LIVE: Iran weighs US talks after Pakistan mediation amid rising Hormuz tensions

This live blog follows updates for Day 48 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 47, go here.

• United States, Iran continue observing the two-week ceasefire period
• Washington maintains a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz after disruptions
• Iran warns it will target US ships if enforcement actions escalate further
• US officials signal openness to ending Lebanon conflict but exclude it from talks
• Diplomatic exchanges between Iran and the US continue indirectly through Pakistani mediation.

Chinese foreign minister urges Iran to restore ‘normal navigation’ in Hormuz Strait

Published: April 16, 2026 | 03:19 GMT | By Web Desk

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to work to restore normal navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.

Wang conveyed in the call on Wednesday that while Iran’s sovereignty and security in the strait should be respected and safeguarded, freedom and safety of navigation must also be guaranteed.

Wang added that there is broad international interest in restoring normal navigation through the waterway, and China is willing to continue efforts to ease tensions and promote improved relations among countries in the region.

Iran arrests four alleged Israeli spies: state media

Published: April 16, 2026 | 03:16 GMT | By Web Desk

Iran arrested four suspected Israeli spies, state media reported on Thursday.

It came as US officials discuss possible peace talks with Iran after US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28 engulfed the Middle East in war.

"The four agents linked to the Mossad were apprehended in Gilan governorate" in northern Iran, IRNA reported, citing a statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

The Mossad is Israel's foreign intelligence agency.

"The arrestees had provided Mossad intelligence officers with images and locations of some sensitive and critical military and security sites via the internet", it said.

The suspects have been handed over to judicial authorities, the report added.

Amnesty official calls for immediate end to military cooperation with Israel

Published: April 16, 2026 | 00:01 GMT | By Web Desk

Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns, Erika Guevara Rosas, said that “Israel continues to defy international law” through a series of systematic violations across the region, Al Jazeera reported.

Writing on X, Rosas stated that these violations included “genocide in Gaza, escalating violence and illegal settlements in the West Bank, apartheid and occupation, and attacks and mass displacement in Lebanon.”

She warned that “any military cooperation with Israel risks complicity in international crimes.” Specifically addressing Rome, she argued that the “Italian government must act, starting by supporting the suspension of the EU‑Israel Association Agreement, as demanded by over one million Europeans.”

Rosas concluded by emphasising that “words are no longer enough” and insisted that states “take decisive action to stop Israel’s genocide and systematic human rights violations.”

US rejected Russian proposal to take all of Iran’s enriched uranium, says Kremlin

Published: April 16, 2026 | 01:15 GMT | By Web Desk

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, has said that the United States rejected its proposal that Russia take up all of Iran’s ‌enriched uranium out of the country in its bid to help resolve the hostilities in the Middle East, Al Jazeera reported.

Russia first proposed last June that it take control of Iran’s uranium stock, but no action was taken. According to Reuters, Russia issued the proposal again this week.

“Russia was prepared to accept Iran’s enriched uranium on its territory,” state news agency RIA said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Indian television channel India Today.

“This would be a good decision. But unfortunately, the American side rejected this proposal.”

“Although President Putin is ready to return to this initiative, should it be needed by the countries concerned. Perhaps in this context, there is merit in recalling the very beginning of the story in the Gulf,” the spokesperson told India Today

FIFA chief says ‘Iranian team coming for sure’ to play in US

Published: April 16, 2026 | 00:06 GMT | By Web Desk

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that “the Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” to play in the US despite the ongoing war, Al Jazeera reported.

It comes four days after we reported that FIFA had turned down Iran’s request to relocate its World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico, citing logistical impediments.

Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum, Infantino said it is important that Iran participates in the World Cup. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”

Tehran weighs next steps in US talks following Pakistani mediation

Published: April 15, 2026 | 22:05 GMT | By AFP

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that Iran will conduct a formal evaluation to determine whether it will participate in the next round of negotiations with the United States after a scheduled high-level meeting between Iranian officials and a Pakistani delegation led by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported.

Tasnim quoted an anonymous “informed” source, who noted that while the ceasefire in Lebanon was viewed as a “positive signal” for Iran’s decision-making process, any further progress remained dependent on US conduct.

The source emphasised that Washington was required to adhere to a “logical framework” for the talks and warned against obstructing the diplomatic path through excessive demands or the violation of commitments made prior to the ceasefire.

Iran supreme leader's adviser threatens to sink US ships in Hormuz strait

Published: April 15, 2026 | 21:12 GMT | By AFP

The military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iran would sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decided to "police" the key shipping bottleneck.

The US is imposing a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran blocked shipping for over six weeks of war in a conflict which is on hold as a fragile two-week ceasefire remains in place.

"Mr Trump wants to become the police of the Strait of Hormuz. Is this really your job? Is this the job of a powerful army like the US?" Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who was named as a military adviser by Khamenei last month, told state TV.

"These ships of yours will be sunk by our first missiles and have created a great danger for the US military. They can definitely be exposed to our missiles, and we can destroy them," Rezaei, wearing his military uniform, told the state broadcaster.