Finnish President Says Iran Blockade 'Makes Sense' From Washington's Perspective, Warns Of Risks
WASHINGTON -- Finnish President Alexander Stubb says that a US blockade strategy toward Iran “makes sense” from Washington’s perspective, while warning of significant uncertainties and escalation risks.
Speaking in Washington on April 13, during a visit for meetings and policy events in the US capital, Stubb argued that the consequences of the conflict had proven broader than expected, particularly due to the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The blockade, from an American perspective, I would say, makes sense, if it works out,” he said, adding that it could give the US leverage but also raising concerns about potential tensions with other powers.
Stubb said negotiations between Washington and Tehran were continuing at a lower level, which he described as a positive sign. However, he cautioned that any resolution could take time, noting the years-long process behind the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which has since unraveled after the US withdrew in 2018 and Tehran scaled back on compliance.
Stubb added that “Iran holds a lot of the cards right now.”
The Finnish leader also warned of the risk of broader regional escalation, saying conflicts were increasingly shifting from local to regional in scope. “I am extremely concerned about the escalation,” he said.
On the role of NATO, Stubb emphasized that the alliance remained defensive and was not directly engaged in the crisis, with any support for US actions likely to take place through a “coalition of the willing” rather than NATO structures.
He also said he “fully understand[s] the American perspective” regarding expectations of allied support, including access to bases, though such arrangements are governed by bilateral agreements.
European countries are focusing on de-escalation efforts, including maintaining freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, he said.
Israel-Lebanon Cease-Fire Officially Takes Effect Amid Reports Of Gunfire, Shelling
A 10-day cease-fire agreed by Lebanon and Israel went into effect at midnight local time, although journalists reported "heavy gunfire" and Lebanese state media reported continued Israeli artillery fire in southern Lebanon as the truce began.
The cease-fire was announced on April 15 by US President Donald Trump and confirmed by Israeli and Lebanese leaders.
Trump made the announcement of the cease-fire after speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The US president said he expects to host the two leaders within a week or two.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said he agreed to the 10-day cease-fire and that there was a chance to make a historic deal with Lebanon after decades of conflict.
Trump said the cease-fire incudes Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its only armed wing.
Lebanon has insisted on a cease-fire before it would enter into further talks, but it has vowed to disarm Hezbollah militants.
As clocked turned midnight, the status of the truce remained uncertain.
Lebanese state media reported "heavy gunfire" accompanying the start of the truce, while AFP journalists said they heard shots ring out and RPGs erupting into the air for more than an hour after the start of the cease-fire period.
It was not immediately clear if the gunfire was the result of hostilities or celebratory firing by locals.
AFPTV video showed people returning to Hezbollah's stronghold in the city's southern suburbs, some waving the Iran-backed movement's yellow flag or carrying portraits of its slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel in 2024.
Hezbollah had earlier warned residents to refrain from returning to the area until it was clear that the cease-fire would hold.
Israel has been launching strikes targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon since March 2, two days after the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran. An ongoing two-week cease-fire in the Iran war has not applied to Lebanon.
The Israeli military said its forces would remain deployed in southern Lebanon after the cease-fire and it urged Lebanese residents not to move south of the Litani River, about 20-30 kilometers north of the Israeli border.
UN chief Antonio Guterres hailed the cease-fire announcement and urged "all actors" to fully respect the truce, his spokesman said.
"The secretary-general welcomes the announcement of a 10-day cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon and commends the role of the United States in facilitating" it, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
With reporting by AFP
Trump Says US-Iran Deal ‘Very Close,’ Next Meeting Could Come This Weekend
US President Donald Trump said it’s “looking very good” that the United States and Iran will reach a deal to end the war, and that US and Iranian negotiators could meet this coming weekend.
“I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on April 16.
He said that he wasn’t sure a two-week cease-fire that expires April 22 will need to be extended, and that “if there’s no deal…fighting resumes,” though he didn’t specify a timeline.
Trump also reiterated his announcement of an Israel-Lebanon cease-fire, starting on April 16, and said it includes Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
Trump said he hopes to soon host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Jospeh Aoun at the White House.
UPDATE: Netanyahu confirmed that the 10-day cease-fire has been agreed, but he said Israeli troops will remain in southern Lebanon.
"I agreed to a timeout, or more accurately, a temporary 10-day cease-fire," Netanyahu said in a video message, adding that troops would remain in a "reinforced security buffer zone" to protect Israeli towns from attack.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel has two central demands -- the disarming of Hezbollah and an accord of lasting peace between the Israel and Lebanon.
Israel, Lebanon Agree To 10-Day Cease-Fire, Says Trump
US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day cease-fire starting on April 16. He made the statement after speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said: "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."
He made no mention of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
A regional proxy group for Iran, Tehran has repeatedly said that a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel was a requirement for its own peace negotiations with the United States, which are ongoing.
Merz: Germany Ready To Help Secure Strait Of Hormuz After Peace Deal
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany is prepared in principle to contribute to securing maritime routes in the region around the Strait of Hormuz, but only under clear legal and political conditions, including a formal international mandate -- preferably from the United Nations -- and approval by the German Bundestag.
He told reporters on April 16 that such conditions are "still far from being met," emphasizing that any potential mission remains hypothetical at this stage.
Discussions involving European partners are expected in Paris, where possible frameworks for maritime security cooperation may be reviewed. German officials have also indicated any multinational effort could, in theory, include coordination with US forces, though no operational plan has been confirmed.
The Strait of Hormuz -- one of the world's most crucial energy shipping routes -- remains highly sensitive due to ongoing regional tensions. Before the current crisis, roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments transited the waterway.
A government source said Germany could potentially contribute naval capabilities such as mine countermeasure vessels or maritime surveillance assets. German access to logistical support facilities in the region, including including the east African country of Djibouti, has also been discussed in the context of broader NATO and EU maritime operations.
Merz did not confirm specific military contributions when asked about media reports suggesting Germany might provide mine-clearing expertise and surveillance capabilities. The German Defense Ministry has also not publicly confirmed such plans.
He stressed that any deployment would require at minimum a stabilized security environment and a ceasefire framework before consideration of operational involvement.
Qalibaf: Cease-Fire In Lebanon Just As Important As Truce In Iran
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker, spoke by phone with his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, on April 16, according to Iranian media, and said he was "continuously following the situation in Lebanon and establishing a cease-fire in the country."
He considered this issue "very important" for Iran and said, "For us, a cease-fire in Lebanon is as important as a cease-fire in Iran."
Qalibaf headed the Iranian delegation negotiating with the United States in the Islamabad talks last weekend and yesterday met with Asim Munir, the commander of the Pakistani Army, who traveled to Iran as a mediator.
Berri, for his part, said he also considered any relationship with Israel to be against the interests of the Lebanese people. The speaker of the Lebanese parliament is an ally of Hezbollah and close to the Iranian government.
Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
The telephone conversation between the two took place at the same time as US efforts to continue negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli officials and establish a cease-fire in the country.
Iran has made a cease-fire in Lebanon one of its conditions for any agreement with the United States. However, Israel's prime minister announced on April 15 that the country's military would continue its attacks on Hezbollah.
Iran Thinks It's Winning. That View Is Guiding Its War And Diplomacy.
- By Frud Bezhan
The United States and Israel's bombing campaign has devastated Iran's military, decapitated much of its leadership, and destroyed critical infrastructure.
Yet Tehran still believes it is winning the weekslong confrontation. That Iran's theocracy has survived at all has been touted in the Islamic republic as a victory. The country has also obtained a new and powerful card: control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the war began on February 28, Iran has effectively closed one of the world's key arteries for global oil and gas supplies, a move that has rattled energy markets, upended the global economy, and handed Tehran new leverage.
Iran's perception of victory has shaped the country's conduct in the conflict, where it has refused to capitulate despite suffering enormous material losses. The Islamic republic's confidence has extended to the negotiating table, where it is aiming to end the war on its own terms.
To read the full report, click here.
US Widens Naval Blockade of Iran, WSJ Reports
The United States has widened its naval blockade of Iran by authorizing inspections and possible seizures of sanctioned vessels and ships suspected of carrying contraband, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“In addition to enforcing the blockade, all Iranian vessels, vessels with active OFAC sanctions, and vessels suspected of carrying contraband, are subject to belligerent right to visit and search,” the US Naval Forces Central Command said, using an acronym for the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The central command notice said that these vessels, regardless of location, are subject to visit, board, search, and seizure.
The move marks a further escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Tehran during the current conflict and could increase risks to commercial shipping and energy markets already unsettled by tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
US officials also said no ship had violated the blockade in its first 48 hours.
Amid Iran War Talks, China Tests Its Clout In Pakistan-Taliban Conflict
As US President Donald Trump says the war in Iran could be over "very soon" and Pakistani mediators in Tehran to meet with officials, another nearby conflict has been drawing Beijing's attention.
Since late February, fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has intensified, with Islamabad declaring an "open war" with its neighbor. Strikes have killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan. The conflict has alarmed the international community and perturbed China, which is a partner to both countries and sensitive to violence along its western borders.
Against that backdrop, Beijing has stepped in to play a diplomatic role, announcing on April 8 that it hosted weeklong talks in Urumqi in western China in hopes of brokering a cease-fire. At stake is not just tempering hostilities but a broader test of China's ability to manage instability on its periphery, where it has deep economic and political ties.
While all sides have publicly backed dialogue, deep disagreements over militant groups and cross-border attacks threaten to derail any meaningful de-escalation. Delegations from all three sides were quick to tout the value of the talks. China's Foreign Ministry called them "frank and pragmatic," while the Taliban called them "useful" and said they took place "in a constructive atmosphere."
But even as the talks were under way, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of carrying out shelling across its border, raising questions about whether China can end the conflict and how much diplomatic capital it is willing to attach to the discussions as it also navigates the war in Iran.
"The Taliban and Pakistani diplomats know how to come up with word formulas that make China look good and even limited border easement measures," Michael Semple, an Afghanistan expert at Queen's University Belfast, told RFE/RL. "But agreement on the issue of Taliban support for the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is likely to prove elusive for now."
Read more here.
Iranian Police Say More Than 3,500 Thieves Arrested Since Start Of War
The head of the Iranian police's criminal investigation department said security forces have arrested more than 3,500 thieves since the start of the war, adding that 71 were “brought down by direct gunfire.”
Mohammad Qanbari told state television on April 16 that the arrests came despite a roughly 25 percent decline in theft during the recent war.
He gave no further details on those shot, but referred to an order by police chief Ahmadreza Radan, who said last year that “because of wartime conditions, an order to open fire in dealing with thieves has also been issued.”
Qanbari added that more than 5,000 vehicles had recently been recovered from arrested suspects.
Iran Says Some Progress Made In US Talks Under Pakistan Mediation, But Differences Remain
Iran and the United States have made limited progress toward a possible agreement under Pakistan’s mediation, but major differences remain more than halfway through a two-week cease-fire, a senior Iranian official said on April 16.
“The trip of the Pakistani army chief [Asim Munir] to Tehran was effective in reducing differences in some areas, but fundamental disagreements still remain in the nuclear field.... More hopes have been created for extending the cease-fire and holding a second round of talks,” the official said, according to Reuters.
He added that "the fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and the duration of Iran’s nuclear restrictions are among the highly disputed issues for which no solution has yet been found.”
Munir visited Tehran on April 15 after Pakistan hosted initial peace talks last weekend that failed to produce a permanent settlement to the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said no date has yet been set for a second round of talks.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Qatar on April 16 for talks on Pakistan's "ongoing efforts for regional and global peace” before continuing to Turkey.