The Independent67%
Iran-US war latest: Trump says talks will continue over the weekend as Tehran denies it will hand over uranium 0%
By Alex Croft81% James C. Reynolds78% Rachel Dobkin0%
4/18/2026, 1:00:14 AM
Topics: Liveblog
BS Summary: This article contains 32 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Optimism Bias, and Appeal to Emotion, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 17.8% saturation with 186 hits. Analysis detected 1,822 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,043 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 0% and a BS Rank of 0% (0 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 100.00% of the article peer group.
Donald Trump was optimistic about talks with Iran to end the war on Friday, telling reporters negotiations would continue this weekend, with the ceasefire set to end in a matter of days.
“We've had some very good discussions...
Talks are going on.
It'll go on over the weekend, and a lot of good things are happening”, he said ahead of a rally in Arizona to shore up waning support with his base.
The president earlier told Axios he expected a peace deal within “a day or two” as Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open.
A second round of talks to end the war is still to be confirmed.
Still, the road to peace looked uncertain as Iran’s foreign ministry shot down Trump’s assertion that the big issues were all but resolved.
Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV on Friday that Iran’s uranium “is not going to be transferred anywhere”, after the US president insisted it would.
“Transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option for us,” Baghaei added, after Trump told Reuters he would excavate Iran’s nuclear material and “bring it back” to the US.
US-Iran talks set to resume Monday: report
Peace talks between the US and Iran are set to resume Monday, CNN’s Iranian sources have said.
The talks are expected to take place in Pakistan with negotiators planning to arrive in Islamabad Sunday, the Iranian officials said.
Rachel Dobkin18 April 2026 02:00
Watch: Trump says Iran war ‘going along swimmingly’
James Reynolds18 April 2026 01:30
Iranian parliamentary speaker warns Strait of Hormuz will close again if Trump's blockade continues
Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned that the Strait of Hormuz will close again if US President Donald Trump's naval blockade of Iranian ports continues.
“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open”, Ghalibaf wrote on X early Saturday local time.
Iran said Friday that the vital oil passageway was fully reopened, but Trump said the US blockade would “remain in full force” until a deal to end the conflict is made.
Rachel Dobkin18 April 2026 01:06
In pictures: Beirut on the first full day of the ceasefire in Lebanon
James Reynolds18 April 2026 00:30
Trump declares ‘victory’ over Iran after Strait of Hormuz oil channel is reopened
President Donald Trump on Friday took a self-congratulatory victory lap after Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway that Tehran had weaponised to retaliate against the U.S. by cutting off global oil supplies — was “completely open.”
The reopening could potentially end weeks of economic upheaval caused by skyrocketing fuel prices worldwide, but Trump’s war with Iran, in conjunction with Israel, remains in a fragile ceasefire heading into another weekend of negotiations.
Read the full story:
James Reynolds18 April 2026 00:01
Recap: Trump thanks Tehran after Strait of Hormuz declared ‘fully open’ for ships during ceasefire
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi declared on Friday that Tehran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the remainder of the ceasefire with the US following a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon.
“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” he wrote in a post on social media.
President Donald Trump confirmed the news with a post on Truth Social on Friday afternoon, writing: “Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully open and ready for full passage!
Thank you!”
He added that the “naval blockade will remain in full force and effect” until an agreement is reached with Tehran.
Oil prices fell 13 per cent with the news - but shipping operators still had concerns and were awaiting direction.
James Reynolds17 April 2026 23:30
Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, Trump reiterates
After several minutes praising his own presidency, Trump returns briefly to Iran and Nato.
He has been arguing that the US was in decline before his return to office, producing extraordinary figures and claims about the state of the economy since.
“We are respected again as a country, and we're respected at levels that nobody thought possible,” he says.
“Unlike past leaders, this administration does not apologise for American power.
We are not ashamed of our might, and we do not hesitate to defend the American people, which is what we've been doing for the last two months, because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
It's very simple.”
The crowd applauds and Trump seizes the opportunity to take a pop shot at Nato.
“If NATO teaches us any one thing, and I hope you all watched, because they weren't there for us, if it teaches us any one thing, we have to rely on ourselves.
We can't rely on outside countries and outside sources.”
Trump repeats claims to have ended eight wars, including one “that would have killed 30 to 50 million”, and ominously hints at a “new dawn for Cuba”.
James Reynolds17 April 2026 23:25
Watch: Trump declares Strait of Hormuz open at TPUSA event
James Reynolds17 April 2026 23:14
Trump boasts of ceasefire between Israel and 'Lebanon'
Trump says a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has not happened in ‘78 years’, vowing to ‘make Lebanon great again’.
Israel and Hezbollah, in Lebanon, agreed to a ceasefire in late 2024, amid the Israel-Hamas war.
That truce ended on 2 March this year, when Hezbollah attacked Israel after the US and Israel struck its ally, Iran.
James Reynolds17 April 2026 23:07
Watch live: Trump speaks in Phoenix after Strait of Hormuz declared ‘fully open’
Trump has turned to the war in Iran, reiterating today’s talking points.
He says that the US blockade remains in place even as Iran opens up Hormuz.
He also says Iran will hand over the ‘nuclear dust’ without money changing hands.
Trump says ‘Nato’ called him offering help.
Mention of the military alliance - of which the US is a part - gets a loud boo from the crowd.
James Reynolds17 April 2026 23:03
Analysis
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