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    US military says it shot down Iranian drones launched toward Strait of Hormuz

    CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. — The U.S. military said it shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and then struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response, raising the risk to a shaky ceasefire as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran . “The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said on social media. The military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, which has sent energy prices spiking and posed political problems for President Donald Trump's Republican Party ahead of the midterm congressional elections. U.S. Central Command said it hit the radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.” It was the latest in back-and-forth attacks that have strained the tenuous ceasefire in the war and efforts to reach a deal to extend that truce. Earlier this week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger termi

    3 MIN READBy AP
    US military says it shot down Iranian drones launched toward Strait of Hormuz
  • World

    Iran FM urges Lebanon president to save country from 'real foe'

    1 MIN READBy AFP
    Iran FM urges Lebanon president to save country from 'real foe'
  • World

    Pope Leo heads to Spain with migrants and polarisation in focus

    2 MIN READBy Reuters
    Pope Leo heads to Spain with migrants and polarisation in focus
  • World

    Trump's UFC fight at White House combines punches and politics

    3 MIN READBy Reuters
    Trump's UFC fight at White House combines punches and politics
  • World

    NASA reverses evacuation alert order for astronauts aboard space station

    3 MIN READBy Reuters
    NASA reverses evacuation alert order for astronauts aboard space station
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

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World

Trump, Iran cite progress in talks as uncertainty hangs over Strait

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD — Iran's top negotiator said recent talks with the U.S. had made progress but gaps remained over nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, while President Donald Trump cited "very good conversations" with Tehran despite warning against "blackmail" over the key shipping channel. Neither side offered any specifics about the state of negotiations on Saturday, days before a fragile ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is set to expire. The war, now in its eighth week, has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil shipments. Iran's reversal on vital strait "We have had progress but there is still a big distance between us," Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, told state media, referring to talks last weekend. "There are some issues on which we insist ... They also have red lines. But these issues could be just one or two." Trump said the U.S. was having "very good conversations" but gave no other details. T

Apr 19, 2026By Reuters
Trump, Iran cite progress in talks as uncertainty hangs over Strait
World

Pope Leo XIV says ‘not in my interest at all’ to debate Trump but will keep preaching peace

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate U.S. President Donald Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace. Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day tour of Africa. He addressed the spiraling back-and-forth saga of Trump’s critiques of his peace message, which have dominated news headlines this week. But the American pope also sought to set the record straight, insisting that his preaching isn’t directed at Trump, but reflects the broader Gospel message of peace. “There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself,” he said. “Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.” Trump launched the criticism on his social media platform Truth Social on the night

Apr 19, 2026By AP
Pope Leo XIV says ‘not in my interest at all’ to debate Trump but will keep preaching peace
World

Iran Guards say any ship approaching Hormuz will be 'targeted'

TEHRAN — The navy of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Saturday that any ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be treated as a target. "We warn that no ship, of any kind, should leave its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Any attempt to approach the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted," said the statement published on the Guards' official Sepah News website.

Apr 19, 2026By AFP
Iran Guards say any ship approaching Hormuz will be 'targeted'
World

Iran doubles down on closing Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire inches toward expiration

CAIRO (AP) — Iran doubled down on its pledge to restrict ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, as mediators scrambled to secure further talks before the ceasefire expires this week. Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf said in a televised interview that Tehran would continue to threaten commercial vessels transiting the critical waterway, after it fired on ships attempting to pass on Saturday. “It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” Qalibaf, who is Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the United States, said. Iran’s navy has warned ships against transiting the strait, a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil normally passes. After a brief uptick in transit attempts on Saturday, vessels in the Persian Gulf held their positions, wary after two India-flagged ships were fired on mid-transit and forced to turn back. Their retreat returned the strait to its pre-ceasefire status quo, threatening to deepen the global energy crisis and p

Apr 19, 2026By AP
Iran doubles down on closing Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire inches toward expiration
World

Iran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz, accusing US of violating deal to reopen it

CAIRO — Iran swiftly reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway on Saturday after the U.S. said it would not end its blockade of Iran-linked shipping. Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect. The announcement came the morning after U.S. President Donald Trump said that even after Iran announced the strait's reopening on Friday, the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program. The conflict over the chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after oil prices began to fall again on Friday on hopes the U.S. and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait and further limits would s

Apr 18, 2026By AP
Iran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz, accusing US of violating deal to reopen it
World

Trump hints at resuming attacks if ceasefire with Iran expires without deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will remain and attacks will resume if no agreement is reached with Iran, after Tehran said it had fully reopened the strait to commercial vessels but threatened to close it again over the U.S. blockade. Asked by a reporter Friday night what he will do if there’s no deal when a ceasefire with Iran expires next week, Trump said, “I don’t know. Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain. But maybe I won’t extend it, so you’ll have a blockade and unfortunately we’ll have to start dropping bombs again.” However, Trump also told reporters accompanying him aboard Air Force One to Washington that, “I think it’s going to happen,” referring to a deal. Questions lingered Saturday about how much freedom ships actually had to transit the waterway as Tehran maintained its grip on the strait and who got through, and threatened to close it again if the U.S. kept in place its blockade of Iranian ships and ports. Iran’s Friday announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water, through

Apr 18, 2026By AP
Trump hints at resuming attacks if ceasefire with Iran expires without deal
World

Pakistan military chief, PM head home after Iran war diplomacy blitz

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's powerful military chief and prime minister concluded separate visits aimed at ending the Iran war, Saturday, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and premier Shehbaz Sharif heading home from Turkey. Munir met Iran's top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said. The visit showed Pakistan's "unwavering resolve to facilitate a negotiated settlement... and to promote peace, stability, and prosperity," the military said ahead of expected U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad in the coming days. Munir held talks with the country's president, foreign minister, parliament speaker and the head of Iran's military central command centre. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian delegation to Islamabad for peace talks with the United States last week, the highest level face-to-face contact between the two countries in decades. Those talks ended without an agreement, but diplomacy continued thereafter, with Pakistan's prime minister undertaking a three-country

Apr 18, 2026By AFP
Pakistan military chief, PM head home after Iran war diplomacy blitz
World

Trump says Iran ceasefire may end if no deal reached by Wednesday

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he may end the ceasefire with Iran unless a long-term deal to end the war is agreed by Wednesday. "Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade (on Iranian ports) is going to remain," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on his way back to Washington from Phoenix, Arizona. "So you have a blockade, and unfortunately we have to start dropping bombs again."

Apr 18, 2026By Reuters
Trump says Iran ceasefire may end if no deal reached by Wednesday
World

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but threatens to close it again as US maintains its blockade

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but questions lingered Saturday about how much freedom ships actually had to transit the waterway as Tehran maintained its grip on the who got through and threatened to close it again if the U.S. kept in place its blockade of Iranian ships and ports. Iran’s Friday announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil is shipped, came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that ships would use routes designated by the Islamic Republic in coordination with Iranian authorities, suggesting Iran planned to retain some level of control over the channel. It was not clear if vessels would have to pay tolls. A data firm, Kpler, said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran’s approval. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reache

Apr 18, 2026By AP
Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but threatens to close it again as US maintains its blockade
World

Trump says he expects Iran deal in 'a day or two': report

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has said he expects the United States and Iran to reach a peace deal "in the next day or two," noting that a new round of negotiations between the two sides may take place this weekend, according to a report. Trump made the remarks in a brief phone interview with Axios, as hopes for a deal between Washington and Tehran have risen following this week's ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon and Iran's subsequent announcement on the opening of the crucial Strait of Hormuz in line with the ceasefire. "The Iranians want to meet. They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend. I think we will get a deal in the next day or two," he was quoted by Axios as saying. The meeting, if held, is expected to take place in Islamabad, where the first round of their peace talks occurred. In a separate interview with Bloomberg, Trump underscored progress in efforts to reach a deal with Iran. "Most of the main points are finalized. It'll go pretty quickly," he said. The president said he has not decided on who will lead a U.S.

Apr 18, 2026By Yonhap
Trump says he expects Iran deal in 'a day or two': report
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