Strait of Hormuz traffic barely affected on first day of U.S. blockade, data shows.

The first full day of a U.S. blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports made little difference to Strait of Hormuz traffic on Tuesday, with at least eight ships including three Iran-linked tankers, crossing the waterway, shipping data showed.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the U.S. and Iran failed to reach a deal.

The blockade has created even further uncertainty for shippers, oil companies and war risk insurers. Traffic remains at only a fraction of the 130-plus daily crossings before the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran began on February 28, industry sources said on Tuesday.

“During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade,” the U.S. Central Command said on X, adding that six vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port.

The three Iran-linked vessels that transited the strait were not heading to Iranian ports and were not affected by the blockade.

Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker, is heading to Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, LSEG data showed.

The vessel typically moves Iranian naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, to other non-Iranian Middle Eastern ports for export to Asia, Kpler data showed.

Prior to this, two U.S.-sanctioned tankers passed through the narrow waterway.

Handy tanker Murlikishan is heading to Iraq to load fuel oil on April 16, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as MKA, has transported Russian and Iranian oil.

Another sanctioned tanker, Rich Starry, would be the first to make it through the strait and to exit the Gulf since the blockade began, data from LSEG and Kpler showed.

The tanker and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co, were placed under U.S. sanctions for dealing with Iran. The company could not be reached for immediate comment.

Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE’s Hamriyah, the data showed.

The Chinese-owned tanker has Chinese crew on board, the data showed.

China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is “dangerous and irresponsible,” warning that it would only aggravate tensions. The ministry did not mention whether Chinese ships were passing the strait.
Further sailings through the Strait

Five other vessels had sailed through the strait since the blockade began at 1400 GMT on Monday. These comprised two other chemical and gas tankers, two dry bulk vessels and the Ocean Energy cargo ship that docked at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port.

A U.S. military note sent to mariners and seen by Reuters said that humanitarian shipments would be exempt from the blockade.

“The United States does not need to block every type of ship or enter the Strait of Hormuz; it can carry out an intermittent blockade,” said Fabrizio Coticchia, professor of political science at Italy’s University of Genoa.

“Ships will not be attacked, but rather diverted,” Coticchia said, adding that U.S. warships would be located outside of the strait in the Gulf of Oman.

While the cost of war-risk insurance has not increased since the blockade began, it remains at hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional weekly costs, with cover typically reviewed by underwriters every 48 hours, industry sources said.

“A return to ‘normality’ in the Middle East arguably now appears more distant than it did one week ago, especially given that the U.S. navy has started a blockade,” ship broker BRS said in a report.

“It is anticipated that there will be little or no commercial traffic in the strait for the foreseeable future.”

(Reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore, Mariko Katsumura in Tokyo, Jonathan Saul in London, Arathy Somasekhar in Houston and Francesca Landini in MilanEditing by Himani Sarkar, Jamie Freed, Sharon Singleton and David Goodman)

Zelensky says U.S. doesn’t ‘have time for Ukraine’ because of Iran war: interview

Suspected militants kill police officer assigned to guard polio team as nationwide campaign begins.

The shooting occurred in Hangu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, shortly after Pakistan launched its second nationwide anti-polio campaign of the year, according to local police official Mahmood Alam.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban and local militant groups, which often carry out similar attacks in the region and elsewhere. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio has not been eradicated, according to the World Health Organization.

First lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari urged families to ensure their children are vaccinated during the weeklong drive, which aims to reach more than 45 million children under 5 across all provinces and regions. She said the campaign will be conducted in coordination with Afghanistan, reflecting a shared commitment to interrupt cross-border transmission and close remaining gaps.

Aseefa is the daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a 2007 gun and bomb attack by militants, and who had personally overseen initiatives aimed at eliminating polio during her tenure. In a statement, she said “Pakistan stands at a crucial moment in the fight against polio.” She said while the country is closer than ever to eradication, “the final stretch remains the most challenging.”

Highlighting recent gains, she said 31 polio cases were reported nationwide in 2025, while only one case has so far been recorded so far this year, but warned against complacency.

While Pakistan primarily uses door-to-door vaccination teams to reach children at their homes, Afghanistan generally relies on fixed vaccination sites and health facilities, where parents are asked to bring their children for immunization.

US President Donald Trump and his advisers are considering resuming strikes on Iran on a limited scale following unsuccessful talks in Pakistan in order to push Tehran to make concessions, The Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the newspaper, a resumption of "a full-fledged bombing campaign" against Iran has not been ruled out. However, it is seen as less likely due to the risk of regional destabilization and dragging Washington into a prolonged military conflict.

The #WSJ said each scenario carries significant risks. A full-scale military campaign could deplete US weapons stockpiles, while drawing down military operations could be seen as Tehran’s victory.

#Kuwait says 24 arrested over ‘financing of terror’. Since Iran began attacking Kuwait and other Gulf states last month as part of the Middle East war, authorities across the region have moved against individuals and organizations suspected of links to or supporting Tehran.

In a statement late on Saturday, Kuwait’s interior ministry did not mention any particular country or organisation, but said it had “thwarted a plot targeting the undermining of the homeland’s security and the financing of terrorist entities and organizations”.

“The State Security Agency succeeded in apprehending 24 citizens, one of whom had his citizenship revoked, in possession of financial sums linked to illicit activities,” the ministry added.

It said the financing was “part of an organized activity involving the collection of funds under religious pretexts... in preparation for their transfer in accordance with instructions from outside the country”.

Later, Kuwait’s foreign ministry named the 24 suspects on its domestic counter-terrorism designation list, saying their assets had been frozen and they were under travel restrictions.

A security source had earlier confirmed to AFP that five former Kuwaiti lawmakers were among those detained.

In March, Kuwait arrested six people linked to Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group who it said were planning “assassinations” in the Gulf state.

Hezbollah has repeatedly denied having any presence in Kuwait.

JUST IN: 🇮🇷🇵🇰 Iranian negotiating team holds meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Fireworks warehouse blast leaves one dead, 14 injured in Russia’s Vladikavkaz
The number of injured children has risen to two

Trump raised annexation of Canada with author of new book on royals, In an age of royal tell-alls, with a rash of books coming down the pipeline to eulogize Queen Elizabeth II in what would have been her 100th year, there’s significant competition to cut through the noise.

Robert Hardman’s new biography, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, aims to do exactly that, by seemingly offering not just fresh revelations, but a reframing of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign that the publishers hope is timely and quietly radical.

Hardman uses information from palace insiders, private documents, and unheard stories to reveal a monarch who was more than just a figurehead.

This monarch played an active and thoughtful role in both the British state and the Royal Family.

In Hardman’s view, the monarchy’s strength lies in persistence as an institution rather than in the brilliance of an individual.

This becomes evident in conversations Hardman had with U.S. President Donald Trump about his wish to annex Canada.

It seems that Trump’s respect for King Charles III may have out paid to that plan. Hardman and Trump met in Florida in December 2025 where they discussed the United States place in NATO as well as Trump’s thoughts on Canada.

“I replied that this would probably destroy NATO and, while we were on the subject, could he please leave Canada alone too,” Hardman wrote.
Would ‘make the King of Canada unhappy’

“It had been a staunch ally through history, a gallant D-Day partner and attempting to acquire it would undoubtedly make the King of Canada unhappy. Do they still recognize the King? Or have they stopped that?” Trump reportedly asked, and went on to say, “The problem is some guy drew that straight line to make a border. He should just have drawn it fifty miles further north and then there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Hardman continued, “This was the closest I had heard to an acknowledgement that, as long as Canada had the King, Mr. Trump was not going to usurp him. There could be no doubting the esteem in which the late Queen was held by Mr. Trump. He had also voiced the highest praise for her son and heir, who appeared to be the primary reason why he was no longer sabre-rattling at Canada.”

What stands out here is how the book moves the discussion of royal “soft power” into a fresh perspective.

The Queen had been mastering this kind of subtle influence long before it became a common term in politics. She did so through careful diplomacy meaningful symbols, and a rare skill to gain respect without needing to assert herself.

Leaders rose and fell. Governments changed. Public opinion shifted back and forth. Yet Elizabeth stayed the same – steady, calm, and always there.

Her presence meant something. It gave not just the U.K. but also the entire Commonwealth a feeling of stability during uncertain times. As debates around the future of the monarchy carry on, in nations thinking about their bond with the Crown, Hardman’s story acts as both a reminder and a caution.

#BREAKING: Trump agrees to suspend ‘bombing and attack of Iran’ for two weeks.

TEHRAN, Iran - U.S. President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, swerving to deescalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate or face a major escalation.

Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets, subject to Tehran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped during peacetime. He also said Iran has proposed a “workable” 10-point peace plan that could help end the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted a two-week ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management. It wasn’t immediately clear whether that meant Iran would loosen its chokehold on the waterway.

In a post on his social media site, Trump said that he would suspend attacks on Iran for two weeks provided Tehran agreed “to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING” of the strait.

North Korea launches projectile off its coast, Seoul says, #SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched a projectile off its east coast Wednesday in its second launch in two days, South Korea’s military said.

South Koreas’ Joint Chiefs of Staff gave no further details like how far the latest projectile flew and what type of weapon was launched.

South Korea’s military had also detected the launch of an unidentified projectile near North Korea’s capital region Tuesday. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing details of Tuesday’s launch.

Earlier this week, North Korea said leader Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal.

Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal their launches than liquid-fuel weapons, which in general must be fueled before liftoffs and cannot last long. The latest solid-fuel engine test, the first of its kind in seven months, was in line with Kim’s stated goal of acquiring more agile, hard-to-detect missiles targeting the U.S. and its allies.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday the engine test was likely related to an effort to build a more powerful missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

North Korea has pushed hard to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. In a ruling Workers’ Party congress in February, Kim left open the door for dialogue with Trump but urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.

The Associated Press