Iran…Trump …Evening….4/15/2026…Is the Strait Closed?…Talks…Israeli Cease-fire….

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, expressed optimism about the negotiations. “We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” she told reporters, adding, “It’s obviously in the best interests of Iran to meet the president’s demands.”

The diplomacy came as Iran threatened to halt all trade in the region in response to an American naval blockade of its ports. The U.S. military said on Wednesday it had halted goods going into and leaving Iran by sea over the last two days. If the blockade continues, Iran’s military said it would try to stop ships heading to other countries in the region.

“Iran’s powerful armed forces will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea,” said Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, who leads the military joint command that oversees Iran’s army and Revolutionary Guards.

It is unclear how much control Iran can exert over shipping. Iran’s allies in Yemen, the Houthi militia, have proved capable of attacking shipping in the Red Sea, and Iran’s armed forces, while battered, still have the ability to harass ships in the Strait of Hormuz with mines and fast boats.

Here’s what else we’re covering:

• Lebanon: Israel is considering a possible cease-fire in Lebanon that could pause its war against Iran-backed Hezbollah, three Israeli officials said on Wednesday. It is unclear whether Hezbollah would go along with a cease-fire even if Israel and the Lebanese government agreed to one. Read more ›

• Iranian rescues: Emergency teams have rescued more than 7,200 Iranians from rubble after U.S. and Israeli bombings throughout the war, the president of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said. The Iranian authorities have released little comprehensive information about the dead and wounded in the country, more than a month into the war.

• • The White House has denied reports the US has requested an extension to its ceasefire with Iran, which is set to expire next week. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the reports were “not true”, that talks were “productive and ongoing” and that the US “feels good about the prospects of a deal” with Iran.

  • A second round of talks would “very likely” take place in Islamabad again, Leavitt said, adding that Pakistan was “the only mediator” in these discussions.

  • The White House also said the US blockade of Iranian ports “has been fully implemented” and applied to ships of all nations entering or departing the ports.

  • Major Wall Street stock indices finished at record levels on Wednesday, extending an upward climb on optimism for an agreement to end the war.

  • The US announced tightened sanctions against Iran’s oil industry.

  • Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a possible ceasefire in Lebanon after pressure from Washington. Following direct Israel-Lebanon talks on Tuesday, Israel’s security cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a truce, while the Israeli military is continuing to attack the country.

    War powers vote: Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked the latest Democratic-led effort to curb President Trump’s authority to wage war on Iran. The move to take up the measure failed on a vote of 52 to 47 that fell largely along party lines. Read more ›

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    The Guardian…

  • The number of Lebanese rescue workers killed in consecutive Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanon village of Mayfadoun has risen to four, with six others wounded, paramedic groups said.

  • Finance ministers from 11 countries globally – including the UK, Japan, Sweden and Australia – called for peace in the Middle East to be upheld, warning of risks to the global economy if the fragile ceasefire collapsed.

  • The Middle East conflict could push millions more towards hunger as its economic fallout reverberated around the globe, the World Bank’s chief economist said.

  • The chair of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committee on doctrine, Bishop James Massa, defended Pope Leo after vice-president JD Vance said the pontiff should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology” in relation to the US war on Iran.

ISW.…Iran Update Special Report, April 15, 2026

1. US naval forces continued to enforce the blockade on Iranian ports. US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on April 15 that no vessels had breached the blockade on Iranian ports during the first 48 hours of enforcement.
2. The United States has reportedly set two preconditions for another round of negotiations: first, Iran must fully “reopen” the Strait of Hormuz, and second, the Iranian negotiating delegation must have “full authority” to finalize a deal. The second precondition comes amid reports of intra-regime conflict and corroborates ISW-CTP’s assessment that the United States is negotiating with a divided council of hardliners and pragmatists rather than a singular, unified authority.
3. Some Iranian officials have signaled different levels of willingness to compromise on Iran’s nuclear program in negotiations with the United States. These statements, at least to some extent, reflect internal disagreement over Iran’s negotiating position.
4. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on April 14 that the United States and Israel have decided that removing the enriched uranium from Iran is a “threshold condition” for ending the US-Israeli campaign.
5. The US Treasury sanctioned 29 targets, including three individuals, 17 companies, and nine vessels on April 15, which are tied to Iranian oil smuggling and associated financing networks as part of the United States’ broader economic pressure campaign on Iran.
6. Pakistan is reportedly pushing the United States and Iran to extend the ceasefire by 45 days. US President Donald Trump told ABC News on April 14 that he is not considering extending the ceasefire that ends on April 22.
7. Iran is exploiting the current ceasefire to reorganize and regenerate its ballistic missile forces program on the tactical level by attempting to reopen tunnel entrances at missile bases.
8. Iran reportedly utilized an advanced reconnaissance satellite purchased from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 2024 to target US military assets and bases across the Middle East during the war.
9. The Israeli Security Cabinet reportedly held a meeting on April 15 to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon, amid recent direct talks between Israel and Lebanon under US auspices. Israeli officials have not announced the outcome of the security cabinet meeting at the time of this writing, however.