What to know about the Iran war today:
\nIran renewed its attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, while calling the U.S. military’s blockade of Iranian ports a breach of the ongoing ceasefire.
\nPresident Trump said Tuesday he was extending the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, backing off a threat to resume attacks if the regime didn’t accept his terms for a wider peace deal by today. Meanwhile, the U.S. is sending thousands more forces to the region.
\nOil prices jumped again with a deal to end the Iran war looking far from imminent.<\/p>\n
11:18 PM
\nParamedics recover body of Lebanese journalist hours after Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon
\nThe body of a Lebanese journalist killed in an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon on Wednesday has been pulled from under the rubble hours after the attack.
\nThe daily Al-Akhbar newspaper confirmed that its reporter, Amal Khalil, was killed in the strike on the southern village of al-Tiri.
\nInformation Minister Paul Morcos also confirmed Khalil’s death.
\nKhalil had been covering the Israel-Hezbollah war since it started in October 2023 and had been reporting from different parts of southern Lebanon on the hostilities.
\nEarlier on Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, called on the international community to immediately pressure the Israeli army to allow the rescue of Khalil.
\n By The Associated Press
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-1e5e0278
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\n9:07 PM
\nU.S. forces direct 2 more vessels to turn around as part of blockade, CENTCOM says
\nU.S. Central Command said Wednesday night that U.S. forces have directed a total of 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the blockade against Iran. That’s two more from the previous tally CENTCOM had sent out earlier in the day.
\n By Jordan Freiman
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-f38e3ec4
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\n7:47 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nJohn Phelan out as Navy secretary in latest high-profile Trump administration departure
\nNavy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his role effective immediately, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Wednesday.
\nThe Navy’s new acting civilian leader will be Undersecretary of the Navy Hung Cao, according to Parnell. Cao is a Navy veteran who ran for Senate in 2024 as the GOP’s nominee in Virginia, losing to Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine.
\nThe Department of the Navy \u2014 which oversees naval forces and the Marine Corps \u2014 is losing its top civilian official while the Navy plays a key role in the war with Iran.
\nA temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has been in place for about two weeks, but the U.S. has continued enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports at President Trump’s direction. The president and other administration officials have also suggested that the Navy could offer escorts to oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz at some point.
\nPhelan is the latest high-profile official to depart the federal government in recent months.
\nRead more here.
\n By Joe Walsh, Eleanor Watson
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-6b68e32e
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\n5:48 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nSenate rejects Democrats’ 5th attempt to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran
\nThe Senate rejected another attempt to rein in President Trump’s ability to use further military force against Iran on Wednesday, marking Democrats’ fifth effort to do so since the war began eight weeks ago.
\nIn a 46 to 51 vote, a motion to discharge the measure from committee failed. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with Republicans against it, while GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted with Democrats in favor.
\nLed by Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, the resolution would have directed the president to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”
\nRead more here.
\n By Kaia Hubbard
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-b6f56705
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\n4:30 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nWhite House press secretary says no firm deadline for Iran’s proposal
\nWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that President Trump has not set a “firm deadline” for Iran to send its latest proposal.
\n“The president wants a unified response, and so, as we await that response, there’s a ceasefire with the military and kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said, adding the U.S. blockade would continue.
\nLeavitt also would not predict when the war would come to an end, saying, “I think President Trump ultimately will dictate the timeline, and he will do so when he feels it’s in the best interest of the United States and the American people.”
\n By Jordan Freiman
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-c0bf30c4
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\n3:30 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nCENTCOM denies reports of ships evading blockade
\nAs of Wednesday, U.S. Central Command says U.S. forces have directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran \u2013 one more than yesterday’s update.
\nCENTCOM in a post on X disputed reporting about ships getting through the blockade.
\n“Over past 24 hours, media reports have alleged that several commercial ships evaded the blockade, citing M\/V Hero II, M\/V Hedy, and M\/V Dorena as examples. These reports are inaccurate,” CENTCOM wrote.
\nCENTCOM said the first two tankers are anchored in Iran after they were intercepted by U.S. forces, and a Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean is escorting the Dorena to return to port after it tried to “violate the blockade.”
\n By Eleanor Watson
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-c9197cbb
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\n3:24 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nIranian president says blockade and threats hinder negotiations
\nIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media that his country “has welcomed dialogue and agreement and continues to do so. Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations.”
\nIn an apparent message to President Trump, Pezeshkian said the “World sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions.”
\n By Jordan Freiman
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-860e51ad
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\n2:12 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\n400 troops injured in Operation Epic Fury, U.S. military says
\nThere have now been 400 service members injured during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.’s name for its war with Iran, according to new casualty numbers released Wednesday in the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
\nThe majority of those injuries are among the U.S. Army, a total of 271, while 64 members of the Navy, 19 Marines and 46 members of the Air Force have also been injured. Of those injured, 349 have been men, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
\nThere have been 13 service members killed in the operation, all early in the war. They were all members of the Army or Air Force.
\n By Mark Osborne
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-8ce705d9
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\n1:25 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nIran won’t accept lasting ceasefire with continued blockade, Parliament speaker says
\nIran is reiterating it won’t accept a lasting ceasefire as long as the U.S. maintains a naval blockade on Iranian ships trying to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz.
\n“A full ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the naval blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said on X.
\n“They did not achieve their objectives through military aggression, nor will they through bullying,” he added. “The only way forward is to recognise the rights of the Iranian nation.”
\nPresident Trump has said the U.S. plans to keep the blockade in place as a condition on negotiations for a long-term peace deal.
\n“People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.’ But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!” the president posted Tuesday night on Truth Social.
\n By Mark Osborne
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-f299f93b
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\n12:41 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nTrump digging himself “deeper and deeper” into a hole, Sen. Schumer says
\nDemocratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer criticized President Trump’s strategy in Iran, saying it’s a “mistake” not to end the war as soon as possible.
\n“Trump is digging himself deeper and deeper into this hole,” Schumer told reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday. “Every day we see more trouble in the Strait of Hormuz. We see an Iranian leadership that is more militant. We see the nuclear materials they have even more hidden. So they’re making a huge\u2013 that’s the mistake they’re making.”
\nSchumer highlighted Mr. Trump’s declining approval ratings, including a 33% approval rating in an AP\/NORC poll released Wednesday, and said not ending the “unpopular” war is the bigger mistake than leaving funding for the Iran war out of the budget.
\n By Alan He
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-5b312e8d
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\n12:23 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nBlockade on Iranian ships “could become global soon,” Sen. Graham says
\nSen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of President Trump’s closest allies in Congress, applauded the administration for keeping the blockade in place as the ceasefire was extended and said it could grow larger.
\n“I not only expect this blockade to stay in place until Iran shows a commitment to change their ways, I expect the blockade will be growing and that it could become global soon,” Graham wrote on X, saying he had spoken to Mr. Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday morning.
\nThe U.S. took a step in that direction on Tuesday when it boarded the M\/T Tifani, a sanctioned vessel carrying Iranian oil, in the Indian Ocean. It was the first time during this conflict the U.S. has boarded a ship outside the Middle East.
\n“To those assisting or thinking about assisting the Iranian regime in distributing its oil, which provides resources for terrorism, you do so at your own peril,” Graham wrote.
\n By Mark Osborne
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-d6529c17
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\n12:07 PM \/ April 22, 2026
\nIran’s military more capable than Trump administration is publicly acknowledging, sources say
\nIran maintains more military capabilities than the White House or Pentagon has publicly admitted, according to multiple U.S. officials with knowledge of intelligence on the matter.
\nAbout half of Iran’s stockpile of ballistic missiles and its associated launch systems were still intact as of the start of the ceasefire in early April, three of the officials told CBS News.
\nRoughly 60% of the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is still in existence, the officials said, including fast-attack speed boats.
\nIranian air power has been significantly degraded but not erased, said the officials, who requested anonymity from CBS News because they were not authorized to discuss the matters publicly.
\nAbout two-thirds of Iran’s air force is still believed to be operational, the officials said, after an intensive U.S. and Israeli campaign that struck thousands of targets, including storage and production facilities.
\nRead more here.
\n By Jennifer Jacobs, James LaPorta, Eleanor Watson
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-4f9a4dc7
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\n11:37 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nCondom maker says Iran war supply chain disruptions could force price hikes
\nA Malaysia-based maker of condoms said it may raise its prices due to global supply chain disruptions caused by the Iran war, according to media interviews with the company’s chief executive.
\nKarex CEO Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters on Tuesday the manufacturer faces a shortage of synthetic rubber, while the cost of some of its raw materials have doubled. Rising freight costs and shipping delays have also left Karex with leaner than usual stockpiles, Goh told Reuters.
\nKarex has been able to fulfill its supply needs so far, but if the war continues causing disruptions, Goh said the company could be forced to increase its prices by 20% to 30%.
\nRead more here.
\n By Mary Cunningham
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-864f93a2
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\n11:14 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nSecond French U.N. soldier dies after ambush in southern Lebanon
\nA second French soldier, part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, has died of injuries sustained in a suspected Hezbollah ambush in southern Lebanon, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday.
\nMacron said in a post on X that Corporal Anicet Girardin “died for France.”
\nHis death follows that of his unit leader, Staff Sgt. Florian Montorio, who was killed during the attack.
\n“Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah,” Mr. Macron posted on Saturday. Iran-backed Hezbollah, which the U.S. has long designated a terrorist organization, has denied killing the French soldiers amid its war with Israel’s invading forces. Lebanese officials have opened a probe into the incident.
\nFrance’s armed forces minister, Catherine Vautrin, paid tribute to Girardin on Wednesday and said he and Montorio’s unit were deployed to clear a road on Saturday that had been rigged with an improvised explosive device. In a post on X, she said the soldiers were “ambushed at close range” by Hezbollah fighters.
\n“He was coming to the aid of his unit leader [Montorio], who had just fallen, when he himself was critically wounded,” she wrote. “Repatriated yesterday from Lebanon, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.”
\nTwo other French soldiers were wounded in the attack. The forces were working with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the U.N. peacekeeping mission established after an Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1978. The force comprises more than 8,000 personnel from nearly 50 nations.
\n By Frank Andrews
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-6443749f
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\n10:46 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nIranian state TV says regime yet to respond to Trump’s ceasefire extension
\nIran’s state broadcaster IRIB said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic’s leaders had yet to issue any response to President Trump’s announcement the previous day that he was extending the ceasefire between the countries indefinitely.
\n“No official statement has been released by Iranian authorities on the matter,” IRIB said, dismissing reports that a foreign ministry spokesman had indicated an agreement by Tehran to adhere to the ceasefire.
\n By Tucker Reals
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-d2d873e6
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\n10:02 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nTrump tells New York Post peace talks with Iran “possible” as soon as Friday
\nPresident Trump said Wednesday that it’s “possible” a second round of peace talks with Iran will begin as soon as Friday, according to the New York Post.
\nAsked about Pakistani officials telling the newspaper that talks might be possible within “36 to 72 hours,” the post said Mr. Trump replied with a text message saying: “It’s possible! President DJT.”
\nDespite dire warnings from both sides and tit-for-tat interceptions of commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has held since it was signed two weeks ago, and Mr. Trump said Tuesday that he was extending it indefinitely to give the Iranian regime time to formulate a unified response to his offer for a wider peace deal.
\nPakistan, which has acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, has urged both sides to sit down again for a new round of direct talks after brokering the first ceasefire agreement in Islamabad in early April.
\n By Frank Andrews
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-8560ca28
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\n9:42 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nHezbollah, Israel accuse each other of ceasefire violations ahead of expected new talks in Washington
\nThe Iranian-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel’s military accused each other of violating the fragile 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel on Wednesday, as ambassadors from both countries geared up for a new round of peace talks in Washington.
\nThe Israel Defense Forces accused Hezbollah of launching an attack drone at its soldiers in southern Lebanon, calling it “a blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreed to by the Israeli and Lebanese leaders on April 16. The IDF said the aircraft was intercepted.
\nHezbollah, which has long been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and Israel, claimed to have struck an Israeli artillery position in the Lebanese town of Al-Bayada with a drone “in response to the Israeli enemy’s violation of the ceasefire and its continued aggression against villages in southern Lebanon.”
\nLebanon’s national news agency reported, meanwhile, that Israeli strikes elsewhere had killed two people Wednesday, adding to the more than 2,000 the country’s health authorities say have been killed by Israel’s operations since the beginning of March.
\nIsraeli officials say 23 people have been killed in the country by Hezbollah attacks since Israel’s assault against the group ramped up in tandem with the war in Iran.
\nA first round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Lebanon and Israel on April 14 led to the current 10-day ceasefire. A second round of talks between the countries, at the ambassador level, will take place at the State Department Thursday, a department official told CBS News on Tuesday.
\n By Frank Andrews
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-dd7a95bb
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\n9:15 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nGermany’s Lufthansa cancels 20,000 more flights in Europe as Iran war sends jet fuel price soaring
\nGermany’s flag carrier airline Lufthansa said Wednesday that it was canceling 20,000 short-haul flights within Europe to save money, citing the dramatic spike in the price of jet fuel caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has dramatically constrained the flow of petroleum products through the Strait of Hormuz.
\n“In total, 20,000 short-haul flights will be removed from the schedule through October, equivalent to approximately 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel, the price of which has doubled since the outbreak of the Iran conflict,” the airline said in a statement.
\n“The planned consolidation of the European network is being carried out across Lufthansa Group’s six hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, and Rome,” the airline said. “Passengers will therefore continue to have access to the global route network, particularly long-haul connections.”
\nSeveral other major airlines \u2014 in both Europe and the U.S., which is far less reliant on fuel supplies from the Middle East \u2014 had already announced temporary flight cuts.
\nAir Canada, Delta, and other airlines announced cancellations earlier this month.
\n“The spike in oil prices is big news in general and the impact on jet fuel prices is pronounced,” Stephen Rooney, lead economist at Tourism Economics, told CBS News last week. “Jet fuel is a huge cost for airlines, especially on longer-haul flights.”
\n By Tucker Reals
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-25f5c261
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\n8:48 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nTehran residents voice frustration over uncertainty as ceasefire extended, but war continues
\nAmid uncertainty over whether the ceasefire with the U.S. will last, Tehran residents voiced frustration and anxiety on Wednesday about what might come next.
\n“Last night my family all stayed awake, waiting for the clock to show 3:30 a.m. and see who really has the upper hand,” said Reza Tehrani, a 34-year-old resident of Tehran, referring to the time many people expected the ceasefire to lapse.
\nTehrani said President Trump had made a series of false claims, including that Iran would give up its enriched uranium.
\n“It’s obvious that he will eventually take his warships back and nothing will happen,” he predicted. “We will win, rest assured.”
\n Tehran residents walk past a mural in the Iranian capital depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier being targeted by missiles, April 22, 2026. Fatemeh Bahrami\/Anadolu\/Getty
\nAnother resident voiced frustration over the uncertainty.
\n“We should know where we stand. Is it going to be a ceasefire, peace or the war is going to continue?” Mashallah Mohammad Sadegh, 59, told The Associated Press. “The way things currently are, one doesn’t know what to do.”
\nCBS\/AP
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\n8:19 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nResponsibility for war’s economic fallout “lies with the aggressors,” Iran’s foreign minister says
\nIran’s top diplomat said Wednesday that responsibility for the global economic consequences of the U.S.-Israeli war with his country, which has sent energy prices soaring, “lies with the aggressors.”
\nIn a phone call with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that Iran, “as a coastal state of the Strait of Hormuz, has taken measures in accordance with international law to safeguard its national security against U.S. and Israeli threats and aggression,” according to a readout of the call provided by the Iranian ministry.
\n“Responsibility for any consequences [of the war] on the global economy lies with the aggressors,” he was quoted as telling Tajani.
\nInternational energy prices have spiked since the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks on Iran more than seven weeks ago, which has already driven up the price of goods and services across the board.
\nEconomists have warned that U.S. motorists shouldn’t expect fuel costs to return to where they were before the war, as neither Tehran nor Washington show any inclination to back down, and Iran’s attacks and threats keep the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 a vital shipping lane for global energy supplies \u2014 gridlocked.
\n By Frank Andrews
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-470dafb8
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\n7:55 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nOil prices rise, stocks mixed as hopes for quick resolution of Iran war dealt a blow
\nOil prices edged higher Wednesday but the reaction in stock markets was less clear amid uncertainty surrounding the prospect of resumed Mideast peace talks following an extension of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
\nAsian equities had a mixed trading day as investors wait for clarity but broadly expect that both President Trump and authorities in Iran want to end a war that has sent oil and gas prices soaring.
\n“The ceasefire extension hasn’t done much to calm nerves given that worries remain about the impact of the energy squeeze on the global economy,” said Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at the Wealth Club.”Shipments from the Middle East are in limbo and a resolution to the conflict remains elusive, and the price of Brent crude, the benchmark, reflects this.”
\nInternational benchmark Brent Crude was again closing in on $100 a barrel, while main U.S. contract, West Texas Intermediate, traded back above $90.
\nIranian gunboats attacked several commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday despite Mr. Trump announcing the previous evening that he was unilaterally extending a ceasefire to allow more time for peace talks.
\n“The US and Iran may be trying to shore up leverage and playing a game of who blinks first,” said Christopher Wong, a strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp.
\n“Whatever the outcome, the suspense in the interim may see risk appetite being curtailed,” he said.
\nEuropean stock prices were down slightly, but Asian markets were mixed and S&P futures in the U.S. rose 0.5%, while Nasdaq futures gained 0.7% ahead of Wednesday trading.
\nCBS\/AFP
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\n7:35 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nIran military-linked news agency calls subsea comms cables “vulnerable point for the region’s digital economy”
\nUnderwater communications cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz are “a vulnerable point for the region’s economy,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is closely linked with the country’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said in a report Wednesday.
\nThe article described the contested waterway as not only a chokepoint for oil and gas transit, but also for subsea cables that “form the backbone of data transfer, e-commerce, cloud services and online communications in Gulf countries.”
\n“The concentration of numerous internet cables in a single narrow passage has made the Strait of Hormuz a vulnerable point for the region’s digital economy,” the Tasnim report said.
\nWhile the article did not include any explicit threat to the cables, the timing of its publication, with the U.S. and Iran locked in a standoff over control of the strait amid a tense ceasefire, was a clear hint that the cables could become targets for the IRGC.
\nIn retaliation for the war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28, Iranian forces have not only blocked commercial ship traffic through the strait but launched hundreds of missiles and drones at U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.
\nIran has also targeted several facilities belonging to major Western technology firms in the Gulf, and warned that more attacks on big corporations could follow.
\n By Frank Andrews
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-c5bf0456
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\n7:12 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nIranian foreign ministry says talks with U.S. will come only when there’s a “necessary and rational basis”
\nIranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said Wednesday that Tehran would only engage in peace talks with Washington when it deems there to be a “necessary and rational basis” for negotiations “to advance national interests and consolidate the gains achieved by the Iranian people in frustrating the enemies’ objectives,” according to Iran’s official state news agency IRNA.
\n By Tucker Reals
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-2f3fb925
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\n6:51 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\n3 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz after Trump announces indefinite extension of Iran ceasefire
\nThree commercial vessels came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, according to international news agencies, with the U.K. military and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirming two of the strikes on cargo ships, potentially jeopardizing efforts to resume peace talks between the U.S. and Iran.
\nThe U.K. military’s Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported early Wednesday morning that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps gun boat fired at a container ship 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman.
\nThere was no radio warning before the boat “fired upon the vessel” causing “heavy damage to the bridge,” according to UKMTO, which said all crew members were reported to be safe.
\nThree hours later UKMTO reported a second incident, this time 8 nautical miles west of Iran’s coast at the eastern entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, in which a cargo ship said it was fired upon and was “now stopped in the water.”
\nThe crew were “safe and accounted for” and there was no mention of the suspected source of the fire, UKMTO said, but suspicion immediately fell on Iran.
\nIn a statement, Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two vessels it accused of violating its blockade of the strait “had entered the area without proper authorization and allegedly tampered with their navigation systems, thereby endangering maritime safety.”
\nThe IRGC said the ships were intercepted “and escorted to the Iranian coast.”
\nThe Reuters and Associated Press news agencies and CBS News’ British partner network BBC said a third ship was hit by gunfire in the strait Wednesday, but UKMTO did not immediately confirm that attack.
\nRead more here.
\n By Frank Andrews
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-0f9c0cc3
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\n6:51 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nIranian official says Trump’s ceasefire extension “definitely means buying time for a surprise blow”
\nAn adviser to Iran’s powerful parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who’s also one of the Islamic Republic’s lead negotiators, dismissed President Trump’s indefinite ceasefire extension as a ploy to buy time for a military build up ahead of a “surprise blow” against his country.
\n“The extension of the ceasefire by Trump means nothing,” Ghalibaf’s aide Mahdi Mohammadi said in a post on X. “The continuation of the siege [U.S. naval blockade] is no different from the bombing and must be responded to militarily. In addition, the extension of the ceasefire on Trump’s behalf definitely means buying time for a surprise blow.”
\nPresident Trump said he was extending the truce to give the Iranian regime time to formulate a clear response to his terms for a wider peace deal, and he’s repeatedly voiced optimism that Tehran will eventually capitulate to his demands under the economic pressure imposed by the naval blockade.
\nBut with two U.S. aircraft carrier groups already deployed to the region, there are more than 50,000 American service members in the Middle East, compared to the roughly 30,000-40,000 typically based there.
\n In a handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near the M\/V Touska, April 20, 2026, after firing on the Iranian-flagged cargo ship that the U.S. accused of attempting to violate its naval blockade of Iranian ports, near the Strait of Hormuz. Handout\/U.S. Navy via Getty
\nA third carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, along with three missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship carrying around 2,500 U.S. Marines and a dock landing ship \u2014 used to move people and hardware from sea to shore – are currently on their way to the region.
\n By Tucker Reals
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-75760f4c
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\n6:51 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nTrump says Iran is “collapsing financially”
\nPresident Trump says Iran’s economy is hurting badly and as a result, Tehran wants the Strait of Hormuz opened at once.
\nOn his Truth Social platform late Tuesday night, Mr. Trump said, “Iran is collapsing financially! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately- Starving for cash! Losing 500 Million Dollars a day. Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!”
\nIran itself has been largely bottling up traffic through the vital waterway that a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through in peacetime. The U.S. has been blockading all of Iran’s ports.
\n By Brian Dakss
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-14c77e9c
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\n6:51 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nTrump says if U.S. ends blockade “there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country”
\nPresident Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed and that “They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to ‘save face.'”
\n“People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.’ But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!” Mr. Trump wrote.
\n By Jordan Freiman
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-7ef84378
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\n6:51 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nTreasury secretary threatens sanctions on those who help Iran export oil
\nTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on X that, due to the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, “in a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in.”
\nKharg Island is a critical oil export terminal for Iran.
\n“Constraining Iran’s maritime trade directly targets the regime’s primary revenue lifelines,” Bessent said. “The US Treasury will continue to apply maximum pressure through Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds.”
\n“Any person or vessel facilitating these flows\u2014through covert trade and finance\u2014risks exposure to U.S. sanctions,” he added.
\nOn March 20, the Trump administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil that is already at sea in an effort to ease worldwide gas prices. That waiver expired on Sunday.
\n By Jordan Freiman
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-01e5645a
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\n6:51 AM \/ April 22, 2026
\nTrump extends ceasefire with Iran indefinitely
\nPresident Trump said Tuesday afternoon on Truth Social that he was extending the ceasefire, which had been set to expire in the coming hours.
\n“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Mr. Trump wrote. “I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
\n By Jordan Freiman
\n https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/live-updates\/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-ship-attacked-us-military-buildup\/#post-update-8f6c8391
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\n#IranWar #StraitOfHormuz #USMiddleEast #Ceasefire #NavalBlockade #OilPrices #LebanonConflict #TrumpAdministration #GlobalEconomy #Geopolitics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What to know about the Iran war today: Iran renewed its attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, while calling the U.S. military’s blockade of Iranian ports a breach of the ongoing ceasefire. President Trump said Tuesday he was extending the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, backing off a threat to resume attacks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}