PEN America names two Iranian writers for 2026 freedom award

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.

Iran’s lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a full ceasefire would only be meaningful if the naval blockade ends and what he called the “hostage-taking of the world economy” stops.

"A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade and the hostage-taking of the world economy, and if Zionist warmongering is halted on all fronts," he posted on X.

"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire."

"They did not achieve their goals through military aggression, and they will not achieve them through bullying either."