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Iran live updates: Iran pushes back on Trump's claims about agreement

The White House insists the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open."

Last Updated: April 17, 2026, 7:46 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.

After negotiations, U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a peace deal. Trump said that Iran's nuclear program was the key sticking point, and said the U.S. would respond with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday.

Iran announced it would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, but Trump said the blockade will remain in place until the U.S.'s "transaction" with Iran is complete.

Israel, meanwhile, has reached a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, ending its ground operations and intense strikes, where it was engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran.

2:09 PM EDT

Iran warns of 'countermeasures' if US blockade continues

If the American naval blockade of Iranian ports continues, Iran will "undoubtedly take the necessary measures and no adjustments will be made in this regard," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Friday, according to Iranian state media.

He also emphasized that reopening the Strait of Hormuz, along routes specified by Iran and "in coordination with the competent authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran," was always going to be announced when a ceasefire was reached in Lebanon, as it was part of the conditions in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine displays a map showing the blockade line in the Strait of Hormuz during a briefing on the Iran war, at the Pentagon in Washington, April 16, 2026.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Baqaei said that the Strait of Hormuz "is still under the supervision of the Islamic Republic of Iran and we are serious about our commitments. If the other party wants to breach its obligations again, which it seems to intend to do, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary countermeasures."

2:01 PM EDT

13 people killed in Lebanon shortly before ceasefire went into effect

At least 13 people were killed and 70 others were injured in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre last night, shortly before the ceasefire went into effect, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

Nearly 2,300 people have been killed and over 7,500 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to the ministry.

Displaced people in cars queue up to cross a destroyed bridge in Qasmiyeh near Tyre city, south Lebanon, as they return to their villages following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, April 17, 2026.
Mohammed Zaatari/AP

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

1:04 PM EDT

Trump thinks Iran deal could be secured in the 'next day or two'

President Donald Trump said he believes U.S. and Iran peace talks will "probably take place over the weekend," telling Axios that he thinks a deal could be secured "in the next day or two."

"The Iranians want to meet. They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend. I think we will get a deal in the next day or two," Trump reportedly said.

The president also said he is "not gonna allow" Israel to bomb Lebanon, following Thursday's announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between the two countries.

"Israel has to stop. They can't continue to blow buildings up. I am not gonna allow it," Trump said, according to Axios.

-ABC News' Emily Chang

12:49 PM EDT

Trump says Iran agreed to 'unlimited' suspension of nuclear program, talks will 'probably' occur this weekend

Iran has agreed to an “unlimited” suspension of their nuclear ambitions, President Donald Trump said in a phone interview with Bloomberg on Friday.

“No years, unlimited,” Trump reportedly said when asked if Iran agreed to 20 years or an indefinite suspension.

The president also said the U.S. will not release any frozen Iranian funds, according to Bloomberg.

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on his "No Tax on Tips" policy, April 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Alex Brandon/AP


A second round of in-person peace talks will “probably” take place this weekend, Trump said, though no specific date or time was disclosed.

While Vice President JD Vance led the U.S. delegation in last week’s peace talks, Trump is now saying he has not decided if Vance will attend future negotiations, telling Bloomberg that Vance is “good” but that he hasn’t “made that determination yet.”

The president continued to project confidence over the prospect of a deal being secured between the U.S. and Iran, telling Bloomberg that “most of the main points are finalized.”

"It’ll go pretty quickly," Trump reportedly said when asked if a deal with Iran had been finalized.

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