Iran live updates: US is 'very close' to deal with Iran, Trump says
Iran live updates: US is 'very close' to deal with Iran, Trump says
DAVID BRENNAN, MEREDITH DELISO, NADINE EL-BAWAB and KEVIN SHALVEYFri, April 17, 2026 at 10:41 AM UTC
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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.
But subsequent 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.
Israel, meanwhile, has continued ground operations and intense strikes in Lebanon, where it is engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.
Latest Developments
Apr 17, 6:43 AMThousands return to southern Lebanon, buoyed by ceasefire, as Israel issues warning
Tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese people were moving south on Friday, following the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire, headed back toward the homes they abandoned even as Israel issued new warnings."Out of concern for your safety and the safety of your families' members -- until further notice -- you are requested not to move south of the Litani River," Avichay Adraee, an Arab-language spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, said in a social media post.
Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters - PHOTO: Women react as displaced people make their way back to their homes crossing the bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect, in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, April 17, 2026.
Israel's air raids and ground operations against Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon pushed many locals north in recent weeks.Israeli prior to the ceasefire had warned anyone south of the Litani River, a geographic boundary between southern and northern Lebanon, that they should move north for their safety.
Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Displaced residents ride past a destroyed building as they return back to the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on April 17, 2026.
Israel said its operations targeted members and infrastructure belonging Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, both in southern Lebanon and in the suburbs of Beirut.President Donald Trump said a ceasefire would begin at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, news that followed talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington earlier in the week.
Apr 16, 6:03 PMState Department releases 6-point agreement for Israel-Lebanon ceasefire
The U.S. State Department released a six-point memorandum of understanding underpinning the 10-day ceasefire agreed to by Lebanon and Israel on Thursday. The agreement says the ceasefire may be extended by mutual agreement if there is progress in negotiations and Lebanon "effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty." The agreement also stipulates that "Israel shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” Under the agreement, Israel says it will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets and Lebanon says it will take "meaningful steps" to prevent Hezbollah from carrying out attacks on Israeli targets. -ABC News' Shannon Kingston
Apr 16, 4:07 PMIsrael says it is still striking Lebanon before the ceasefire goes into effect
The Israel Defense Forces said it is still striking Lebanon after what it says was a launch from Hezbollah a short time ago. "The IDF is currently striking launchers from which the Hezbollah terrorist organization launched rockets to northern Israel a short while ago," the IDF said in a statement Thursday.
Apr 16, 3:20 PMAt least 29 killed, 124 injured in Lebanon over past day, health ministry says
Israeli forces have killed at least 2,196 people and wounded another 7,185 in Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.In the past 24 hours, 29 people were killed and 124 others were injured, the health ministry said Thursday.
Mohamed Azakir/Reuters - PHOTO: A member of the Lebanese army and a man walk at the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle in Dahr el Baydar, Lebanon April 16, 2026.
Among those killed since March 2 were 172 children and 93 health care workers. Meanwhile, another 661 children and 225 health care workers were among the injured, according to the health ministry.-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz
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Apr 16, 3:16 PMHezbollah issues its conditions after ceasefire announced
Hezbollah commented on the ceasefire reached between Israel and Lebanon, saying conditions must return to what they were prior to March 2."A ceasefire must include a comprehensive halt to attacks across all Lebanese territory, with no freedom of movement for Israeli forces, and a return to the situation prior to March 2," Hezbollah's press office said in a statement.
Reuters - PHOTO: Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Nabatieh, Lebanon, April 16, 2026.
"The continued Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory grants Lebanon and its people the right to resist," Hezbollah said.
Apr 16, 3:03 PMLebanese government still urging people to avoid returning to their homes in the south
Despite Lebanon and Israel reaching a 10-day ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese government is urging people to avoid returning to their homes in southern Lebanon.
Adri Salido/Getty Images - PHOTO: An airstrike is seen, April 16, 2026 in Nabatieh, Lebanon.
According to the United Nations, over 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced."We urge everyone to postpone their return to their towns and villages until the situation becomes clearer, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement," Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri said Thursday.
Apr 16, 2:27 PMUS is 'very close' to deal with Iran, Trump says
President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that the U.S. is "very close" to a deal with Iran.Negotiators led by Vice President JD Vance met with Iranian leadership Pakistan last weekend for direct negotiations to end the war, but they did not reach an agreement.
Jen Golbeck/AP - PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, April 16, 2026 in Washington.
Apr 16, 2:25 PMTrump says he thinks Hezbollah will abide by ceasefire
President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that the ceasefire agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel includes Hezbollah. Hezbollah was not part of negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli leaders. Asked whether he thinks Hezbollah will abide by the ceasefire agreement reached, Trump said, "I think they will."
Apr 16, 12:21 PMHouse fails to adopt Iran war powers resolution
The Republican-led House on Thursday narrowly failed to adopt a war powers resolution that attempted to curtail President Donald Trump’s military actions in Iran. The final vote was: 213-214 with Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voting present. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the only Republican to vote in favor. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution. On March 5, the House failed to adopt an Iran war powers resolution by a vote of 212-219. The Senate on Wednesday also failed to advance a similar Iran war powers resolution.
Apr 16, 11:51 AMIsrael and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire, Trump says
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced in a post on social media."These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST," Trump wrote in the post.This comes after Lebanon and Israel met in Washington, D.C. for talks earlier this week.
Adri Salido/Getty Images - PHOTO: An airstrike is seen, April 16, 2026 in Nabatieh, Lebanon.
Trump added that he will invite Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for "the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago."
"Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly," Trump said.
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Source: “AOL Breaking”
