Iran Says Cease-Fire Extension is A 'Ploy To Buy Time'

RFE
22 Apr 2026, 10:35 GMT+10

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07:34

Shipping Monitor Reports Incident Near Oman

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British maritime security monitoring center that issues alerts to commercial shipping in the Middle East, said on April 22 that it received a report of an incident 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman.

The captain of a container ship said their vessel was approached by an Iranian Revolutionary Guards gunboat which gave no radio warning before opening fire, causing heavy damage to the bridge.

UKMTO said no fire or pollution was reported and all crew were safe.

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07:26

Washington Says Iran Blockade Will Continue Under 'Maximum Pressure'

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (file photo)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports, predicting storage at Kharg Island would soon fill and oil wells would be forced to shut.

Bessent said the Treasury would continue maximum pressure sanctions targeting Tehrans trade, finance and revenue networks.

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03:31

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.

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01:33

Britain To Host Military Talks On Potential Hormuz Mission Post-Peace Agreement

Britain on April 22-23 will host military planners from more than 30 countries for talks starting on a potential multinational mission led by the UK and France to protect sea traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

The British Defense Ministry said the talks would involve "detailed planning" on reopening the strait when conditions allow.

"The task...to translate diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire," Defense Minister John Healey said in a statement, adding he was confident "real progress can be made."

British ships could lead a mission to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once a peace deal is reached.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired international talks on the waterway in Paris last week, with more than 40 countries participating. The US did not attend.

Britain and France stressed that force would only be used in defensive situations and that the mission would start only after a peace agreement is concluded.

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00:40

Pakistani PM Urges Both Sides In US-Israeli War With Iran To Continue Cease-Fire

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on April 22 thanked US President Donald Trump for accepting his country's request to extend the cease-fire in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran to allow diplomatic efforts to continue.

"I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the cease-fire and be able to conclude a comprehensive Peace Deal during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict," Sharif saidin post on X.

Pakistani-mediated peace talks that were tentatively scheduled for this week in Islamabad are now clouded in uncertainty after Tehran said it had not decided whether its team would participate.

A trip to Islamabad by US Vice President JD Vance, who heads the American team, would not take place on April 21 as planned in view of developments, a White House official told RFE/RL.

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23:16

21.4.2026

Qalibaf Spokesperson Calls Cease-Fire Extension 'Ploy To Buy Time'

A spokesman for Iran's powerful parliament speaker late on April 21 claimed that US President Donald Trump's announcement of a cease-fire extension is a "ploy to buy time" for a surprise strike.

The spokesperson to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is also Iran's lead negotiator, said in a social media post that the US move to continue its blockade of Iranian ports was "no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response."

The remarks come hours before the expiration of a two-week cease-fire agreed to by Washington and Tehran. It was due to expire on April 22, although the exact time of the end of the truce was unclear.

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22:32

21.4.2026

Trump Says He Will Extend Cease-Fire Amid Uncertainty Over Peace Talks

US President Donald Trump on April 21 said he has indefinitely extended a cease-fire with Iran amid uncertainty about Tehran's negotiating position and at the request of Pakistani officials acting as mediators in the peace talks.

Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal, Trump wrote onTruth Social.

Trump added that he will extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.

Tehran did not immediately comment on whether it would also extend the cease-fire on its side.

U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump earlier said he did not want to extend the temporary cease-fire with Iran, which was due to expire on April 22, as Washington waits to see if talks with Tehran will proceed.

He added in his post that the US will continue its blockade of Iranian ports that has so far led to at two ships being seized by the US Navy.

Tehran has said it will not resume negotiations as long as the blockade is in effect, while the US has said it will not end the action until a peace deal is signed.

Iran has not decided whether to attend a second round of peace talks that were set to begin this week with the US in Islamabad, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on April 21. The US team, led by Vice President JD Vance, has delayed its departure for the Pakistani capital in reaction.

Read morehere.

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21:33

21.4.2026

US Imposes New Iran Sanctions Targeting Drone, Missile Networks

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RFE/RL

(file photo)

The United States has imposed a new round of sanctions targeting "eight individuals and four entities" that operate multiple procurement networks accused of helping Iran obtain weapons and rebuild missile and drone stockpiles damaged in recent US-Israeli strikes.

The measures, announced by the US Treasury Department on April 21, also block two aircraft linked to Mahan Air, which Washington says has transported Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps personnel, weapons, and funds.

Those targeted are based in Iran, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates and were cited for procuring or transporting weapons or components on Tehrans behalf.

The US Treasury said Iran was seeking to reconstitute its production capacity as the United States continued to deplete Tehran's ballistic missile inventories. It added that Iran increasingly relied on "Shahed-series one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles" -- drones -- to target the United States and its allies, including energy infrastructure in the region."

The sanctions come as Washington and Tehran remained deadlocked over whether to begin a second round of talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, which began on February 28.

A two-week cease-fire announced by President Donald Trump is due to expire on April 22.

Brett Erickson,who heads Obsidian Risk Advisors, told RFE/RL that the designations were significant for focusing on Shaheds and missile precursors, which underpin Irans asymmetric warfare capabilities.

He added that the sanctions were "aimed squarely at the engine behind Irans maritime disruption strategy.

"Drones, missiles, and irregular operations all depend on supply chains that have to be constantly fed. The goal is to starve that system," he said. "The bet is that without this replenishment pipeline, the ability for Iran to target shipping within the strait eventually runs out of fuel."

With reporting by RFE/RL Washington correspondent Alex Raufoglu and Reuters.

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21:03

21.4.2026

Iran Says Its Undecided On Attending Islamabad talks

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei (file photo)

Iran has not decided whether to attend last-ditch peace talks with the United States in Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on April 21, after US forcesboarded a large Iranian oil tankerat sea.

Baqaei called the action, and an earlier cargo ship seizure, piracy at sea and state terrorism, saying it cast doubts on Washingtons seriousness about negotiations.

Iran has blocked access to the Strait of Hormuz that controls access to the Persian Gulf to all ships but its own or those Tehran approves for transit, while the US is maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports

Trump has threatened to resume military action and attack Iranian civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and power plants, unless Tehran accepts his terms.

Tensions in the region remain high while cargo ships pile up in the Gulf due to the standoff. Trump has said the blockade will not be lifted until a peace deal is signed.

While shipping traffic has largely ground to a halt, some ships have reportedly passed through the Hormuz waterway.

Vice President JD Vance, who is due to lead the US delegation at the Islamabad discussions, has not yet departed for the Pakistani capital.

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19:39

21.4.2026

Trump Urges Iran To Free 8 Women, Says It Would Be A Good Start For Talks

By

RFE/RL's Radio Farda

US President Donald Trump has called on Iran to release eight women whom a US-based activist claimed the Iranian regime is preparing to hang -- an assertion that could not immediately be verified and was denied by an Iranian media outlet.

To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would be very grateful if these women are released, Trumpwrote in a post on his Truth Social platformon April 21.

I am sure they will appreciate this action of yours, Trump added. Please do not harm them! This could be a very good start for our negotiations!!!"

The post came with prospects for a second round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad uncertain amid a two-week cease-fire that Trump has said will expire late on April 22.

Trumps post included an X post from earlier in the day in which pro-Israel activist Eyal Yakoby wrote that Iran is preparing to hang eight women.

Yakobys post featured photographs of eight girls and women.

It did not name them, but RFE/RLs Radio Farda has determined that they are Bita Hemmati, Ghazal Ghalandari, Golnaz Naraghi, Panah Movahedi, Ensieh Nejati, Mahboubeh Shabani, Venus Hosseinnejad, and Diana Taherabadi.

Rights groups have said that Hemmati has beensentenced to deathin connection with mass demonstrations in January.

The Iran-focused humanrights groupHengaw said earlier this month that Shabani, who is 33 and was also detained during the protests, faces a charge of waging war against God, which "can result in the death penalty."

RFE/RL could not immediately confirm the status of the others and whether any of them have been sentenced to death.

Irans Mizan News Agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, reported that a number of them have been released, some are facing charges that, if confirmed by the court, will ultimately result in imprisonment, and finally, none of these individuals has a definitive sentence that would put them at risk of execution."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, senior US officials said releasing the women was not a precondition for talks but that the US believes it would be a constructive gesture to help set the stage for genuine discussions.

Trump said on April 21 thathe does not want to extend the cease-fire, which has halted most hostilities in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began on February 28.

With reporting by RFE/RL Washington correspondent Alex Raufoglu