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18:18

CENTCOM: Says 6 Ships Returned To Iranian Port

The US Central Command said on April 14 that no ships have made it past the US of Iranian ports and that six merchant vessels "complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman."

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18:11

Israel, Lebanon Hold Rare Talks in Washington, Rubio Calls it 'Historic Opportunity'

• By

  Alex Raufoglu

(Left to right) US State Department Counselor Michael Needham, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel pose for a photo ahead of a meeting in Washington on April 14.

WASHINGTON -- Diplomats from Israel and Lebanon began rare talks in Washington on April 14, marking the first such meeting between the two countries in more than three decades, with the United States mediating.

The discussions, held at the State Department and facilitated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, bring together senior officials from both sides amid longstanding tensions and regional instability.

Senior US, Lebanese, and Israeli officials -- including ambassadors from both Middle Eastern countries and senior State Department representatives -- attended the opening session before delegations moved into closed-door talks.

Rubio described the meeting as a historic opportunity but cautioned that deep-rooted challenges would not be resolved quickly.

We understand were working against decades of history and the complexities that have led us to this unique moment, Rubio said in brief remarks. All of the complexities of this matter are not going to be resolved in the next six hours, but we can begin to move forward and create the framework where something very positive and very permanent can happen.

He said the discussions were aimed not only at immediate issues but at addressing longer-term instability, including the regional influence of Hezbollah -- a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.

This is a process, not an event, Rubio said. It will take time, but we believe it is worth this endeavor.

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18:01

Trump Hints US-Iran Talks Could Resume In 'Next 2 Days,' NY Post Reports

US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump suggested that US-Iran talks could resume in Pakistan in the next two days, the New York Post reported on April 14.

"You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there [than to another location]," the Post quoted Trump as telling a reporter who was apparently in Islamabad.

"It's more likely, you know why? Because the field marshal is doing a great job," Trump said in a reference Pakistani army chief Asim Munir.

Pakistan hosted and mediated talks between high-level US and Iranian officials on April 11-12, with the US team led by Vice President JD Vance.

The talks -- the first of their kind in nearly half a century -- did not produce an agreement and the US delegation leaders left Pakistan after they broke up early on April 12.

The United States and Iran agreed on a two-week cease-fire on April 7, five weeks after the war began with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28.

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16:46

Red Cross Sends First Cross-Border Aid Into Iran

The International Red Cross movement said its first cross-border aid shipments have reached Iran since the start of the conflict, as humanitarian supply lines remain severely disrupted.

A convoy organized by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) that left Turkey on April 11 has since reached Iran to deliver "one of the first cross-border shipments of medical supplies" by any organization since the conflict began on February 28, IFRC spokesman Tommaso Della Longa told reporters in Geneva.

Della Longa said the IFRC had sent trauma kits, "designed to provide immediate, life-saving care."

"The operation is critical as humanitarian supply chains into Iran have been severely disrupted in recent weeks due to the conflict, making it increasingly difficult and more costly for essential medical and relief items to reach those in need," he said.

Separately, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sent 171 tons of relief items from Jordan, including essential household goods for over 25,000 people, along with generators and pumps to support rescue operations.

Officials warned that needs remain high, while Della Longa also paid tribute to Iranian Red Crescent workers, four of whom have been killed during relief efforts.

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15:43

Iran Claims Initial War Damages Are '$270 Billion'

• By

  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Based on preliminary estimates, the damage caused by US and Israeli attacks on Iran is currently estimated at around $270 billion, an Iranian government spokesperson said.

One of the issues that our negotiating team is pursuing, and which was also pursued in the Islamabad talks, is the issue of war reparations, Fatemeh Mohajerani told Russias RIA Novosti, according to Irans Tasnim news agency, which is close to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

"Preliminary and very crude figures put the damage at $270 billion so far," she said.

Without providing details, she suggested that the figure is not final and that damages usually have to be examined in several layers."

During the nearly six-week US-Israel war with Iran, many of the countrys military and security centers were attacked. According to the US and Israeli militaries, this included more than 16,000 targets.

Parts of Irans infrastructure-- including steel factories, petrochemical complexes in Mahshahr and Asaluyeh, as well as bridges -- were also targeted, leading to their complete shutdown.

Irans permanent mission to the United Nations also reportedly announced in a letter to the organization that it wasseeking compensationfrom five Middle Eastern countries-- Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan-- for their participation in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

This request comes while Iran also targeted various military and economic sites in those countries during the war and also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, preventing the transfer of oil, gas, and other products from the Persian Gulf to global markets.

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14:37

Defying US Blockade, Iran-Linked Ships Reportedly Transit Hormuz

Ships linked to Iran are reported to have transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 14, the first full day of aUS naval blockadetargeting vessels "entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas."

Data from ship tracking services listed at least four ships, two of which had recently called at Iranian ports, that had passed or were passing through the 30-kilometer-wide waterway in the hours after the blockade came into force the previous day.

There were no reports of Washington taking direct action against the ships to enforce the blockade.

The voyages are the first test of the blockade, launched after failedUS-Iranian peace talksin Islamabad on April 11-12. Media reports on April 14 said Pakistan was seeking to facilitate a new round of talks later this week.

To read the full report, clickhere.

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14:29

Macron Calls For US-Iran Talks To Resume

French President Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron says he spoke separately with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, and US President Donald Trump on April 14 and called for the resumption of talks between Washington and Tehran and for a halt to any escalation of tensions.

In a post on X, Macron pointed out that the cease-fire between the parties must be fully respected by all parties and that it should include Lebanon.

"It is also very important that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened as soon as possible, without any restrictions or complications, unconditionally," he added. "In such circumstances, negotiations should be able to resume quickly and with the support of the main actors."

He continued: "France and Britain will hold a conference in Paris this Friday that will bring together, via videoconference, countries not involved in the war that are ready to contribute to a multilateral and purely defensive mission with the aim of restoring freedom of navigation in the strait."

Since the beginning of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has effectively restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with only a small number of tankers and ships belonging to "friendly countries" of Iran being able to pass through.

Disruptions in the supply chain of energy and other products such as helium, chemical fertilizers, and petrochemical products have caused a sharp increase in oil and gas prices, as well as a shortage of strategic goods in the world.

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13:54

Russia's Lavrov Visits Beijing As China Steps Up Iran War Diplomacy

• By

  Reid Standish

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Beijing as China steps up diplomatic efforts around the war in Iran amid a US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports that the Chinese Foreign Ministry has called "dangerous and irresponsible."

Lavrov is expected to hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his April 14-15 visit, which will cover the wars in Iran and Ukraine, as well as Beijing and Moscow's deepening ties, according to Russia's Foreign Ministry.

"A thorough exchange of views is expected on a number of 'hot topics' and regional issues, including the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Middle East," the statement said, adding that Chinese-Russian cooperation at multilateral bodies like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, BRICS, the G20, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the United Nations will also be discussed during the visit.

To read the full report, clickhere.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands during a meeting in Beijing on April 14.

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12:05

IEA Report Says Iran War Causing Worst Oil Shock Ever

The International Energy Agency says global oil demand will shrink more than at any time since the COVID-19 pandemic amid the "most severe supply shock in history" owing to the Iran war.

The IEA's annual monthly oil market report was released on April 14, the first full day of a US naval blockade of Iran that the agency said was the latest development in a "fast-evolving situation."

The blockade was launched after US-Iranian peace talks in Islamabad on April 11-12 failed to reach agreement, although a cease-fire that began on April 8 is still holding.

"It remains unclear whether the cease-fire will turn into a lasting peace and a return to regular shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz. With oil-importing nations scrambling to source replacement barrels from an increasingly shrinking pool of supply, physical crude oil prices surged to record levels," the IEA said.

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10:05

Israeli Strikes On Iran Oil Depots May Amount To War Crimes, Says Rights Group

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Israeli air strikes on oil depots around Tehran in March may have caused serious long-term harm to civilians and could constitute war crimes.

In areportpublished on April 13, the organization said attacks on infrastructure that is primarily civilian in nature and causes foreseeable harm "are violations of international humanitarian law and are likely war crimes."

The strikes took place on March 7 when Israel targeted four oil depots in the Tehran area. Iranian authorities reported the following day that "four sites used for storing and distribution of petroleum products and a petroleum products transport centerwere attacked by hostile enemy aircraft."

On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces announced it had struck "several fuel storage complexes" in Tehran that belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

This video grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on March 7 and 8 shows fire erupting at an oil depot in Iran's capital, Tehran.

HRW said the attacks could have severe long-term consequences for those living in Iran. The strikes "may have devastating consequences on the environment and people's health for many years and likely amount to war crimes," wrote HRW researcher Bahar Saba.

"Israeli forces don't appear to have factored in the foreseeable long-term harmand should be held accountable," she added.

The organization said it based its findings on interviews with eight people in Tehran and Karaj, consultations with nine environmental and health experts, and analysis of satellite imagery and verified videos.

HRW wrote to Israeli and Iranian authorities on March 26 requesting clarification. Iranian officials did not respond. Israeli officials replied on March 30, saying the strikes were "conducted in accordance with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions."

They added that the targeted facilities were "to provide fuel directly to units in the regime's armed forcesincluding aviation, UAVs, [and] naval vessels."

Flames and smoke rise from the Shahran oil depot in Tehran.

HRW said it had confirmed that the oil depots were used for "civilian purposes" but noted it could not determine whether they were also used for military support.

An informed source told the organization that "the oil depots only contained gasoline and dieselnot used for aviation, UAVs, or naval vessels."

The rights group concluded that, given the foreseeable environmental and health damage, the strikes raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.

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