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Donald Trump’s vow to block the strait of Hormuz came after the weekend US-Iran talks failed to reach a deal. But the two sides turned up in Pakistan to test each other’s resolve, writes Patrick Wintour – and it was probably unrealistic to expect a long-running dispute to be settled in one marathon session.

The report from the Guardian’s diplomatic editor says:

It was as if the two delegations in the Iran-US peace talks in Islamabad hoped that the sheer number of negotiators flown into Pakistan could overcome the handicap of having only a finite number of hours in which to settle a 20-year dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, now overlaid by complex new issues such as future control of the strait of Hormuz and US compensation for its attack on Iran.

Iran sent two planeloads of negotiators … The US sent not just the vice-president, JD Vance, but nearly 300 other officials.

Vance spoke to Donald Trump at least a dozen times during the talks, and even once to Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu … But it was probably unrealistic to expect issues that took up two years of negotiations in Vienna between 2013 and 2015 over the nuclear deal to be resolved in one marathon session.

Robert Malley, a veteran of nuclear talks with Iran under Joe Biden, noted pithily: “Twenty-one hours was 20 hours too many if the goal was to reiterate a demand Iran had already rejected. It was many hours too few if the goal was to negotiate.”

See the full report here:

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, who led Tehran’s negotiators at the weekend talks with Washington, has taunted Donald Trump over petrol prices amid the US president’s vow to blockade the strait of Hormuz.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X above an image appearing to show prices per gallon at gas stations in the White House area:

Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called ‘blockade’, Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.”

Australia’s prime minister has said his government wants to see negotiations between the US and Iran continue and that Australia has not been asked to participate in any US blockade of the strait of Hormuz.

Anthony Albanese told Channel 9 television on Monday morning:

We haven’t been asked to participate. We’ve received no requests. We haven’t been asked … and I don’t expect that we will be.

What we want is for negotiations to resume. We want to see an end to the loss of life and the loss of infrastructure… in the Middle East. And we want to see trade resume.

This is having a massive global economic impact, not just on Australia. Every single country is being impacted.”

The war with Iran has cost Israel about 35bn shekels (US$11.5bn) in direct budgetary expenses, according to preliminary estimates from the Israeli finance ministry.

The ministry said the war – involving Israel and the US against Iran – had inflicted severe economic damage, including a significant contraction of GDP and a surge in government spending.

Officials warned that the full financial impact – including long-term reconstruction and economic recovery costs – might not be fully realised for some time.

The largest portion of the budget was consumed by the Israel Defence Forces, the defence ministry, the national security ministry and various intelligence organisations.

Oil prices have reportedly risen in early market trading after Donald Trump said the US would blockade the strait of Hormuz following the failure of weekend peace talks.

Iran’s minister of foreign affairs, Abbas Araghchi, said that yesterday’s negotiations between the US and Iran actually came close to agreement at some point, but ultimately fell apart due to the US “shifting goalposts.”

“In intensive talks at the highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with US in good faith to end the war,” he wrote. “But when just inches away from ‘Islamabad MoU’, we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons earned. Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity.”

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Parliament speaker of Iran, also chimed in to remind the White House of rising gas prices in the US.

“Enjoy the current pump figures,” he wrote. “With the so-called ‘blockade’, soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.”

The Lebanese Red Cross said an Israeli drone strike hit their unit and killed a paramedic on Sunday.

“This evening, while carrying out a humanitarian mission at a site on the road to the town of Beit Yahoun, Lebanese Red Cross teams came under direct targeting from an Israeli drone, resulting in the martyrdom of paramedic Hassan Badawi, the injury of another paramedic with minor wounds, and their transfer to Tebnine Governmental Hospital,” the statement said.

2,055 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah, according to the Health Ministry. Among the dead are 252 women, 165 children, and 87 medical workers. 6,588 others have been wounded.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer held a call with French president Emmanuel Macron this afternoon to discuss the ongoing regional crisis in the Middle East.

The two leaders reportedly focused on the necessity of immediate de-escalation, according to a statement from Downing Street. Starmer emphasized the need for a “lasting ceasefire,” with both heads of state agreeing that such an agreement must encompass Lebanon to ensure genuine regional stability.

The leaders also underscored the critical role of the strait of Hormuz in maintaining global trade and energy security. They committed to mobilizing a broad international coalition to safeguard freedom of navigation.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says that an agreement with the US is achievable if “the American government abandons its totalitarianism.”

“If the American government abandons its totalitarianism and respects the rights of the Iranian nation, ways to reach an agreement will certainly be found,” Pezeshkian wrote.

His statement follows an earlier call Pezeshkian held with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday, in which he reportedly said that Tehran is prepared to reach a deal to secure “lasting regional peace”, provided that Iran’s national interests are respected.

The failure of negotiations to end the US war with Iran has unleashed a barrage of starkly partisan political responses, with leading Republicans making hawkish calls for Donald Trump to “finish the job” while top Democrats warned that it would be disastrous for the president to resume hostilities.

The former UN ambassador during Trump’s first presidency, Nikki Haley, led the Republican charge. She told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that the current two-week ceasefire was a test of nerves.

“This is like a game of chicken,” she said. “It’s who caves first. The Iranian regime is hoping that Trump will cave. Today, he showed he’s not.”

Haley was alluding to Trump’s threat, made hours after marathon peace talks in Pakistan ended without result, that the US military would blockade the strait of Hormuz to prevent Iran profiting from its control of the narrow shipping passage. She encouraged Trump to “go after Iran where it hurts”, adding that what would “really bring Iran to its knees is to go after it economically”.

Speaking on ABC’s This Week, US senator Ron Johnson – a Wisconsin Republican – also urged Trump to take a hard line. He advocated the total removal of the Iranian regime, admitting that the task “could be longer term”.

Read more:

Iran’s navy chief Shahram Irani on Sunday called US president Donald Trump’s threat to blockade the strait of Hormuz “ridiculous”, after marathon talks between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan failed to deliver a deal to end the conflict, reports AFP.

“The brave men of the naval force of the army of the Islamic Republic of Iran are monitoring and supervising all the movements of the aggressive American army in the region. The threats of the US president to blockade Iran at sea... are very ridiculous and funny,” he said, according to state TV.

Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway from Iran in the aftermath of failed peace negotiations between the countries in Pakistan.

The US president also threatened to bomb Iran’s water treatment facilities as well as its power plants and bridges, repeating an earlier threat, if Tehran did not agree to abandon its nuclear weapons programme – the key sticking point between the two sides.

Trump’s surprise announcement of a blockade came after 21 hours of face-to-face peace negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad collapsed on Sunday morning.

JD Vance, the vice-president and head of the US team, said Iran had refused to give up the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, while the Iranian delegates said Washington needed to do more to win their trust.

My colleagues Dan Sabbagh and Sam Jones have more here:

The UK will not be involved in any blockade of the strait of Hormuz, the Guardian understands, despite claims by Donald Trump on Sunday the US was “going to be blockading the strait of Hormuz” with the assistance of Nato allies.

Speaking to Fox News, the US president said “it won’t take long to clean out the strait” and claimed “numerous countries are going to be helping us”, adding the UK and other nations were sending minesweepers.

The UK has previously suggested it could play a role in making the strait of Hormuz safe to pass, and has mine-hunting systems and anti-drone capabilities already in the region. But there have been concerns in Whitehall that complying with Trump’s demand to send ships could escalate the crisis. The UK’s willingness to consider a role in mine removal operations is seen as distinct from Trump’s blockade proposal.

Read more:

Reports from multiple outlets state that JD Vance’s goal in the talks with Iran was to outline America’s “red lines” and look for room to negotiate. But Iran’s delegates could not agree to all of the stated red lines.

Robert Malley, a lead negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has commented in response to the “red lines” that the US reportedly detailed during yesterday’s negotiations.

These lines include: Ending all uranium enrichment, dismantling all major nuclear enrichment facilities, and fully opening the strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage.

Malley responded to these demands on social media, writing: “If these were actual red lines, they could have spared themselves the trip.”

Malley previously led the Middle East desk of the National Security Council under the Obama administration, becoming a key negotiator on the Iran nuclear deal.

Hooman Majd, an Iranian-American journalist and political commentator, also responded to the red lines list, saying: “There is no way that Iran will ever concede every one of these points (if it even considers any of them at all).

“So realistically, either Trump chooses to go back to talks and is willing to offer compromises, or goes back to war with all the consequences that will ensue.”

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Sunday that the Israeli military has been ramming and shooting at them.

“On two occasions today, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers rammed UNIFIL vehicles with a Merkava tank, in one case causing significant damage,” UNIFIL wrote in a statement. “The soldiers had blocked a road in Bayada that is used to access UNIFIL positions.”

“Over the past week, Israeli soldiers have fired ‘warning shots’ in the area, striking and damaging clearly identifiable UNIFIL vehicles,” the statement continued. “In one case, a ‘warning shot’ landed a meter away from a peacekeeper who had dismounted his vehicle.”

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly told Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday that Tehran is prepared to reach a deal to secure “lasting regional peace”, provided that Iran’s national interests are respected.

According to a readout from Iranian state media, Pezeshkian used the call to condemn the US’s use of military bases in Gulf nations to launch strikes against Iran. Despite these tensions, he characterized neighboring Gulf countries as “brothers” and reaffirmed Tehran’s desire to establish a regional security framework that excludes “outside powers”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) has warned in its latest statement that “approaching military vessels to the strait of Hormuz is considered a violation of the ceasefire”.

“The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declares that contrary to the false claims of some enemy officials, the strait of Hormuz is under intelligent control and management, open for the harmless passage of non-military vessels in accordance with specific regulations, and any military vessels attempting to approach the strait of Hormuz under any pretext or excuse will be considered a violation of the ceasefire and will be dealt with harshly and decisively.”

Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat and the vice-chairman of the US Senate intelligence committee, told CNN on Sunday that he questions the logic of Trump’s blockade strategy.

“I don’t understand how blockading the strait is going to somehow push the Iranians into opening it. I don’t get the connection there,” Warners told CNN’s State of the Union.

Warner added that he didn’t see “how blockading the strait gets it open suddenly, I don’t get that logic”.

Trump also defended his earlier threats during his Fox News interview, saying on Sunday that his previous post where he wrote that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” was what brought Iran to be willing to negotiate. He also accused the Islamic Republic of making worse statements, such as “Death to America. Death to Israel. America is a Satan.”

He then reiterated his threats: “In one half of a day they wouldn’t have one bridge standing, they wouldn’t have one electric generating plant standing and they’re back in the stone ages.”

A group armed with automatic weapons tried to board a vessel in the Red Sea about an hour ago, the UK maritime security monitors have said.

The Royal Navy coordinated UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the board was “approached by a skiff with approximately 10-12 people on board, 4-5 of whom were armed with automatic weapons”.

“The crew requested that the sailing vessel stopped and when the Master refused they attempted to pull the skiff alongside to board.”

“The Master deployed a flare and the skiff turned away and departed to the southeast. Authorities are investigating,” it said.

The incident happened at about 11.25am universal time or 12.25 British Summer Time. It took place off the cost of Yemen. UKMTO acts as a bridge between military forces and merchant vessels reporting incidents including drones and missile or projectile attacks in Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Gulf region.

Israel’s war on Iran has cost Israel 35 billion shekels ($11.52bn; £8.57bn) in budgetary expenses, with 22 billion shekels ($7.3bn; £5.4bn) of that going to defence, the finance ministry said, citing a preliminary estimate.

The amount has already been added to the 2026 budget, it added.

Trump signed off one of his Truth social posts by saying the US was “fully locked and loaded”, warning Iran that the American military “will finish up the little that is left” of the country if he decides on that action at some point in the future.

These continued threats by Trump are unlikely to foster positive relations between Washington and Tehran before any future diplomatic talks.

From his statement it sounds as if he may be warning Iran of future US military attacks if it strongly resists or reacts militarily to the promised American blockade of the strait of Hormuz.

Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), has said the strait of Hormuz has never been Iran’s to close ⁠or restrict navigation ⁠through.

“Any attempt to do so is not merely a regional issue, but represents a disruption to a global economic lifeline and a direct threat to the energy, food, and health security of all countries in the world,” he said in a post on X.

“This behavior is illegal, dangerous, and unacceptable, and the world cannot bear its consequences or allow it to happen.”

He said at least 22 ships have been targeted and nearly 400 oil tankers stranded since 28 February, when the US and Israel launched their war on Iran by killing the country’s former supreme leader in airstrikes on Tehran.

In response to the attacks, Tehran effectively closed the strait of Hormuz to vessels, only allowing a relatively small number of ships from “friendly” countries like China, Malaysia and Pakistan through.

Iranian authorities have since demanded the right to impose tolls on vessels transiting the vital waterway, where roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through, including after the war ends.

Tehran’s 10-point ceasefire plan would reportedly permit Iran and Oman to charge a fee of up to $2m (£1.5m) a ship on vessels moving through the strait.

Reuters reports on some of the victims of Israel’s strikes on Lebanon:

Wrapped in bloodied bandages, Aline Saeed, 7, barely survived the Israeli strike on her home in south Lebanon last week. She was there to bury her father as hopes of a truce spread across the region, but a new strike killed her infant sister and other relatives.

The strike on the Saeed family home in the village of Srifa took place on Wednesday, the first day of a US-Iran ceasefire that many in Lebanon hoped would apply to their country, too. Instead, Israeli strikes killed more than 350 across Lebanon and left the Saeed family with four more relatives to bury.

“They said it was a ceasefire. Like all these people, we went up to the village. We went to the casket to read the prayers and walk home ... suddenly we felt like a storm was landing right on us,” said Nasser Saeed, Aline’s 64-year-old grandfather, who also survived.

Heavy bombardment on Lebanon has continued, with nearly 100 people killed on Saturday.

Dr Abbas Attiyeh, head of emergency operations at Tyre’s Jabal Amel hospital, said last week’s bombardment was one of the heaviest in recent years and many of the patients arriving at his hospital were children.

“The challenges we’re facing now are the numbers of wounded that come at the same time, within the same 30 minutes or hour,” Attiyeh said.

Asked about the Srifa incident, the Israeli military said it was looking into the report of the strike.

Iranians reacted with a mixture of disappointment and defiance on Sunday after peace talks with the US failed to reach an agreement, AP reports.

Standing outside a newsstand in the capital, Tehran, Farhad Simia said he had hoped for successful negotiations and an end to the fighting, but stood with Iran despite the failure of the talks. “I’m against war. I think negotiation is the better path,” Simia, 43, said. He blamed “inappropriate demands” by the US for the failure to reach a deal.

Mehdi Hosseini, also 43, agreed: “The fact that the Iranian negotiating team managed to preserve what it achieved in the war, while refusing to back down and surrender, gives reason for hope.”

The streets of Tehran were lined up with large Iranian flags and giant billboards glorifying the country’s leaders and military achievements. One large mural depicted Iranian men in uniform lifting a fishing net out of the sea with a catch of miniature-sized US military aircraft and warships. “The Strait Remains Closed,” the billboard read.

Hamid Haghi, 55, said “America’s overreach” was the reason for the talks’ failure. The US wants “to come to the Strait of Hormuz, which is a legacy from our fathers,” he said. “We can oversee (it) ourselves.”

Like many Iranians, 60-year-old Mohammad Bagher believes Iran should continue to stand strong against the US in what he sees as a war of their own making. “We are a nation of dialogue and negotiation as long as our interests are respected. We have never sought war,” he said. “We will stand firm to the end, we are ready to sacrifice our lives, and will not give them one inch of our land.”

Javad Zarif, a former Iranian foreign minister, said in a post on X this morning that the Pakistan talks failed because Iran is not going to accept terms dictated to it by the US.

He said: “No negotiations – at least with Iran – will succeed based on “our/your terms.” The US must learn: you can’t dictate terms to Iran. It’s not too late to learn. Yet.”

Zarif, who was Iran’s top diplomat between 2013 and 2021 in the government of the ‘moderate’ president Hassan Rouhani, was in office when the US reached its nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 under Barack Obama.

Donald Trump exited the agreement three years later by claiming that Iran was building a nuclear program, without providing evidence to support this claim at the time.

In a call this morning, the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the Sultan of Oman agreed that all sides should avoid “any further escalation” in the US-Israel war on Iran.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

They discussed the peace talks held in Pakistan over the weekend and urged both sides to find a way through. It was vital there was a continuation of the ceasefire, and that all parties avoided any further escalation, the leaders agreed.

His majesty updated on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and the prime minister thanked him for Oman’s efforts to rescue sailors from vessels in distress in the region.

Reflecting on international efforts to co-ordinate safe passage for shipping in the region, the prime minister said that following meetings convened by the foreign secretary and British military planners, partners continued to work towards restoring freedom of navigation for the long term.

The prime minister also reiterated the UK’s commitment to ensuring Oman’s security and updated on the UK’s work with Ukraine on drone technology. It was clear Ukraine’s expertise had been vital to the region in recent weeks, while Russia appeared to continue to support Iran’s aggression. The leaders agreed to speak again soon.

You can read what the health secretary, Wes Streeting, said this morning about the peace talks held in Pakistan over the weekend here.

Iran is unable to find the mines it laid in the strait of Hormuz and does not have the capacity to remove the explosives, preventing Iran from allowing more traffic through the waterway, the New York Times reported, citing US officials.

Iran laid mines in the strait of Hormuz last month after the US and Israel declared war against the country, dropping explosives throughout the waterway with small boats.

The US was mostly unable to monitor the small boats that were mining the strait, leaving the country uncertain about the location and number of mines in the waterway.

Maritime traffic through the strait ground almost to a standstill due to the mines, as well as Iranian drones and missiles that threatened to hit ships. A senior Revolutionary Guards official said on 2 March the country would set ships “ablaze” if they tried to traverse the strait.

A small number of ships have continued to pass through after being given the go-ahead by Iran, which allowed through vessels from friendly nations that paid tolls.

US officials have said that Iran placed mines in the strait erratically, and may not have marked where it put all of them. Some mines also drifted or moved from their original location, US officials suggested.

Neither Iran nor the US have the capacity to quickly demine the strait, particularly after the US destroyed much of Iran’s navy.

The internet blackout in Iran has entered its 44th day, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. It said in a social media post:

Network data show Iran’s internet blackout is now in its 44th day, continuing in its seventh week past the 1032 hour mark.

The human and economic impacts of the extended censorship measure continue to pile up, breaking global records for shutdowns in a connected society.

Those without access to Starlink or alternative ways to communicate – which are often expensive – are cut off, not only from the outside world but the blackout also severely curtails Iranian’s ability to communicate with each other, making mobilisation, for example, much more difficult.

A select number of officials are still able to use the internet and post regularly on social media about the war. There was an earlier internet shutdown in January during nationwide protests, which helped obscure extreme violence against Iran’s population.

The Fars news agency, which is close to the Iranian security services, is reporting that 21 people have been killed and 13 others injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since this morning.

Attacks have been reported across southern Lebanon including in the towns of Qana and Maaroub. We have not been able to independently verify this information yet.

Over in the UK, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, has said the failure to reach a deal in the US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan was “disappointing”. He told Sky News this morning:

It’s obviously disappointing that we haven’t yet seen a breakthrough in negotiations and an end to this war in Iran that is a sustainable one.

But as ever in diplomacy, you’re failing until you succeed. So while these talks may not have ended in success, that doesn’t mean there isn’t merit in continuing to try.

Clearly when you look at the impact of the war in Iran on this country, on other countries around the world who have no part in this war, it is in all of our interests for there to be a breakthrough and an end to this war.

The UK, which has been hit hard by rising bills resulting from the economic impact of the war, has been working on a “practical plan” to try to reopen the strait of Hormuz (to all vessels).

Tehran says no one had expectation of reaching agreement with US in one session: Iran state TV

Iran’s foreign ministry has downplayed the stalling of negotiations on Sunday.

“Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation,” ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

He said Tehran was “confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue”.

You can read more about the abrupt end to the talks here:

‘Everything is gone’

William Christou, Abbas Abdel Karim and Lucy Swan have reported today on Israel destroying entire villages as part of its invasion of southern Lebanon.

The Guardian reviewed three videos posted by the Israeli military and on social media, which showed Israel carrying out mass detonations in the villages of Taybeh, Naqoura and Deir Seryan along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Rights groups fear the tactic of “domicide” trialled in Gaza, where entire areas are made uninhabitable, is being used again.

The Israeli military has said they are targeting Hezbollah infrastructure such as tunnels and military facilities, which it claims the armed group has embedded in civilian homes, through these demolitions.

You can read the full story here:

Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says it’s “disappointing” that peace talks have failed between the US and Iran, but has urged parties to return to negotiations as a matter of priority.

It is disappointing that the Islamabad talks between the United States and Iran have ended without agreement.

The priority now must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations. We continue to want to see a swift resolution to this conflict.

Any escalation in the conflict would impose an even greater human cost and further impact the global economy.

Pope Leo XIV himself stepped into the international political arena yesterday, the Guardian’s Edward Helmore reported, saying “enough of war” and decrying the “delusion of omnipotence” that drives leaders into global conflict, at evening prayers in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington and a close ally of Pope Leo XIV, has called for Catholics to take civic action against the “immoral” war on Iran.

Reporter Christopher Hale, whose Substack chronicles the Trump administration’s interactions with the papacy, shared a video of the archbishops’s address, in which McElroy called for his congregation to “move beyond prayer”.

As citizens and believers in this democracy that we cherish so deeply, we must advocate for peace with our representatives and leaders.

It is not enough to say we have prayed. We must also act. For it is very possible that the negotiations will fail because of recalcitrance on both sides, and the president will move to re-enter this immoral war.

At that critical juncture, as disciples of Jesus Christ called to be peacemakers in the world, we must answer vocally and in unison: ‘No. Not in our name. Not at this moment. Not with our country.’

What makes this especially interesting, a colleague of mine points out, is that JD Vance, who less than two hours ago led the US exit from peace talks with Iran, converted to Catholicism in 2019.

He recently announced a new memoir on the subject, which you can read more about here:

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency is citing an “informed source” saying Iran is in no hurry to negotiate, Reuters reports – and that as long as the US does not agree to a “reasonable deal”, there will be no change in situation in the strait of Hormuz.

As William Christou reported earlier, the opening of the strait of Hormuz – a chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil supply – is a primary demand of the US to end the war in Iran.