Trump says US Navy attacked and seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship

"U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel," Trump said.

Last Updated: April 19, 2026, 10:21 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.

After initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a peace deal, Trump announced Sunday, April 19, that U.S. negotiators would head back to Islamabad Monday for a new round.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance would accompany special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, to Islamabad for the talks.

Iran's continuing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz and their alleged refusal to abandon their nuclear program remain key sticking points in negotiations, according to Trump.

Apr 17, 2026, 3:54 PM EDT

Lebanon no longer a 'battleground,' Lebanese president says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said his country is no longer a "pawn" or a "battleground" after the ceasefire with Israel went into effect.

In his first speech since the 10-day truce was announced, Aoun also thanked President Donald Trump and called the negotiations "a decision born from the strength of our belief in our rights," rather than a "sign of weakness."

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivers a televised address to the Lebanese people from the Baabda Presidential Palace, east of the capital Beirut, April 17, 2026.
Lebanese Presidency/AFP via Getty Images

Aoun added, "here will be no agreement that infringes upon our national rights" and "our goal is clear and declared: to stop the Israeli aggression against our land and our people."

As thousands of evacuees headed back to the south of Lebanon after news broke of the ceasefire, Aoun told the displaced, "You will return to your homes, for they will flourish with your presence. We are with you and by your side, and we will not abandon you."

Apr 17, 2026, 2:59 PM EDT

Israeli strike on Lebanon kills 1, marking first death announced since ceasefire went into effect: Lebanese Health Ministry

One person was killed and two wounded in an Israeli strike on a motorcycle in southern Lebanon Friday afternoon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

This is the first death announced in Lebanon since the ceasefire began. The Lebanese National News Agency -- the government's official news agency -- has reported numerous instances of Israeli artillery fire in Southern Lebanon as well.

ABC News has asked the Israeli military for comment.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

Apr 17, 2026, 2:16 PM EDT

IRGC announces 'new order' for Strait of Hormuz

Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Friday "a new order" for the Strait of Hormuz, allowing civilian ships to pass through a designated route while banning military vessels and requiring IRGC permission for all passage, according to Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency.

Apr 17, 2026, 2:09 PM EDT

Iran warns of 'countermeasures' if US blockade continues

If the American naval blockade of Iranian ports continues, Iran will "undoubtedly take the necessary measures and no adjustments will be made in this regard," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Friday, according to Iranian state media.

He also emphasized that reopening the Strait of Hormuz, along routes specified by Iran and "in coordination with the competent authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran," was always going to be announced when a ceasefire was reached in Lebanon, as it was part of the conditions in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine displays a map showing the blockade line in the Strait of Hormuz during a briefing on the Iran war, at the Pentagon in Washington, April 16, 2026.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Baqaei said that the Strait of Hormuz "is still under the supervision of the Islamic Republic of Iran and we are serious about our commitments. If the other party wants to breach its obligations again, which it seems to intend to do, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary countermeasures."

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