US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump says recovering Iran uranium ‘will be a long and difficult process’

US Iran war LIVE updates: Hanging onto the hope of resumed negotiations in Pakistan, oil prices fell Tuesday after soaring the previous day following the seizure of an Iranian cargo ship by the United States and the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.

At around 0300 GMT, the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark, was down 1.2 percent at $88.50 and Brent crude from the North Sea, the global benchmark, was down 0.4 percent at $95.12 a barrel. (AFP)

US Iran war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said late Monday the United States obtaining uranium from Iran would be “long” and “difficult” in the aftermath of last year’s US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites.

“Operation Midnight Hammer was a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: “Therefore, digging it out will be a long and difficult process.”

The US leader regularly uses the term “nuclear dust” to refer to Iran’s stock of enriched uranium, which the United States accuses Iran of hoarding in order to make an atomic bomb.

But he has also sometimes used it to refer to material left from US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June last year.

The 79-year-old president maintains Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium would ultimately be transferred to US territory, despite Iran’s foreign ministry denying any such plans. (AFP)

US Iran war LIVE updates: Upcoming US–Iran talks in Islamabad are expected to focus more on uranium enrichment and how to handle Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz rather than missiles or regional proxies. Gulf officials warn this shift could entrench Iran’s control over energy flows, as negotiations appear to prioritise economic stability while sidelining regional concerns.

“At the end of the day, Hormuz will be the red line,” one Gulf source close to government circles told Reuters. “It wasn’t an issue before. It is now. The goal posts have moved.”

US Iran war LIVE updates: Operation Midnight Hammer was a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran, said US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time). He added that “digging it out will be a long and difficult process”.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Night footage shows US Marines dropping down to the deck of the “Touska” from helicopters.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran calls for the immediate release of the crew after the US targeted a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Oil prices fell on Tuesday, reversing gains in the previous session, on expectations peace talks between the U.S. and Iran will take place this week and allow more supply to flow from the key Middle East producing region. Brent futures declined 95 cents, or 1%, at $94.53, as of 0003 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May fell$1.54, or 1.72%, to $88.07. The May contract expires on Tuesday and the more-active June contract was down $1.09, or 1.3%, at $86.37.

Both benchmarks surged on Monday, with Brent up 5.6% and WTI up 6.9%, after Iran again shut the Strait of Hormuz, closing the key oil transport artery, and the U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship as part of its blockade of the country’s ports. Still, investors are focusing on the likelihood talks this week will result in the extension of the existing ceasefire or a final agreement, though the chance of further conflict and disruptions to oil flows remains.

Iran is weighing participation in the peace talks in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following Islamabad’s efforts to end the U.S. blockade.

The blockade has posed a major hurdle to Tehran rejoining peace efforts, with the current two-week ceasefire set to expire this week.(Reuters)

US Iran war LIVE updates: Singapore, Countries standing up for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are sending “the right message”, the head of the International Maritime Organization said as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to threaten global shipping.

Speaking to Singapore media on Monday, Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the IMO, also cautioned against the growing use of shipping as leverage in geopolitical conflicts.

Dominguez said the IMO has drawn up evacuation plans for roughly 20,000 seafarers stranded aboard more than 1,600 vessels still stuck in the Persian Gulf.

The organisation has also worked out arrangements with a group of countries to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is cleared of mines and other hazards when shipping eventually resumes, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday, citing the IMO chief. (PTI)

US Iran war LIVE updates: The future of the ongoing war remains uncertain, with the two-week ceasefire deadline set to end on Wednesday, April 22, and a lack of clarity on the fresh round of negotiations in Pakistan’s Islamabad.

According to a Bloomberg report, Trump said in an interview on Monday that it was “highly unlikely” that he would extend the truce. He also confirmed that the US would be participating in the Islamabad talks and that Vice President JD Vance would be leaving soon. There hasn’t been any official confirmation from Iran on attending the talks. However, a Reuters report quoted a Pakistani official as saying that the country is confident it can get Iran to attend talks.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump asserted that he was “winning the war by a lot” as he listed the big losses for Iran in the war. The US President also said that the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would continue until the a deal is finalised, which he said would happen “relatively quickly”.

“I read the Fake News saying that I am under “pressure” to make a Deal. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, further adding that time was not his adversary in this case.

US Iran war LIVE updates: The opening round of high-stakes negotiations between Washington and Tehran was held in Islamabad on April 11. Brokered by Pakistan, the discussions stretched 21 hours and involved direct and backchannel exchanges.

Talks, then, focused on the same key points – Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief, access to frozen assets, and the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the lengthy negotiations, no agreement or formal framework came to pass. Vance later said Iran had “not accepted” US terms and Tehran called Washington’s demands unreasonable.

US Iran war LIVE updates: The three points are as follows:

1. Iran’s enriched uranium

A major obstacle is what happens to Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The US wants Tehran to transfer or surrender the material to eliminate any pathway to nuclear weapons.

Iran has rejected this outright, calling it unacceptable. Instead, it is demanding sanctions relief and access to billions of dollars in frozen funds as part of any compromise.

Washington is also pushing for a long-term halt to uranium enrichment, while Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for civilian use under international agreements. Proposals ranging from a temporary pause to a complete shutdown have been floated, but neither side has agreed on the scope or duration of restrictions.

2. Strait of Hormuz standoff

The Strait of Hormuz, vital for global oil shipments, is Iran’s most important bargaining chip to end the war.

The US wants immediate and unrestricted passage for commercial shipping. Iran, though, has tightened control over the waterway, slowed vessel movement, and said it may impose new conditions if the US naval blockade doesn’t stop.

The Hormuz Strait was already open ahead of the unprovoked US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28.

3. Sanctions relief and frozen assets

Iran has been under heavy international sanctions for years and wants all US and global restrictions lifted as part of any deal.

Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf earlier said about $120 billion in frozen Iranian funds must be released. US negotiators remain reluctant to agree to large concessions, particularly before concrete nuclear commitments are secured. Iran’s support for regional groups such as Lebanon-based Hezbollah and others also remain a core concern for the US and its allies.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Ahead of US-Iran peace talks scheduled to take place in Pakistan on Tuesday, the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament has signalled a potential shift in Tehran’s strategy, stating that the country is “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

The talks are taking place days before the ceasefire deadline expires. The prospect of talks comes as ships remain unable to transit the critical waterway amid threats from Iran and a US blockade on vessels heading to and from Iranian ports.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ghalibaf criticised Trump for undermining diplomacy by imposing what he described as a siege and violating a ceasefire. He said Washington was attempting to turn negotiations into a platform for surrender or to justify renewed conflict.

US Iran war LIVE updates: US diplomat and Former United States Ambassador to Cape Verde, Donald Heflin, said Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key strategic leverage point in the ongoing tensions, impacting global energy supply and shaping the course of diplomatic negotiations.

Speaking to ANI on Monday, Heflin said, “Iran has been trying for years to develop weapons-grade materials, and the outside world has tried to stop them… One thing that Iran has discovered in the last month or two is they don’t really need nuclear weapons as a deterrent force to keep someone from attacking it or attempting to change the regime. Their control of the Straits of Hormuz is their superweapon.”

“The blockade is caused by the United States feeling that, suffering under all these economic sanctions, Iran desperately depends on exporting oil and importing certain key goods. So if we can keep them from getting those, they will come to the peace table. Both sides are using the waterway as an advantage over each other… It will be two steps forward and one step back,” he said.

Further, Heflin said in the upcoming talks in Islamabad, suggesting that diplomatic signals point towards Tehran returning to negotiations despite ongoing tensions. (ANI)

US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan is confident it can get Iran to attend talks with the United States, a senior Pakistani government official told Reuters on Monday. “We have received a positive signal from Iran. Things are fluid but we are trying that they should be here when we start the talks tomorrow or a day after,” a source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

US Iran war LIVE updates: US Vice President JD Vance will travel to Pakistan on Tuesday for Iran talks, Axios reported Monday citing US sources.