WASHINGTON, Apr 17: US Central Command said in a social media post on Friday said that zero vessels have evaded American naval forces during the blockade of Iran-linked ships, and 19 vessels “complied with direction from US forces to turn around and return to Iran”.
The post from Central Command came shortly before Trump thanked Iran for opening up the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said was “completely open and ready for business”.
Trump, however, stressed that the blockade against Iranian shipping outside the Strait of Hormuz was still in place until negotiations were complete.
The narrow passage way in the Persian Gulf was effectively closed by Iran during the war with the US and Israel, cutting off the flow of oil and natural gas through the gulf.
Kremlin welcomes 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel
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“We hope that during those days it will indeed be possible to reach agreements that will allow us to avoid a recurrence of military clashes in the future,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Russia says it’s ready to store Iran’s uranium, but that US isn’t interested
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made the offer to store Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium and “the Russian side is open to that,” but “the proposal currently isn’t on the negotiating table”.
“Now this proposal isn’t in demand on the US side,” Peskov told reporters.
Pakistan played role in securing ceasefire in Lebanon
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That’s according to two officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is in Tehran to carry forward negotiations between the United States and Iran and help de-escalate the widening regional crisis.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday at a news briefing that “peace in Lebanon and cessation of armed attacks in Lebanon are essential for peace talks”.
Czech offers surveillance system for Strait of Hormuz
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Prime Minister Andrej Babis said his country will offer a passive surveillance system to aid the international effort to reopen the blocked Strait of Hormuz.
Dozens of countries are expected to take part in a conference on Friday organised by the leaders of France and the UK and meant to provide security for shipping through the key waterway.
Babis said the system can be used when a ceasefire in the war between the US and Israel against Iran is in place or when the conflict is over.
The Czech-made passive radar systems don’t emit electromagnetic energy, which makes them difficult to detect. (AP)
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