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.
President Donald Trump said late Friday he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration.
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday in the wake of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, though Tehran threatened to close the vital waterway once again if the US blockade continues.
A ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday.
April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping was "very happy" about the status of the Strait of Hormuz, and that he looked forward to their meeting in China.
"President Xi is very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening," Trump said on Truth Social. "Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, Historic. I look forward to being with President Xi — Much will be accomplished!," he added.
(Reporting by Ismail ShakilEditing by Shri Navaratnam)
April 17 (Reuters) - The United Nations children's agency UNICEF said on Friday it was "outraged" after two truck drivers it contracted to deliver clean water to families in the Gaza Strip were killed by Israeli fire.
The U.N. agency said in a statement the incident occurred during routine water trucking Friday morning at the Mansoura water filling point in northern Gaza, which supplies Gaza City. Two others were injured in the attack.
US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea, extending an earlier move to soften surging energy prices.
The license, issued by the Treasury Department, comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not renew the waiver.
The latest move allows for the purchase of oil and petroleum products that have been loaded onto any vessel as of Friday, through 12:01 am (0401 GMT) on May 16.
April 17 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Friday for joint efforts for an effective mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and said Kyiv's wartime experience in the Black Sea could help.
"Decisions made regarding Hormuz now will determine how other aggressive actors perceive the possibility of creating problems in other straits and on other fronts," Zelenskiy said in remarks to a video conference attended by 50 countries and chaired by France and Britain.
A Turkish doctoral student detained by US immigration authorities following her pro-Palestinian activism has returned to her native country, a rights group said Friday.
"After 13 years of dedicated study, I am very proud to have completed my PhD and to return home on my own timeline," Rumeysa Ozturk said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Ozturk, a student at Tufts University near Boston, was detained by federal agents in March 2025 and held in Louisiana for six weeks.
DUBAI, April 17 (Reuters) - Significant differences between Iran and the United States remain to reach a deal aimed at ending the war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday, adding that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is "conditional on U.S. adherence to the terms of ceasefire".
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "no agreement has been reached on the details of the nuclear issues," and serious negotiations are required to overcome differences.
BEIRUT, April 17 (Reuters) - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that any future deal reached by the government would not cede any territory or undermine Lebanon's national rights, without saying whether he was referring to prospective talks with Israel.
The televised address was his first speech since the U.S. brokered a ceasefire to end fighting between Israel and armed group Hezbollah on Thursday. The text of the deal says Israel and Lebanon would hold direct talks to produce a "peace between the two countries".
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that his country was on the verge of a "new phase" of "permanent agreements", after the 10-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into force.
In a speech addressing the Lebanese people and hinting at the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group the day after US President Donald Trump announced the truce, Aoun said that his country was no longer "an arena for anyone's wars".
