Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on April 19 that there had been “progress” in talks with the United States aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war that began with Israel and US action, but warned “there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain.” Speaking on television, Ghalibaf said negotiators were still “far from the final discussion” and that a small number of core issues — on which both sides have red lines — remain unresolved. One key sticking point is Tehran’s nuclear program, with the US insisting Iran hand over all of its nuclear material.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran, brokered on April 8, is due to expire on Wednesday unless extended, and mediators have been scrambling to secure an extension. US President Donald Trump said there were “very good conversations” but warned Iran against attempting to “blackmail” the United States. Previous rounds of talks in Pakistan, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Ghalibaf, ended without a deal after marathon negotiations.
Tensions across the region have continued to ripple out. Iran on Saturday reimposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz a day after briefly reopening it, saying it would keep the waterway closed until US blockades of Iranian ports and coastal areas end. Security monitors and the UN’s maritime agency report repeated attacks on commercial vessels in recent weeks; analysts note Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy employs a “mosquito fleet” of fast boats, drones, missiles, torpedoes and sea mines that can harass tankers.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, allied with Tehran as part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, threatened to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen. Hussein al-Ezzi, a senior Houthi official, warned that if Sanaa decides to close the strait “all of mankind and jinn will be too helpless to open it.” So far the Houthis have launched attacks in support of Iran against Israel but have largely restrained attacks on regional shipping lanes.
The wider conflict’s local impacts were visible in Israel and Lebanon. In northern Israel, residents of Kiryat Shmona staged a strike and closed schools and city administration offices to protest a ceasefire with Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah, accusing their government of sacrificing northern communities. Many in the town demanded Hezbollah be fully disarmed and better rocket protection.
In southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said it had reopened a road and partially restored bridges damaged by Israeli strikes as the 10-day ceasefire held. Israel’s military also reported one soldier killed during combat in southern Lebanon, bringing the Israeli military death toll in that theatre to 15 since the ground offensive began.
As diplomats race to turn negotiation momentum into a lasting deal, leaders on all sides warn that remaining gaps are substantial and the risk of renewed escalation persists.