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Iran live updates: Tehran has 'no plans' for new round of talks, spokesperson says

The two-week ceasefire announced earlier this month will expire on April 22.

Last Updated: April 20, 2026, 7:11 AM EDT

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

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan earlier this month failed to reach a peace deal. The original ceasefire is set to expire on April 22.

Trump said on Sunday that U.S. negotiators would return to Islamabad on Monday for a new round of talks. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance would accompany special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, to Islamabad.

But Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday that Tehran has "no plans" to participate.

10 minutes ago

US Embassy Baghdad says Iran-aligned militias still planning attacks

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a fresh warning to American citizens of the danger posed by Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq, as the country reopened its airspace and some commercial flights resumed.

"Iraq's Iran-aligned terrorist militias continue planning additional attacks against U.S. citizens and U.S.-associated targets throughout Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan region," the Embassy said in a post to X. "Some entities associated with the Iraqi government continue to provide effective political, financial and operational cover to these terrorist militias."

"Iraq's airspace has reopened and limited commercial flights have resumed. U.S. citizens considering air travel through Iraq should be aware of the ongoing risks of missiles, drones and projectiles in Iraqi airspace," the Embassy wrote.

Members of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades gather in a mourning procession for a fighter in Baghdad on April 8, 2026.
Ahmad Al-rubaye/AFP via Getty Images
33 minutes ago

Netanyahu 'stunned' by photo of soldier destroying Jesus statue

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a statement to social media on Monday addressing the incident in which an Israeli soldier was photographed taking a sledgehammer to the face of a torn down statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu said he was "stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon."

"I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender," Netanyahu added.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Victoria Beaule

58 minutes ago

Iran not willing to give up enriched uranium, spokesperson says

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a Monday press conference that the transferral of the country's enriched uranium stockpiles abroad as part of any future peace deal "is not on the Islamic Republic's agenda."

Baghaei said Tehran is reviewing a U.S. proposal conveyed by Pakistan's army chief during a recent visit, but rejected media speculation about the details of the offer.

"The country's definitive position is to preserve nuclear achievements within Iran's territory and the claims made in this regard are completely denied," Baghaei said.

Discussing continued disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei also said that the "normalization of traffic is not possible," citing what he said were "repeated violations of the ceasefire and threats to Iranian ports and ships by the U.S."

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

2 hours and 27 minutes ago

Iran to respond to US 'aggression' against cargo vessel, military says

The spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters -- the country's top joint military command -- said in a statement on Monday that Iran would respond to the U.S. "aggression" against an Iranian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian state television reported on Telegram.

Iranian forces will take "necessary action" in response to the American seizure of the M/V Touska on Sunday, the spokesperson said.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

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