live Israel, Lebanon Agree To 10-Day Cease-Fire, Says Trump

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a shipping security monitor, says it has been informed that as of 2pm GMT on April 13 "maritime access restrictions are being enforced, affecting Iranian ports and coastal areas, including locations along the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz."

The UKMTO said in an advisory that the measures apply “without distinction to vessels of any flag” engaging with Iranian ports and energy infrastructure, covering “the entirety of the Iranian coastline.”

While transit through the Hormuz strait to non-Iranian destinations is not reported to be blocked, vessels may encounter a military presence and inspections.

The UKMTO says neutral ships in Iranian ports have been "granted a limited grace period" to depart, with further details expected in official notices for mariners.

On April 9, a day after a cease-fire was announced between the US, Iran, and Israel, Maryam (not her real name) took her three cats and returned to her apartment after spending nearly six weeks at a friend’s house in a northern neighborhood of Tehran.

She said she couldn’t handle the bombings on her own, and her friend had invited her to stay. Maryam, who is in her late 40s, said she felt relieved when the cease-fire was announced. But she quickly adds that she's still very worried about the future.

“The first thing we say to each other these days is: ‘We survived,’” she said.

“I’m glad the war is over. At the same time, I still feel we are in a state of limbo, and I’m worried that the economic situation will become worse than before,” she added.

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Physical crude oil prices in Europe have surged to record levels as tensions escalate around the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway.

With the US Navy preparing a blockade aimed at restricting Iranian exports, fears of supply shortages have been rising.

While benchmark Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel, the price of physical oil for immediate delivery climbed to nearly $150 -- a record high, according to Reuters.

Buyers in Europe and Asia are scrambling to secure supplies amid uncertainty.

The physical market is "under a lot of strain" one analyst told Reuters, with real cargo prices far exceeding those seen in financial markets.

Pope Leo has said that he intends to continue taking a stand against war, following criticism by US President Donald Trump on the leader of the 1.4-billion-member church.

"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and ⁠multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems," Leo told ‌Reuters aboard a papal flight to Algiers on April 13, where he is embarking on a 10-day tour of four African countries.

"Too many people are suffering in the world today," he said. "Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there's a better way."

The pope also told reporters that he had "no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly."

The US president had criticized the Catholic leader on April 12, saying he was “not a big fan” and accusing the pontiff of "toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon."

"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." ⁠Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

With reporting by Reuters

The Spanish Embassy in Tehran, which had been temporarily closed for security reasons following the US and Israeli war with Iran, has reopened.

Iranian news agencies reported that the embassy resumed its work on April 13 to support "mediation" following the two-week cease-fire, which went into force on April 8.

The Spanish ambassador who arrived in Iran a day earlier, said that he would attempt "to support peace efforts from all sides."

Spain has positioned itself as one of the main Western critics of the US and Israel since the war began.

Speaking after Israeli strikes on Lebanon on April 8, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said a day later that the strikes violated the cease-fire and international law.

The US, Iran, and Israel had disagreed about whether the cease-fire applied to Lebanon, where Israel has been targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

Iranian officials have played up Spain's opposition to the war. There have been reports inside Iran, which can not be verified by RFE/RL, of pro-government forces gathering in the streets in the evening and holding Spanish flags.

On April 13, the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, which is the central operational headquarters of Iran's armed forces, said that if the announced US naval blockade of Iranian ports was implemented, "no port in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will be safe."

The military body says that the US "imposition of restrictions" on the movement of ships in international waters was "an illegal act and an example of piracy."

Following the failure of peace talks in Pakistan over the weekend, President Donald Trump has said that the US will start blockading ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports from 10 a.m. Eastern Time (5.30 p.m. in Iran) on April 13.

The spokesman for the Iran's military headquarters added that "the security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman is either for everyone or for no one."

"Enemy-affiliated vessels do not and will not have the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and other vessels will continue to be allowed to pass through the strait, subject to the regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces," the spokesman said.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Iran has severely restricted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, reducing flows to a small fraction of normal levels and driving global energy prices sharply higher. Tehran has also declared it will require vessels seeking to pass through the chokepoint to pay tolls.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the United Kingdom will not back the US blockade of Iranian ports, adding his focus was on getting the Strait of Hormuz "fully open."

Speaking live on BBC Radio 5 Live on April 13, Starmer said it is "vital that we get the strait open and fully open, and that's ‌where we've put all of our efforts...and we'll continue to do so."

The US military will block all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Persian Gulf from April 13 at 10 a.m. Eastern time (5.30 p.m. Iran time), according to President Donald Trump.

The American leader announced the move after peace talks in Islamabad over the weekend with Iran failed.

Ships using the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will not be impeded, the US military has said.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the US Department of Justice will "vigorously prosecute anyone who buys or sells sanctioned Iranian oil" after President Donald Trump announced a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Blanche gave no further details in a social media post.

Since Trump's initial comments, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has clarified that the blockade is narrower in scope than a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, it focuses on blockading all maritime traffic entering or exiting Iranian ports.

Trump later confirmed the US military will start the blockade from 10 a.m. Eastern Time (5.30 p.m. in Iran) on April 13.

Following the breakdown in negotiations between Iran and the United States and increasing concerns about the conflict in the Middle East, oil prices and the value of the dollar rose on April 13.

According to Reuters, Brent crude oil prices rose about 7.5 percent in early trading to $102.37 a barrel. At the same time, the dollar index strengthened and the euro fell about half a percent.

Stock markets also showed signs of decline, with S&P 500 futures down about 1.1 percent and Asian stocks also opened lower.

Meanwhile, the price of gold, which had previously risen as a safe-haven asset, fell about 2 percent and US bonds also came under pressure.

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 -- the highest annual total since 1989 -- according to a joint report by two NGOs. The groups warned that the regime could expand its use of the death penalty even further following January protests and the war with Israel and the United States

The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in 2024, and also included 48 women who were hanged, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said in their joint annual report released on April 13.

Iran was wracked by mass protests in January that were brutally suppressed by security forces. HRANA, a US-based human rights monitoring group, said it had verified nearly 7,000 deaths during Iran's crackdown on protesters in January and many more arrests.

It says over 1,500 civilians have died since the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28.

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New Executions A Sign Of Growing Repression In Iran Amid War