Iran's president says US blockade, breaches and threats hinder talks

PEN America said on Wednesday that Iranian writers Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee and Ali Asadollahi would receive the 2026 PEN Barbey Freedom to Write Award, which honors jailed writers targeted for their expression.

“These writers embody the courage and creativity it takes to express their viewpoints openly in the face of unrelenting persecution,” Summer Lopez, co-CEO of PEN America, said in a statement.

Iraee remains imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison after years of arrests and repeated jail terms.

Poet and translator Asadollahi was arrested in January 2026 during Iran’s crackdown on dissent and later released on bail in March after international pressure.

The two will be honored at PEN America’s Literary Gala in New York on May 14.

Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim claims Iran’s negotiating team in Islamabad did not enter discussions on the nuclear issue, saying it was not on the delegation’s agenda from the outset.

According to Tasnim, the United States raised the issue of suspending uranium enrichment, but the Iranian delegation “moved past” the proposal.

Tasnim added that the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization was not part of the delegation for that reason, and that the talks were limited to political, military, economic and legal issues.

It could take up to six months to fully clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines deployed by Iran’s military, The Washington Post reports citing a Pentagon brief to the US Congress.

The assessment suggests the economic fallout from the conflict could stretch into late this year or beyond, with shipping disruptions and elevated energy prices likely to persist.

It adds that and any such operation is unlikely to begin until the US-Iran war ends.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that eight female protesters who he said had been due to be executed in Iran would no longer be put to death.

“Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution,” he added.

More than 10 million barrels of Iranian crude left the Persian Gulf in the week after the United States imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports, AP reported citing analytics firm Vortexa.

Vortexa said it recorded 34 movements of sanctioned and Iranian-linked tankers in and out of the Persian Gulf between April 13 and Monday, including 19 outbound and 15 inbound voyages.

Six outbound movements were confirmed laden with Iranian crude, representing about 10.7 million barrels, the report said citing an email from the firm.

It was not immediately clear whether all of the barrels reached overseas markets.