This live blog follows updates for Day 50 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 49, go here.
- Iran says its enriched uranium 'not going to be transferred'
- Lebanon president says working on 'permanent agreements' after Israel ceasefire
- Trump says Iran agrees to 'never' close Hormuz Strait again
- Trump rejects NATO offer to help with Hormuz, says 'stay away'
- Iran says Hormuz open for shipping during ceasefire period
Trump says US blockade of Iranian ports will 'remain' if no deal reached
Published: April 18, 2026 | 03:37 GMT | By AFP
President Donald Trump said late Friday he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration Wednesday.
"Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
US extends sanctions waiver on purchases of Russian oil
Published: April 18, 2026 | 02:16 GMT | By AFP
US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea, extending an earlier move to soften surging energy prices.
The license, issued by the Treasury Department, comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not renew the waiver.
The latest move allows for the purchase of oil and petroleum products that have been loaded onto any vessel as of Friday, through 12:01 am (0401 GMT) on May 16.
Australian PM welcomes Hormuz reopening, says hopes it holds
Published: April 18, 2026 | 00:59 GMT | By AFP
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed on Saturday Iran's agreement to stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz but said the situation remained "fragile".
"This was positive news that we received last night," Albanese told journalists in Sydney after participating in a multinational summit on the issue.
"We hope that it holds, but what we know is that the impact will be long lasting," he added.
Iran will shut Hormuz Strait if US blockade continues: speaker
Published: April 18, 2026 | 00:16 GMT | By AFP
Iran will close the strategic Strait of Hormuz again if the United States continues its blockade of Iranian ports, parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Saturday.
"With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open," Qalibaf wrote on X, adding that passage through the waterway would depend on authorisation from Iran.
Trump says US will bring uranium back from Iran
Published: April 18, 2026 | 00:06 GMT | By AFP
President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States and Iran would jointly remove uranium from Tehran's nuclear sites with excavators under any peace deal, before the material is transferred to US territory.
Trump's comment came despite Iran's foreign ministry saying earlier that the Islamic Republic's stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred "anywhere."
