Vatican
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Pope Leo told Reuters on Monday that he plans to continue speaking out against war after US President Donald Trump’s direct attack on the leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church. In comments aboard the papal flight to Algiers, where the first US pope is starting a 10-day tour to four African countries, the pontiff also said the Christian message was being “abused.” – Pope says he will continue to speak out against war after Trump attack
War in Iran/Middle East/Gulf and beyond
(Barak Ravid – Axios) Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators will continue talks with the U.S. and Iran in the coming days in an effort to bridge the remaining gaps and reach a deal to end the war, according to a regional source and a U.S. official. All parties still believe a deal is possible. The mediators hope that narrowing the gaps could enable another round of negotiations before the ceasefire expires on April 21. President Trump is considering resuming strikes if a U.S. naval blockade doesn’t make Iran change course, sources said. Targets could include infrastructure he threatened to attack before the ceasefire was announced. The blockade, like the U.S. decision to walk away from the talks in Pakistan, is part of the ongoing negotiations, a U.S. official said. The official claimed Trump wants to prevent Iran from using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage in the talks. – Mediators rush to revive U.S.-Iran nuclear talks before ceasefire expires
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The US military will enforce a blockade in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz and it will apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, the US Central Command said in a note to seafarers seen by Reuters on Monday. The note said the blockade would come into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday. – US military issues note to seafarers ahead of Iran blockade deadline
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The United States’ NATO allies said on Monday they would not get involved in President Donald Trump’s plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, further ratcheting up tensions within the increasingly fragile alliance. Trump said the US military would work with other countries to block all maritime traffic in the waterway, after weekend talks failed to reach an agreement to end the six-week conflict with Iran. The US military later specified that the blockade, due to start at 1400 GMT on Monday, would only apply to ships going to or from Iranian ports. – NATO allies refuse to join Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Turkey’s foreign minister raised concerns on Monday about Iran or the United States proposing any new regulations for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and said he saw difficulties around proposals to re-open the waterway with an international force. – Turkey raises concerns about any new Iran-US rules for Strait of Hormuz
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was deeply concerned by attacks on medical workers in Lebanon after a deadly strike on a Red Cross center in the country on Monday and the death of a volunteer a day earlier. Lebanon’s state news agency reported that Monday’s strike, which it said was carried out by Israel, killed one person and damaged Lebanese Red Cross vehicles. – ICRC calls consecutive strikes in Lebanon ‘gravely concerning’
(AFP/Al Arabiya) The head of the UN maritime agency said Monday no country had a legal right to block shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a trade passage paralyzed by the US-Iran war. – UN maritime chief says ‘no countries’ have right to close Hormuz
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran has resumed rail services on key routes after repairing sections of track damaged during the war with Israel and the United States, state media said on Monday. Authorities have in recent days begun reconstruction work on bridges, railway lines and other infrastructure hit during nearly 40 days of fighting. – Iran resumes rail services on routes damaged by war
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel supports US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a naval blockade on Iran, adding that his government is in full coordination with Washington on the matter. “Iran violated the rules (of the peace talks in Pakistan), President Trump decided to impose a naval blockade,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, according to a video statement released by his office. – Israel supports Trump’s Iran naval blockade, Netanyahu says
(Al Arabiya) Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, discussed the developments following the Iran-US talks in Islamabad during a phone call, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Monday. The call comes after the weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war, putting at risk a fragile two-week ceasefire. – Saudi, Iran foreign ministers discuss latest developments post Iran-US Islamabad talks
(AFP/Al Arabiya) The Israeli military said on Monday its troops had completely surrounded a key town in southern Lebanon after killing more than 100 Hezbollah fighters there over the past week. The announcement marks a significant advance in Israel’s ongoing invasion of southern Lebanon. – Israel says its forces have completely surrounded Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil
