As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in Pakistan that failed to reach a deal, Iran said it will not allow the crucial maritime trade chokepoint to re-open until the United States ends a blockade of Iranian ports

Iran has taken a beating militarily, but demonstrated it can exact economic costs that Trump and his aides underestimated, unleashing the worst-ever global energy shock, analysts say.

"If we accepted the ceasefire, it was because they accepted our demands," he said

Two-week ceasefire set to end on Wednesday

Neither side offered any specifics about the ‌state of negotiations

Iran’s military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again yesterday, prompting ships to abandon attempts to transit the waterway and President Donald Trump to warn Tehran against trying to “blackmail” the United States.

Iran warns negotiators will make no compromise, pledges to defend national interests with full strength

Two Indian-flagged vessels reportedly forced back as Tehran reverses reopening pledge

Remarks come after Tehran declares key shipping route closed again

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels reportedly opened fire without warning near Strait of Hormuz, as maritime tensions escalate despite earlier assurances on shipping safety

Saeed Khatibzadeh stresses commitment to diplomacy while Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey intensify mediation efforts amid ongoing tensions with the United States

Uncertainty grows after reopening reversed within hours

Airlines continue long detours to avoid Iranian skies

Pakistan's powerful army chief completed a three-day visit to Tehran, the country's military said on Saturday, having met top Iranian leaders and negotiators as part of efforts to end the Middle East war

Trump says ceasefire may not be extended when it expires on Wednesday

He referred to "nuclear dust" and added that it would be retrieved "very soon."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the shortest route to peace lay in dialogue and diplomacy.

Oil prices had already been falling on hopes of a negotiated end to the conflict, and the drop accelerated on Friday, with stocks heading upwards as traders drank in the optimism.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi yesterday said the Strait of Hormuz was open following a ceasefire agreed on in Lebanon, while US President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come “soon”, though the timing remained unclear.

No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form, he says