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Who holds the cards in Iran-US talks?

Who holds the cards in Iran-US talks?
By Lyndal Rowlands, Zaid Sabah, Edna Mohamed, Alex Milan Durie, Umut Uras and Lorraine Mallinder
Published On 28 Apr 2026

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28 Apr 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Our coverage continues

This live page is closing, but our 24-hour coverage of the conflict continues.

Join us for all the latest developments, analyses and reactions here.

Smoke rises from the site of Israeli explosions in the southern Lebanese village of Arnoun on Tuesday [AFP]
28 Apr 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

  • White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly says the US is still engaging with Iran on negotiations and will “not be rushed into making a bad deal”.
  • Lebanese leaders have condemned an Israeli attack that killed at least five people, including three paramedics, in southern Lebanon as a “war crime”.
  • Gulf leaders have held their first face-to-face meeting in Saudi Arabia since the US-Israel war on Iran began and condemned Iran’s “treacherous” attacks on the region.
  • The UAE says it is leaving OPEC on Friday, with analysts warning its departure could weaken the organisation’s ability to control oil supply and prices as energy markets remain under pressure.
  • The World Bank has said that energy prices are projected to surge 24 percent this year to their highest point since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
28 Apr 2026 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

Ultra-Orthodox draft protesters invade Israel police chief’s home

A group of Jewish ultra-Orthodox anti-conscription demonstrators stormed the home of Israel’s military police chief, barricading themselves in his garden to protest moves to punish those who refuse to answer conscription call-ups.

The home invasion came after Israel’s High Court of Justice on Sunday ordered the state to cut financial benefits to ultra-Orthodox Jews who dodge being drafted and to start criminal proceedings against them.

Footage on social media appeared to show dozens of chanting ultra-Orthodox men inside the garden of military police chief, Brigadier-General Yuval Yamin, in Ashkelon. He was holed up inside with his family, according to Israeli media reports.

“I strongly condemn the brutal and violent attack against the head of the military police and demand firm action be taken against those involved,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Police use cavalry against ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting military conscription in Bnei Brak, Israel, on Tuesday [Abir Sultan/EPA]
28 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

Lebanese president denounces killing of medics in Majdal Zoun

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned an Israeli attack that killed three civil defence personnel while they performed a rescue mission for people wounded in an earlier strike.

The Israeli air strike on the town of Majdal Zoun killed at least five people, including the three paramedics reportedly trapped under rubble following an initial bombing.

“This attack is an addition to a series of assaults targeting relief and first aid workers, which demonstrates that Israel continues to violate international laws and charters that protect civilians, paramedics, civil defence, and Red Cross personnel,” Aoun said, according to the state-run National News Agency.

Explosions in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel [Shir Torem/Reuters]
28 Apr 2026 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Oil prices climb again amid more uncertainty over US war on Iran

There has been another climb in oil prices as the war on Iran is helping to halt Wall Street’s record-setting rally.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil to be delivered in June climbed 2.7 percent to $111.18. Brent to be delivered in July, which is where traders are focusing more in the oil market, rose 2.6 percent to $104.33.

After sitting at about $70 in late February, Brent prices are moving closer to their peak of $119, reached when worries about the war were at their highest.

The Trump administration seems unlikely to accept Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade. Iran also wants to postpone discussions on its nuclear programme.

Average US gasoline prices reached $4.18 a gallon (3.8 litres) on Tuesday, the most since 2022, according to the auto club AAA.

28 Apr 2026 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

US military boards cargo ship suspected of heading to Iran

The US military has boarded another commercial vessel during the blockade of Iran’s ports, but unlike in previous cases, the ship was allowed to carry on its way.

US Central Command said Marines boarded the Blue Star III but “released the vessel after conducting a search and confirming its voyage would not include an Iranian port call”.

An accompanying video showed American forces fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel.

The Blue Star is at least the fourth merchant ship to be boarded since the Trump administration began the blockade of Iranian shipping more than two weeks ago, but it is the first to not be taken into US custody.

The US blockade aims to squeeze Iran amid a ceasefire in the war as Tehran’s cutoff of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for energy shipments, ripples across the global economy.

28 Apr 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

US secretary warns financial institutions against funding Iranian ‘shadow banks’

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, “Iran’s shadow banking system serves as a critical financial lifeline for its armed forces, enabling activities that disrupt global trade and fuel violence across the Middle East.”

Commenting on the US Treasury Department announcement of imposing sanctions on 35 Iranian entities and individuals playing a role in Iran’s “shadow banking” networks, the secretary said “Illicit funds funneled through this network support the regime’s ongoing terrorist operations, posing a direct threat to US personnel, regional allies, and the global economy”.

“Financial institutions are on notice: Any institution that facilitates or engages with these networks is at risk of severe consequences,” he said.

28 Apr 2026 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

US budget airlines seek billions in aid amid soaring fuel costs

Their trade group is asking the Trump administration for $2.5bn to offset rising jet fuel costs and keep ticket prices affordable.

The Association of Value Airlines said smaller carriers are being hit hardest by the jump in fuel prices, despite carrying more than 90 million passengers last year.

“Temporary government support” would help “preserve vital industry competition”, the association said.

The trade group represents Frontier, Allegiant, Avelo and Sun Country. Another member, Spirit, is separately in talks with the US government on a potential financing deal aimed at keeping the struggling carrier flying as it navigates fuel price shocks during its second bankruptcy since 2024.

28 Apr 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

EU lawmaker criticises plan to sanction Israel over stolen Ukrainian grain, but not for Gaza

Marc Botenga, a member of the European Parliament from Belgium, has questioned why the European Union is considering sanctioning Israel for trading in Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia but not for committing genocide in Gaza.

“Not for genocide. Not for war crimes. Not for occupation. Not for colonisation. Not for invasion. Not for torture,” Botenga wrote in a post on social media.

“But for trading stolen grain, maybe.”

Germany and Italy recently blocked a bid led by Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland to suspend a key EU trade pact with Israel over rights violations in Palestine and Lebanon.

28 Apr 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Rising prices likely to influence US midterm elections

By Mike Hanna

Reporting from the White House

The war has been having a major impact on the economy.

Markets are staying relatively stable, surprisingly, to many analysts, but what is happening is that there is an increased cost of living for the average American.

Now, this is not only at the gas pump, where the price of petrol has risen sharply, but also in terms of everyday goods, because the single most important thing in terms of getting goods into the shops is diesel.

With the increasing price of diesel, transport costs go up. And, therefore, what Americans buy at the stores is increasing in cost.

This is going to have a political effect in the midterm elections later this year, because rising prices is something that President Trump insisted he would not allow. It was one of his campaign issues, and yet now, on his watch, prices are rising sharply.

Americans are noticing that, and certainly, it’s something that may impact which way they vote come November.

28 Apr 2026 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

Hezbollah hits Israeli troops with wave of attacks in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese group Hezbollah says its fighters launched several attacks on Israeli forces inside Lebanon’s territory.

A statement listed the following targets:

  • An Israeli Hermes 900 drone was shot down over the town of al-Qantara using a surface-to-air missile.
  • A Merkava tank was hit in al-Qantara with an explosive drone.
  • Israeli soldiers were attacked in the town of al-Taybeh with a swarm of drones.
  • Unmanned aerial vehicles also hit Israeli troops at the newly established Nimr al-Jamal site.
  • A military bulldozer was attacked as it demolished houses in the city of Bint Jbeil.
  • An explosive drone struck Israeli soldiers in the square of al-Qantara.
28 Apr 2026 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)

What military options does the US have against Iran?

Various options remain on the table, with renewed air strikes on Iran’s military and political leaders among them, Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed “person ‌familiar with administration dynamics” as saying.

Another source, however, said the most ambitious of those options – such as a ground invasion of Iran’s mainland – appears less likely than it did a few weeks ago.

An unidentified White House official described the domestic pressure on President Trump to wrap up the war as “enormous”.

One source said ‌Iran ‌has taken advantage of the ongoing ceasefire to rearm. As a result, the tactical costs of resuming full-scale war are arguably higher now than they were in the initial days of the ceasefire, which began on April 8.

28 Apr 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon kills 2, wounds 13

An Israeli air strike on the town of Jebchit in southern Lebanon has killed two people, according to preliminary figures.

The attack in the Nabatieh district also wounded 13 others, according to the official National News Agency.

In total, at least 11 people were killed and 30 injured, including women and children, in Israeli attacks in Lebanon on Tuesday.

Israel has been fighting Hezbollah since early March, sending troops into southern Lebanon to battle the Iran-backed group, with daily violence ongoing despite an April 17 “ceasefire”.

28 Apr 2026 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

Iranian army spokesman lauds air force’s role in war

Iranian army spokesman Brigadier-General Mohammad Akraminia has praised the air force’s role in the war that started with US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

Akraminia described how the air force “carried out several sorties and attacked enemy bases in regional countries, including the counter-revolutionary base in Erbil, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar”.

He noted in comments carried by state-run Press TV how Iran’s F-5 fighter jets had in one operation “managed to penetrate various layers of defence that the Americans had designed”.

He also lauded the country’s air defences, alluding to “reports” claiming “more than 170 enemy aircraft were hit, including 16 fighter jets”, while emphasising many were “highly advanced” and represented “significant financial value”.

“If the enemy again commits aggression and threatens the security of this land, they will face a more crushing response than before. We have many winning cards that we have not yet used,” Akraminia said.

An Iranian woman in front of an F-5 fighter jet in Tehran [File: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images]
28 Apr 2026 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)

White House says US won’t be ‘rushed into a bad deal’

It remains unclear where the US-Iran ceasefire stands a day after President Trump and his top security advisers discussed a proposal from Tehran to end the war.

While no decision has been made – and Trump could easily ramp back up military operations – a quick de-escalation could ease political pressure on the ⁠president, even as it could leave behind an emboldened Iran that could eventually rebuild its nuclear and missile programmes.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the US is still engaging with the Iranians in negotiations and will “not be rushed into making a bad deal”.

“The president will only enter into an agreement that puts US national security first, and he has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” she said.

28 Apr 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

WATCH: US, Iran locked in a ‘no war, no peace’ endurance test

Al Jazeera examines how the US-Israel war on Iran has shifted into a phase of managed instability where neither side has won on the battlefield, yet both are paying an ever‑rising economic price.

Watch below:

28 Apr 2026 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)

Palestine FM tells UNSC Israel seeking ‘collapse’ of PA

Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, foreign minister of Palestine, told the UN Security Council that Israel is seeking the “collapse of the Palestinian Authority”.

Shahin, who posted her comment on social media, reiterated demands for “a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip”, adding it’s “an integral part of Palestine”, according to news agency Wafa.

She stressed that any “transitional arrangements must lead to the reunification of the West Bank and Gaza Strip under the umbrella of the Palestinian National Authority”, and should not be “hindered by policies of forced displacement and annexation”.

As the world’s attention turns to the Iran war, Gaza is still enduring daily violence from Israel as it prepares to transition to a new governance structure under President Trump’s plan.

28 Apr 2026 - 21:10
 (21:10 GMT)

Gulf Arab countries jointly condemn Iran’s actions in Strait of Hormuz

The leaders of Gulf nations have rejected Iran’s “illegal actions” to close the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route and threaten navigation, warning against any disruption to shipping or charging fees for safe passage.

The statement followed a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and attended by leaders from Qatar and Bahrain, Kuwait’s crown prince, and the United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister.

They called for restoring “security and freedom of navigation” to pre-war levels, and urged deeper military integration, including joint infrastructure projects, and a ballistic missile early warning system.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Jeddah on Tuesday [Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Court via Reuters]
28 Apr 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)
Houthi

Lebanese PM says Israel’s killing of civil defence members a ‘new war crime’

In a post on X, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says the attack that killed civil defence members “while carrying out their humanitarian duty is a newly described war crime perpetrated by Israel”.

“It constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law,” he said.

“The government will spare no effort to condemn this heinous crime in international forums, and to mobilise all efforts to compel Israel to cease its ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

As we previously reported, the air strike on Majdal Zoun town killed at least five people, including three paramedics trapped under the rubble after an earlier attack, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

28 Apr 2026 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Israel kills five Palestinians in Gaza as it remains gripped by daily violence

Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed five people including a nine-year-old boy.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said four people were killed and six others injured when a drone fired two missiles at a car in Gaza City’s Remal neighbourhood.

Adel al‑Najja, age nine, was killed “when an Israeli drone strike took place alongside artillery shelling” east of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south.

The Israeli army said “a suspect in the area of the Yellow Line approached troops, posing an immediate threat”. No evidence was provided.

But relatives of the boy, who gathered at Nasser Hospital’s morgue, said he was collecting cardboard for a fire for cooking.

Violence in Gaza has persisted despite an October 2025 ceasefire, with Israel conducting almost daily attacks on Palestinians. The death toll from Israel’s genocidal war stands at 72,594, with 172,404 injured since October 7, 2023.

Palestinians carry a body during a funeral after four people were killed by an Israeli strike that targeted a vehicle in Gaza City on Tuesday [AFP]