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No date set for next round of Iran-US talks: Iran deputy FM

No date has been set for the next round of Iran–US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of an initial round, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Saturday.

"Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set a date," Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists on the sidelines of an annual diplomatic forum in Turkey's southern Antalya province.

"We hope that as soon as we can finalise that, then we can move on to the next step".

No date has been set for the next round of Iran–US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of an initial round, Iran's deputy foreign minister says

Russia's Lavrov says time has come for conversation with US about future economic ties

April 18 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a summit in Turkey's Antalya that the time has come for a conversation with the U.S. about how Washington sees future economic ties with Russia, but that differences remain between the two countries.

Lavrov also said that NATO is "not in the best state", but that Russia would not meddle in the alliance's internal affairs.

Russia has made renewed economic cooperation with the U.S. a core part of its pitch for a diplomatic detente with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

FILE PHOTO: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walks for a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 15, 2026. Iori Sagisawa/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Pope Leo, newly forceful global voice, heads to Angola on Africa tour

By Joshua McElwee

YAOUNDE, April 18 (Reuters) - Pope Leo sets off on Saturday for Angola, where he is expected to address exploitation of natural resources in the oil-rich country on the third leg of his four-nation Africa tour, during which he has taken on a new forceful speaking style.

Leo, who has been attacked repeatedly by President Donald Trump this week after the pope criticized the Iran war, will arrive from Cameroon, where on Thursday he said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants".

Pope Leo XIV holds a holy Mass at Yaounde-Ville Airport in Yaounde, Cameroon, April 18, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Trade ships hit in Hormuz as Iran recloses strait

Commercial ships came under fire and threats from Iran's military as they tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, security monitors said, as Iran closed the crucial trade route again following a brief reopening.

Iran reversed its pledge to reopen the strait to commercial traffic during a ceasefire in the Middle East war in protest at an ongoing US counter-blockade of the route, a crucial passage for commodity shipments.

A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for oil

Egypt working with Pakistan on lasting US-Iran peace plan, minister says

ANTALYA, April 18 (Reuters) - Egypt is working closely with Pakistan on a framework aimed at securing a lasting peace between the U.S. and Iran, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday.

He said Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were coordinating a broader regional effort focused on preventing renewed escalation and laying the groundwork for a post-war security arrangement, stressing the importance of protecting Gulf states and stabilising energy markets, supply chains and food security.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Editing by Ece Toksabay and)

FILE PHOTO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (not pictured) in Baghdad, Iraq, April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad/File Photo

Iran not planning to attend talks with US in Pakistan

Iran is not currently planning to attend talks with the United States, state media said, after President Donald Trump ordered US negotiators to travel to Pakistan on Monday, just days before a ceasefire in the Middle East expires.

The ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports has been a significant sticking point, an issue further complicated by an American destroyer on Sunday firing on and seizing an Iranian ship that tried to evade it.

This handout photo released by US Central Command shows AH-64 Apaches flying above the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol on April 17, 2026

UK’s Cooper urges full resumption of shipping through Hormuz Strait

ANTALYA, April 18 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday the Strait of Hormuz had yet to return to normal operations despite a ceasefire in the Iran war, and urged Tehran to allow global shipping to resume fully.

"We are at a critical diplomatic moment with a ceasefire now in place ... but we don't yet have normal passage through the strait", Cooper told Reuters on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya.

Convoy of tankers is seen leaving Gulf, vessel tracking data shows

April 18 (Reuters) - A convoy of tankers was seen departing the Gulf and transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, vessel-tracking data showed.

The group comprised four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, with more tankers following from the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data.

(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; Editing by William Mallard)

A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS

Iranians fear sharpening pressure after war and crackdown 

By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowall

DUBAI, April 18 - Iranians striving to maintain a semblance of normal life after weeks of U.S. and Israeli bombing and a deadly crackdown on protesters in January remain daunted by the future, as damage from airstrikes and internet cuts take a toll.

With talks expected on extending a truce and agreeing an end to the conflict, shops, restaurants and government offices have stayed open. On sunny spring mornings, city parks are busy with picnicking families and young people playing sports, while others gather at streetside cafes.

Azadi Tower in Tehran, Iran, April 16, 2026. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani  Foreign media in Iran operate under guidelines set by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which regulates press activity and permissions

Trump says he has 'good news' on Iran, no clarity on peace deal

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Ariba Shahid

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said there had been "some pretty good news about Iran", suggesting optimism about peace talks to end the war on Iran, but he said a ceasefire in the conflict may not be extended without a deal by Wednesday.

Lightning strikes above Mohammad Al Amin Mosque after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Marko Djurica