Al Jazeera

By Zaid Sabah and Zsombor Peter

    Iran condemns the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz as an act of “armed piracy” and vows to retaliate.

    The attack comes hours after US President Donald Trump announced that he is sending his team to Islamabad for possible talks with Iran.

Trump’s approval sinks to second-term low amid war on Iran

    The US president’s job approval rating has hit a second-term low of 37 percent, driven by his handling of the war on Iran, according to a new NBC News poll.

    The findings, released on Sunday, suggested that 63 percent of US adults disapproved of Trump’s job performance, with 50 percent expressing strong disapproval.

    The same poll suggested 33 percent of Americans strongly or somewhat approved of the president’s handling of the war, and 67 percent strongly or somewhat disapproved.

    The war continues to split Americans down party lines, according to the poll, with 82 percent of Democrats and independents disapproving and 74 percent of Republicans approving.

    Opposition to the war also remains especially strong among young adults.

    While 61 percent of adult respondents said the US should not take any further military action in Iran, the figure jumped to 74 percent among those under 30.

Investors bracing for ‘lots of volatility’ in coming days

By Patrick Fok

Reporting from Singapore

    Oil prices jumped by about 7 percent, pushing towards $97 barrel as investors digest what’s really been a very fluid and contradictory situation of the last 24 hours in the Middle East.

    We’ve heard reports that Iran has rejected peace talks after US President Trump said that he would be sending envoys to Pakistan for negotiations, while also warning of additional strikes if Tehran refuses to accept the terms of Washington’s proposed deal.

    On top of that, we also have the US seizing an Iranian accused of breaching a blockade. So tensions are escalating once again, and investor sentiment is reversing.

    Remember, just a few days ago, Iran had talked about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and that’s all beginning to unwind after previously driving equities higher, and stabilising oil prices.

    So we’re really seeing a lot of volatility come back on the table.

    Analysts are saying the next 48 to 72 hours are going to be absolutely crucial as we head towards that ceasefire deadline, and as investors look for a diplomatic pathway and some sort of de-escalation.

    Remember, it’s not just the opening or the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz that we’re talking about. There are lots of unresolved issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme, as well as Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.

    So there is likely to be lots of volatility in the coming days.

US-Israel war on Iran: 10 frequently used words and their meanings

By Alma Milisic

    As the US-Israel war on Iran nears two months, we break down some of the frequently used words in this war:

    Hormuz: Refers to the Strait of Hormuz. The exact origin of the name is contested; however, the most widely accepted theory links it to the Middle Persian form of “Ahura Mazda”, the supreme deity in Zoroastrianism, whose name means “Wise Lord” or “Lord of Wisdom”.

    Shahed: Iran’s low-cost loitering munitions, often described as “kamikaze drones”, or unmanned aerial vehicles, carry an explosive payload while relying on relatively simple, low-tech components.

    Tomahawk: Originally, the word “tomahawk” referred to a versatile, single-handed axe or hatchet historically used by Indigenous peoples of North America. In modern military usage, it refers to the Tomahawk cruise missile, a long-range, all-weather weapon developed by the US.

    Ayatollah: A high-ranking title within different sects in Shia Islam, given to senior scholars recognised for their expertise in Islamic jurisprudence, theology and religious scholarship.

    Go here to read about the rest of the 10 terms.

Over 20 vessels passed through Strait of Hormuz on Saturday

    Data from shipping analytics firm Kpler shows that more than 20 vessels passed the Strait of Hormuz on April 18, marking the highest number of ships crossing the waterway since the war on Iran began on March 1.

    Of the vessels that successfully transited on Saturday, five had most recently taken on Iranian cargoes consisting of metals and various oil products.

    This group included three liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, with two destined for China and India, the data shows.

    The other vessels that departed included those carrying products from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Both US and Iran ‘have an incentive to reach a permanent ceasefire’

    We’ve been speaking to former US Ambassador Donald Heflin about the possibility of a second round of talks between Washington and Tehran.

    Heflin argued that negotiations are not going to be a simple matter of both sides “agreeing to a ceasefire on a handshake and then negotiating” or a “written agreement where the shooting stops the entire time”.

    Instead, he said, “it’s going to be two steps forward, one step back”.

    “This is Trump’s negotiating style; going back to when he was a businessman,” he said.

    “There will be half-agreements, shooting will continue, and there will be misunderstood statements about the other side not acting in good faith. But at the end of the day, both sides have an incentive to reach a permanent ceasefire, and they will,” Heflin added.

    The former diplomat noted that “there’ll probably be some shooting going on while the negotiations are still going on”. And while it’s certainly “not the preferred way to do it”, he said he believes “it can be made to work”.

    Heflin also noted US Vice President JD Vance was on his way to Islamabad and said he expects that “the Iranians at the end of the day will send somebody to Islamabad tomorrow”.

By Kamal Hyder

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

    Preparations are already in place here in Pakistan. Islamabad is in a state of lockdown, at least in the red zone and several other areas, where the roads are closed.

    And we’ve been told that several US C-17 Globemaster aircraft landed in Islamabad over the past 24 hours, and that more may be en route.

    However, we are not sure what the Iranian position is.

    A lot of diplomatic efforts have been undertaken by Pakistan. Pakistan’s chief of defence forces was in Tehran for three days.

    And the fact that the Americans have already started to arrive here — these are forward teams, security teams carrying armoured vehicles — suggests that the talks will take place.

    However, the recent tensions and the tough rhetoric between the two sides are casting a shadow on those talks.

‘Level of effort to disrupt the Gulf is very low’

    David Des Roches, a professor at the Thayer Marshall Institute in the US, says Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz after a brief reopening was significant, politically and militarily.

    “Politically, it’s extremely significant because it shows us that the Iranian government is factionalised,” he said, referring to how the decision to reopen the strait came from the foreign minister, while the order to close it came from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

    But Iran, he argued, does not control the strait.

    “They’re just disrupting it. Somebody who controls the strait can ensure that whatever shipping they want goes through it. But Iran can only deny it to neutral civilian states,” des Rosches said.

    “The level of effort to disrupt the Gulf is very low. But in order for commercial confidence to be restored, the Iranian regime has to basically renounce its ability to do that. And that’s going to take a little bit more coercion.”

‘We are not afraid of war’: Iranians rally in support of government

    Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran in support of Iran’s government, with some voicing a “complete distrust” towards the US and urging Iranian officials not to back down.

    “The United States has so far honoured none of the promises it made to us and none of the agreements it signed with us,” Masoumeh Alimohammadi told the Reuters news agency. “As a result, we expect that although the diplomatic track must in any case move forward, we should proceed with complete distrust toward this America that has so far fulfilled none of its commitments.”

    Hamidreza Heidari said Iranians were “not afraid of war”.

    “Even if not just one attack, but continuous attacks are carried out against our country, we will certainly move forward with greater strength and authority. But in my view, given the situation as it is developing, the United States and Israel have no option but to surrender to Iran’s demands,” he said.

    Negin Gholizade called for her government to continue to defy the US.

    “We can reach peace with this man [Trump] only if he takes such a beating that he is forced into submission, just as he was forced into submission two weeks ago,” she said. “On the very night he wanted to send us back to the Stone Age, he backed down, accepted everything we said, and agreed to it.”

US seizure of ship could indicate start of ‘new military assault against Iran’

    Zohreh Kharazmi, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, says Iranian officials believe the US efforts for a second round of negotiations are merely cover for a renewed military assault.

    “In the last round of the attacks in Islamabad, the Iranian perception was that Americans are not serious, as they withdrew amid the talks,” she told Al Jazeera.

    “And this time again, just at the delicate moment of starting the second round, they attack the Iranian ships. So… it’s maybe a sign that the United States is to start a new military assault against Iran, and negotiations [are] only a cover for that,” she added.

    Kharazmi said that Russian sources indicate that the US is amassing troops and ammunition in the region, a sign that Iranian officials take as “an indication of the beginning of a new phase of military attack against Iran”.

    She noted that the US has deployed several warships to the waters around Iran, including the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.

    “And, simultaneous with our dialogue, actually, the news comes that the fuel tankers and fighter jets are flying over Iraq. So, the whole context is indicating that a new [round] of military action is much more possible than the negotiations,” she said.

What are the sticking points in the US-Iran talks

    Let’s look at some of the main sticking points that remain in any deal being discussed between the US and Iran.

    Iran’s nuclear programme: The US wants Iran to halt its nuclear programme altogether, but Tehran says any such restrictions must be for a limited number of years.

    Iran’s uranium stockpile: Trump says the US wants to take custody of Iran’s stockpile of 400kg (880lbs) of highly-enriched uranium. Tehran has rejected the demand.

    Strait of Hormuz: Iran insists it will maintain restrictions on shipping in the waterway until the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ports. But Trump says the blockade will remain in place unless a deal is reached.

    Frozen assets: Iranian officials are demanding sanctions relief and the unfreezing of assets worth $20bn as part of any lasting agreement.

    War reparations: Iran is also demanding compensation for damages caused by the US and Israeli attacks, amounting to about $270bn.

Iran authorises sale of war-damaged government buildings

    Iran has issued a new directive authorising the sale or exchange of government-owned buildings that were damaged during the war, according to the Fars News Agency.

    The directive allows government agencies to determine the fate of government buildings that are either deemed impossible to reconstruct or have suffered extensive damage.

US may use ‘legal trickery’ to justify seizure of Iranian-flagged ship

    Donald Rothwell, a professor at the Australian National University, says the exact location of the Touska when it was fired on by US forces is key to determining the legitimacy of the ship’s seizure.

    “This event occurred … in the Gulf of Oman. It’s outside of the Persian Gulf. It’s not within the Strait of Hormuz. How close was this to the Iranian coast  There are reports that the Touska was seeking to sail into an Iranian port,” he told Al Jazeera.

    “But was this vessel within the Iranian territorial sea, for example  So, location is absolutely critical here to be able to confirm the legitimacy of the sort of conduct that the United Sates has taken here.”

    Rothwell said the US may try to justify the seizure by framing it as a sanctions enforcement operation rather than an attack linked to the blockade.

    “There are certainly Iranian flagged vessels that are subject to sanctions. But if the United States is seeking to now justify this as a sanctions enforcement operation as opposed to a measure associated with the blockade, this would be an attempt by the United States to impose and enforce sanctions in the Gulf of Oman,” he said.

    “But it also might be an attempt by the United States to say, well, look, we’re actually not infringing [on] the … ceasefire but rather upholding US law. So, there might be some legal trickery here by the Unites States in terms of trying to justify this sort of action.”

UNIFIL pays tribute to French peacekeeper killed in Lebanon

    The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has repatriated the remains of Florian Montorio to France.

    UNIFIL Head of Mission Major-General Diodato Abagnara paid tribute to Montorio, saying his service “lives on in what we do next as soldiers, as peacekeepers”.

    “You gave everything you had for the peace in this land. You have all our respect,” he added.

    According to UNIFIL, Montorio was killed by small arms fire from a non-state actor. French President Emmanuel Macron has blamed Hezbollah for the incident, but the Lebanese armed group has denied responsibility.

    Montorio is the fourth peacekeeper killed since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel resumed on March 2.

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French firm’s vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz on Saturday

    The French shipping company CMA CGM has confirmed that one of its vessels was subjected to “warning shots” in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and said that no crew members were injured in the incident.

    The AFP news agency, citing the International Maritime Organization (IMO), identified the vessel as the Everglades and said it sustained damage during the encounter. But it did not provide specific details on the extent of the impact.

    The vessel is one of several ships that reported coming under gunfire from Iranian forces after Tehran reversed course on its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It said the closure was in response to the US’s continued blockade of Iranian ports.

US blockade on shipping traffic in and out of Iran escalates

By Rosiland Jordan

Reporting from Wahington DC

    The US military says that before Sunday’s incident, it had turned back some 25 Iranian-flagged vessels trying to either leave or dock in Iranian ports as part of the blockade.

    The US said that, according to the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance, the crew of the Touska vessel refused over a six-hour period to stop its transit, allegedly heading towards the port at Bandar Abbas.

    After six hours, according to CENTCOM, the US forces gave a verbal warning to the crew of the Touska vessel to evacuate the engine room, after which the Spruance’s crew then fired on the engine room, disabling the ship, and allowing US marines to board the vessel and take custody of it.

    One thing that has not been noted in the official comments from CENTCOM is whether anybody on board the Touska vessel or anyone from the US military was injured during this incident.

    In any case, it is certainly an escalation of the US enforcement of its blockade on shipping traffic in and out of Iran.

Here’s what we know about the Touska

    As we’ve been reporting, US forces have seized an Iranian-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz, testing the shaky ceasefire between the two countries.

    Here’s what we know about the vessel, which is named the Touska.

    According to Marine Traffic, the Touska is a container ship, measuring 294.1 metres (965 feet) in length and 32.5 metres (107ft) in width.

    The cargo ship left Port Klang in Malaysia eight days ago, according to Vessel Finder, and was headed to the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

    The US military said it issued multiple warnings to the ship’s crew over a six-hour period on Sunday, telling them that the vessel was in violation of Washington’s blockade.

    A US warship then “disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch [13cm] MK 45 Gun” into the vessel’s engine room. The US forces later boarded the ship, and it remains in US custody, the military said.

    Iran’s military said the seizure violates the ceasefire and warned that it “will soon respond to and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military”.

Iran insisting on US lifting its blockade before a second round of talks

By Ali Hashem

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

    Iran’s participation in the next round of negotiations in Islamabad is conditional upon the US lifting the naval blockade on its ports.

    This is what a well-informed source told Al Jazeera, and it’s also the same position taken by Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan.

    The foreign minister and prime minister of Pakistan called Iran’s president and foreign minister to try to convince them to take part in the next round of negotiations. The Supreme National Security Council of Iran also convened to decide on this.

    However, Iran is sceptical, and at the same time, concerned that this is not going to end with the deal they want to have.

    First of all, they are concerned that this could be a deal that would be followed by several months of negotiations, and then the sanctions will not be lifted, and the frozen money will not be unfrozen.