President Trump says US Navy will begin blockade of Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. and Iran failed to reach a peace deal after 21 hours of negotiations.

ByDavid Brennan, Jon Haworth, Nadine El-Bawab, and Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: April 12, 2026, 10:22 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.

Trump set a deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure. Hours before the deadline expired, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi then said that "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon -- where intense Israeli strikes continued -- was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Apr 07, 2026, 12:07 PM EDT

White House says 'only the president knows where things stand' on negotiations

The White House is responding to reports that Iranian officials have reportedly stopped negotiations with the U.S. ahead of President Donald Trump's 8:00 p.m. deadline, telling ABC News that the "only the president knows where things stand."

“The Iranian regime has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

Apr 07, 2026, 11:51 AM EDT

Trump says evening strikes are ‘happening’ but notes things could change

President Donald Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that the strikes on Iran that he promised would begin at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday are “happening,” but cautioned that things “could change.”

Trump’s comments come just hours after the president said "a whole civilization will die tonight never to be brought back again" if a deal was not reached between the U.S. and Iran.

Trump told Fox News that if negotiations were successful then plans for strikes could change, but confirmed that the U.S. was preparing for his deadline.

Apr 07, 2026, 11:16 AM EDT

Iranian drones target Gulf states

Iran continued to launch projectiles at Israel and Gulf nations on Tuesday, authorities said.

Kuwait's armed forces "dealt with" 17 drones over the past 24 hours, the country's Army General Staff Headquarters said in a post on X Tuesday.

Saudia Arabia said 22 drones were intercepted, in separate posts by the Ministry of Defense on Tuesday.

Air defenses in the United Arab Emirates "successfully engaged" 11 drones and one ballistic missile, the Ministry of Defense said in its post on X

Nine drones were added to the total number of interceptions by the Bahrain Defense Force, in a post on Instagram Tuesday.

Damage was reported at several sites after missiles targeted central Israel. Only minor injuries were reported.

-ABC News' Othon Leyva Jr. and Jordana Miller

Apr 07, 2026, 11:13 AM EDT

US embassy in Bahrain advises Americans to shelter in place

The U.S. embassy in Bahrain is directing all American government personnel and U.S. nationals in the country to shelter in place "until further notice," according to a security alert.

"To the extent possible, remain in a secure structure, and stay away from windows. Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items," the alert said.

The embassy also notes it has suspended all routine consular services, which has been the case since last month.

The U.S. embassy in Bahrain never officially dropped its shelter in place order for government personnel and advisement for U.S. nationals that was put into place soon after the attacks on Iran began.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

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