversed course in response to the ongoing US blockade.
Earlier, the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, citing anonymous sources, reported that lifting the US blockade was a precondition for any renewed talks.
Another point of contention: Iran’s enrichment program
Trump said on Friday that Iran had agreed to give up its stock of around 440 kilograms of enriched uranium.
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry later said the stockpile was “not going to be transferred anywhere.”
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV that the “transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium to the US has never been raised in negotiations.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSf6Skip next section Iran has ‘no plans’ to join talks in Islamabad: state media04/19/2026April 19, 2026Iran has ‘no plans’ to join talks in Islamabad: state mediaTehran was not planning to take part in a new round of negotiations with the United States in Islamabad, Iranian state media reported on Sunday
“There are currently no plans to participate in the next round of Iran-US talks,” state broadcaster IRIB reported, in English, on X.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the announcement.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSWZSkip next section Trump: US Marines seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship04/19/2026April 19, 2026Trump: US Marines seized Iranian-flagged cargo shipPresident Donald Trump said US forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday. The vessel was trying to evade a US naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” Trump wrote.
He added that US Marines had taken custody of the ship, named Touska, and were “seeing what’s on board!”
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSMsSkip next section Pakistani PM assures Iranian president of committment as mediator of peace04/19/2026April 19, 2026Pakistani PM assures Iranian president of committment as mediator of peacePakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he discussed the conflict in the Gulf with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday.
Sharif wrote in a post on X that he “shared insights from my recent engagements with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye.”
“I appreciated Iran’s engagement, including its high-level delegation to Islamabad for the historic talks, and recent discussions with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir,” Sharif said.
Sharif told Pezeshkian that Pakistan remains committed to its role as a facilitator of peace and regional stability.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CSBlSkip next section Unclear if Iran will join second round of Islamabad talks04/19/2026April 19, 2026Unclear if Iran will join second round of Islamabad talksIt is still unclear whether Iran will ultimately join the second round of talks in Islamabad with the United States.
State-run Iranian news agency Irna reported Sunday that “there is no clear prospect of fruitful negotiations.”
Irna also pointed to Washington’s “maximalism and unreasonable and unrealistic demands, frequent changes of positions, constant contradictions and the continuation of the so-called naval blockade.”
Meanwhile, the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, quoting anonymous sources, said, “The overall atmosphere cannot be assessed as very positive.”
Fars cited one source as saying that the lifting of a US blockade on Iranian ports was a precondition for continued talks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CS5vSkip next section IN DEPTH: Mines in the Strait of Hormuz: How dangerous are they?04/19/2026April 19, 2026IN DEPTH: Mines in the Strait of Hormuz: How dangerous are they?Underwater mines can pose a threat in infested areas for decades to come [FILE: Black Sea, Bulgaria on July 1, 2022]Image: BULGARIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Via REUTERSOn Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country was prepared to supply mine clearance and maritime reconnaissance to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
The same day, Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi declared the critical waterway “completely open” for the duration of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, and US President Donald Trump likewise said it was “ready for full passage.”
The following day, Iran reversed its decision, shutting the strait again.
Either way, maritime traffic might still be at risk, given that Iranian authorities had previously indicated there may be underwater mines in the strait.
How dangerous are naval mines, and what can be done to clear them? Find out here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CS5KSkip next section Vance to return to Islamabad for new round of talks04/19/2026April 19, 2026Vance to return to Islamabad for new round of talksThe trio — JD Vance (right), Jared Kushner (left) and Steve Witkoff (middle) — were in Islambad during the first round of talks [FILE: April 12, 2026]Image: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo/picture allianceUS Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of talks between the US and Iran last weekend, will return to Islamabad for the negotiations, according to a White House official.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will also be part of the delegation.
Earlier, Trump had said Vance would not go to the Pakistani capital. “It’s only because of security,” Trump told ABC News. “JD’s great.”
Last Sunday, Vance left Islamabad after 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials ended without a breakthrough. Iran war: What’s next after Islamabad talks fail?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRyrSkip next section Two cruise ships pass through Hormuz04/19/2026April 19, 2026Two cruise ships pass through HormuzThe Mein Schiff 4, seen here on the right in 2020, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (File photo: July 2020)Image: Petra Nowack/penofoto/imago imagesGermany-based TUI Cruises said that its Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
According to the maritime data service MarineTraffic, only one other cruise ship, the Celestial Discovery, formerly known as the Aida aura, had been able to pass the strait since the start of the Iran war on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran.
Tui said that all passengers had previously been brought home and both ships were operating with reduced crews, adding that it had obtained approvals from relevant authorities to cross the strait, under careful consideration of the security situation.
It said the ships would now continue on to the Mediterranean Sea.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRvSSkip next section Macron to meet with Lebanese PM04/19/2026April 19, 2026Macron to meet with Lebanese PMMacron has demanded that the Lebanese government arrest those responsible for the attack [FILE: April 8, 2026]Image: Tom Nicholson/REUTERSFrench President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris this week, his office announced.
The meeting comes amid a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The visit was announced a day after France blamed Hezbollah for an ambush on UN peacekeepers that left one French soldier dead and three others wounded.
Macron is expected to urge Lebanese authorities to “shed full light on the incident” and “identify and prosecute those responsible without delay,” his office added.
With the move, the French government will highlight Macron’s commitment to seeing “full and complete respect for the ceasefire in Lebanon” as well as France’s support for Lebanon’s “territorial integrity,” the president’s office said on Sunday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRvRSkip next section Iran not sending negotiating delegation to Pakistan, Tasnim reports04/19/2026April 19, 2026Iran not sending negotiating delegation to Pakistan, Tasnim reportsIran is not sending a negotiating delegation to Pakistan “as long as there is a naval blockade,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
The development came after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, had said his country was working to “bridge” differences between Washington and Tehran.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had announced that US negotiators were due in Islamabad on Monday evening.
Late Saturday, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who has emerged as Iran’s main negotiator, said in an interview on state television that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy.” [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TDeUMPkqbE[/embed]
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRvESkip next section Trump accuses Iran of ceasefire violations04/19/2026April 19, 2026Trump accuses Iran of ceasefire violationsTrump has said he won’t let Tehran ‘blackmail us’ over the Strait of Hormuz [April 16, 2026]Image: Mehmet Eser/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture allianceUS President Donald Trump accused the Iranian regime of violating the current ceasefire agreement and threatened to “to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge,” if Iran does not make a deal with the US.
Tehran said on Saturday it would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. At least two ships reported they had been fired upon while approaching the strait on Saturday.
“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” Trump wrote in a post Sunday on his Truth Social platform. “That wasn’t nice, was it?”
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRlKSkip next section Iran accuses US of violating ceasefire via blockade04/19/2026April 19, 2026Iran accuses US of violating ceasefire via blockadeIran has called the US blockade on its ports a “violation” of the ceasefire agreement mediated by Pakistan some 10-days ago, which paused over six weeks of fighting.
“The United States’ so-called ‘blockade’ of Iran’s ports or coastline is not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismaeil Baqaei said Sunday on X.
He cited a United Nations General Assembly resolution to argue that the blockade was an “act of aggression” against Iran.
“Moreover, by deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population, it amounts to war crime and crime against humanity,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman went on to say.
Iran has reverted to shuttering the critical Strait of Hormuz after Trump refused to lift the blockade.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRlfSkip next section US negotiators due in Pakistan early next week, Trump says04/19/2026April 19, 2026US negotiators due in Pakistan early next week, Trump saysUS negotiators are due in the Pakistani capital on Monday evening, US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, as Islamabad mediates efforts aimed at ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” Trump said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform.
He then strayed into criticism and threats against Iran, which he accused of violating the ceasefire agreement by attacking ships attempting to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Iran had briefly reopened the critical waterway on Friday, only to announce closing it again less than 24 hours later after Trump refused to lift a blockade on its ports.
Questioning Iran’s closure of the strait, Trump called it “strange” because “our BLOCKADE has already closed it.”
Without mentioning any of the terms, he also said the US proposed a peace agreement.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” Trump went on to say.
https://p.dw.com/p/5CRiQ#Iran #war #Tehran #vows #response #seizure #cargo #ship")
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