Middle East Situation Tracking |

① Iran
1. The third round of face-to-face negotiations between Iran and the United States ended in Islamabad in the early hours of April 12. Both sides once again sent expert teams to exchange texts, but reports indicate that the two delegations still have major differences during the talks, and that the U.S. must abandon its usual “excessive demands” and take a more realistic approach.
2. According to sources familiar with the matter, because of the U.S.’ “sky-high demands,” no substantive progress has been made since the Iran-U.S.-Islamabad negotiations began, and some Western media are exaggerating the “positive atmosphere” of the talks for the purpose of influencing international energy prices.
3. A new round of tripartite talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad officially kicked off on the 12th, local time. Sources say that given the U.S.’ excessive demands, this round of negotiations is the final chance for Iran’s team to help the U.S. team reach a common framework in the talks.
4. Iranian sources say that Iran and the United States are deadlocked over the issue of control of the Strait of Hormuz; Iran refuses to accept the U.S.-proposed “joint management” plan, insists on retaining control over this key waterway, and says it has the right to charge “tolls” to ships transiting through it.
5. On April 12, the naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying it has full control over the management authority of the Strait of Hormuz. The statement said that currently only non-military ships are allowed to pass through the strait according to specific regulations, denied reports about U.S. warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and emphasized that it will respond firmly to any attempt by any warship to pass.
6. On the 11th, Iranian President Pezeshkian said in comments on the negotiations that the Iranian delegation of senior officials attending the meeting in Pakistan will fully defend Iran’s national interests and will actively advance the talks with an undaunted posture.
7. The spokesperson of the Central Headquarters of Iran’s Armed Forces Hatem Anbiya (Hatem Ansar) firmly denied the claim that U.S. warships are approaching or entering the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the right of any ship to transit this waterway is entirely in the hands of Iran’s armed forces.
8. On the 11th, the spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Baghaei, said that Iran’s position, views, and demands had been formally conveyed to Pakistan based on the “Ten-Point Plan,” and that the armed forces are ready at any time to respond to any actions that violate the ceasefire.
9. Iran also emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz is one of its military achievements and must be maintained, and that the rights of the people must be safeguarded.
10. Iranian sources say that Iran is keeping in contact with Lebanon to ensure that all parties honor their ceasefire commitments across all fronts.
② United States
1. On the 11th, U.S. President Trump said in a press interview at the White House that an agreement between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad may be reached, or it may not be reached, but for him “there is no difference,” because “whatever happens, we are the winners.”
2. Trump said that if negotiations with Iran do not go smoothly, the U.S. is prepared to “restart.”
3. Trump said that Iran may deploy mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz; the U.S. has already deployed mine-sweeping ships there and is conducting mine-sweeping operations. According to the U.S. Central Command, the U.S. military has begun mine-sweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz in preparation for restoring safe navigation routes.
4. The U.S. Central Command posted on social media, saying that on the day in question, two U.S. Navy missile destroyers crossed the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Persian Gulf, which is part of the mission to completely clear the mines laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in that strait.
5. A U.S. Navy “Arleigh Burke”-class destroyer tried to enter the Strait of Hormuz but was intercepted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard ships; after a brief standoff, it was forced to withdraw. During the destroyer’s operation, Trump sent a message claiming that the Strait of Hormuz is “about to” open.
6. On the 11th, U.S. President Trump said in an interview at the White House that an agreement between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad may be reached, or it may not be reached, but for him “there is no difference.”
7. On the 11th, Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, posted on social media, saying that posting on “Real Social” cannot influence navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and that passage through the Strait must be authorized by Iran.
③ Israel
1. In a video statement released late in the evening of the 11th local time, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel “has successfully destroyed Iran’s nuclear program and missile program,” but that “military action against Iran has not yet ended,” and that Israel “still has tasks to complete.”
2. Netanyahu said that in addition to striking nuclear and missile projects, Israel also wants to “destroy the Iranian regime” and bring it to the “weakest state” since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
3. Netanyahu posted on his personal social media account, saying that under his leadership, “Israel will continue to strike the Iranian regime and its proxies.”
4. Netanyahu issued a statement saying that “eliminating (Lebanon’s) Hezbollah” is a prerequisite for Israel and Lebanon to conduct ceasefire negotiations. Israel proposed two conditions: first, disarm Hezbollah; second, reach a “sustainable peace agreement for generations, truly rooted in peace.”
5. Netanyahu also said that Israel will continue actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
6. On the 11th, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement saying that in the past 24 hours, Israeli forces struck more than 200 targets of Lebanese Hezbollah within Lebanon. The air force continued to carry out airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure and provided support for Israeli ground forces operating in southern Lebanon.
7. On the day in question, Israeli forces carried out targeted raids in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah’s armed facilities, and with the coordination of the Israeli Air Force, they killed multiple armed personnel of the organization and seized multiple weapons; the operation resulted in two Israeli soldiers being injured.
8. Market news: On Saturday, a series of Israeli airstrikes on five towns in southern Lebanon resulted in 19 deaths.
9. On the 11th, Lebanon’s Hezbollah issued multiple statements, saying that from the night of the 10th to the 11th, it launched multiple attacks on positions and equipment of the Israel Defense Forces.
10. Israel adjusted the public security defense guidelines for its northern region, announcing tightened control measures from 20:00 on the 11th to 18:00 on the 13th: schools in temporary border community areas between Lebanon and Israel will be fully closed; education in the Upper Galilee area will be limited to work in shelters; and in the Haifa Bay area, areas that meet shelter conditions may resume classes.
11. On the 10th, Hezbollah fired rockets at a city in northern Israel, but no air-defense alert was sounded locally. Preliminary investigations showed that the rocket launch was not identified by detection systems, so a warning could not be issued in time.
12. As of April 10, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes across multiple areas in Lebanon on the 8th had risen to 357 people, with another 1223 people injured.
④ Strait of Hormuz
1. According to Iranian sources, data from the ship-tracking website “Marine Traffic” show that the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz is still extremely limited at present, and all transiting ships pass through under direct monitoring by Iran.
2. Earlier, Bloomberg cited information as saying that 3 tankers have been observed passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
3. Reuters reported that shipping data showed that on Saturday, three supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which appears to be the first batch of ships leaving the Persian Gulf since the U.S. and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement.
4. On April 12, the naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying it fully controls the management authority of the Strait of Hormuz; currently, only non-military ships are allowed to pass through the strait according to specific regulations, and it denied reports about U.S. warships passing through the strait.
5. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the core issues where there are serious disagreements between Iran and the U.S.; Iran refuses to accept the “joint management” plan proposed by the U.S., insisting on retaining control over this key waterway, and saying it has the right to charge “tolls” to passing ships.
6. On the 11th, Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of Iran’s Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said in a social media post that passage through the Strait of Hormuz must be authorized by Iran.
7. The spokesperson of the Central Headquarters of Iran’s Armed Forces Hatem Anbiya denied the claim that U.S. warships are approaching or entering the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the right of any ship to transit is entirely in the hands of Iran’s armed forces.
⑤ Other developments
1. On the 11th, Qatar’s Ministry of Transport announced that maritime navigation for all types of vessels in the Persian Gulf will be fully restored from local time on the 12th, with navigation hours from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. At present, Iran, which controls the Strait of Hormuz, has not issued an official statement on whether it has coordinated with Qatar regarding this matter.
2. On the 12th, a member of the Yemeni Houthi movement’s political bureau said that if Israel can comply with the current ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the Houthi movement will stop attacks on Israel in the Red Sea and on ships related to Israel. If Israel resumes military action against Gaza and imposes a blockade, they will face even more forceful military strikes from the Houthi movement.
3. On the evening of the 12th, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued a statement expressing a positive stance toward any proposals that guarantee a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, that the Israeli military fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip, that can end the suffering of the Palestinian people, and that can reach an agreement on exchanging detainees. That day, Hamas’s negotiating delegation went to Cairo, Egypt’s capital, to meet and work with mediators such as Qatar and Egypt.
4. According to data published on the 12th by the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, since March 18 this year, Israeli forces have carried out attacks in multiple areas of the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 1563 deaths and 4004 injuries.
5. On the 12th, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), Gheit, said that the Gaza ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas “marks the beginning of an irreversible path toward achieving the ‘two-state solution.’”
6. French President Macron spoke by phone separately with the leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, stressing that the ceasefire should cover Lebanon and calling for the restoration of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
7. Dubai in the UAE will implement a new round of “flight restrictions” for foreign airlines: from April 20 to May 31, each company can operate only one round-trip flight to Dubai per day.
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