live Iran Says Some Progress Made In US Talks Under Pakistan Mediation, But Differences Remain

The International Red Cross movement said its first cross-border aid shipments have reached Iran since the start of the conflict, as humanitarian supply lines remain severely disrupted.

A convoy organized by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) that left Turkey on April 11 has since reached Iran to deliver "one of the first cross-border shipments of medical supplies" by any organization since the conflict began on February 28, IFRC spokesman Tommaso Della Longa told reporters in Geneva.

Della Longa said the IFRC had sent trauma kits, "designed to provide immediate, life-saving care."

"The operation is critical as humanitarian supply chains into Iran have been severely disrupted in recent weeks due to the conflict, making it increasingly difficult and more costly for essential medical and relief items to reach those in need," he said.

Separately, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sent 171 tons of relief items from Jordan, including essential household goods for over 25,000 people, along with generators and pumps to support rescue operations.

Officials warned that needs remain high, while Della Longa also paid tribute to Iranian Red Crescent workers, four of whom have been killed during relief efforts.

With reporting by AFP

Based on preliminary estimates, the damage caused by US and Israeli attacks on Iran is currently estimated at around $270 billion, an Iranian government spokesperson said.

“One of the issues that our negotiating team is pursuing, and which was also pursued in the Islamabad talks, is the issue of war reparations,” Fatemeh Mohajerani told Russia’s RIA Novosti, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is close to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

"Preliminary and very crude figures put the damage at $270 billion so far," she said.

Without providing details, she suggested that the figure is not final and that “damages usually have to be examined in several layers."

During the nearly six-week US-Israel war with Iran, many of the country’s military and security centers were attacked. According to the US and Israeli militaries, this included more than 16,000 targets.

Parts of Iran’s infrastructure-- including steel factories, petrochemical complexes in Mahshahr and Asaluyeh, as well as bridges -- were also targeted, leading to their complete shutdown.

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations also reportedly announced in a letter to the organization that it was seeking compensation from five Middle Eastern countries-- Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan-- for their participation in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

This request comes while Iran also targeted various military and economic sites in those countries during the war and also blocked the Strait of Hormuz, preventing the transfer of oil, gas, and other products from the Persian Gulf to global markets.

Ships linked to Iran are reported to have transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 14, the first full day of a US naval blockade targeting vessels "entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas."

Data from ship tracking services listed at least four ships, two of which had recently called at Iranian ports, that had passed or were passing through the 30-kilometer-wide waterway in the hours after the blockade came into force the previous day.

There were no reports of Washington taking direct action against the ships to enforce the blockade.

The voyages are the first test of the blockade, launched after failed US-Iranian peace talks in Islamabad on April 11-12. Media reports on April 14 said Pakistan was seeking to facilitate a new round of talks later this week.

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French President Emmanuel Macron says he spoke separately with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, and US President Donald Trump on April 14 and called for the resumption of talks between Washington and Tehran and for a halt to any escalation of tensions.

In a post on X, Macron pointed out that the cease-fire between the parties must be fully respected by all parties and that it should include Lebanon.

"It is also very important that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened as soon as possible, without any restrictions or complications, unconditionally," he added. "In such circumstances, negotiations should be able to resume quickly and with the support of the main actors."

He continued: "France and Britain will hold a conference in Paris this Friday that will bring together, via videoconference, countries not involved in the war that are ready to contribute to a multilateral and purely defensive mission with the aim of restoring freedom of navigation in the strait."

Since the beginning of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has effectively restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with only a small number of tankers and ships belonging to "friendly countries" of Iran being able to pass through.

Disruptions in the supply chain of energy and other products such as helium, chemical fertilizers, and petrochemical products have caused a sharp increase in oil and gas prices, as well as a shortage of strategic goods in the world.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Beijing as China steps up diplomatic efforts around the war in Iran amid a US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ⁠ports that the Chinese Foreign Ministry has called "dangerous and irresponsible."

Lavrov is expected to hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his April 14-15 visit, which will cover the wars in Iran and Ukraine, as well as Beijing and Moscow's deepening ties, according to Russia's Foreign Ministry.

"A thorough ⁠exchange of views ‌is expected on a number of 'hot topics' and regional issues, including the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Middle East," the statement said, adding that Chinese-Russian cooperation at multilateral bodies like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, BRICS, the G20, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the United Nations will also be discussed during the visit.

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The International Energy Agency says global oil demand will shrink more than at any time since the COVID-19 pandemic amid the "most severe supply shock in history" owing to the Iran war.

The IEA's annual monthly oil market report was released on April 14, the first full day of a US naval blockade of Iran that the agency said was the latest development in a "fast-evolving situation."

The blockade was launched after US-Iranian peace talks in Islamabad on April 11-12 failed to reach agreement, although a cease-fire that began on April 8 is still holding.

"It remains unclear whether the cease-fire will turn into a lasting peace and a return to regular shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz. With oil-importing nations scrambling to source replacement barrels from an increasingly shrinking pool of supply, physical crude oil prices surged to record levels," the IEA said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Israeli air strikes on oil depots around Tehran in March may have caused serious long-term harm to civilians and could constitute war crimes.

In a report published on April 13, the organization said attacks on infrastructure that is primarily civilian in nature and causes foreseeable harm "are violations of international humanitarian law and are likely war crimes."

The strikes took place on March 7 when Israel targeted four oil depots in the Tehran area. Iranian authorities reported the following day that "four sites used for storing and distribution of petroleum products and a petroleum products transport center…were attacked by hostile enemy aircraft."

On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces announced it had struck "several fuel storage complexes" in Tehran that belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

HRW said the attacks could have severe long-term consequences for those living in Iran. The strikes "may have devastating consequences on the environment and people's health for many years and likely amount to war crimes," wrote HRW researcher Bahar Saba.

"Israeli forces don't appear to have factored in the foreseeable long-term harm…and should be held accountable," she added.

The organization said it based its findings on interviews with eight people in Tehran and Karaj, consultations with nine environmental and health experts, and analysis of satellite imagery and verified videos.

HRW wrote to Israeli and Iranian authorities on March 26 requesting clarification. Iranian officials did not respond. Israeli officials replied on March 30, saying the strikes were "conducted in accordance with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions."

They added that the targeted facilities were "to provide fuel directly to units in the regime's armed forces…including aviation, UAVs, [and] naval vessels."

HRW said it had confirmed that the oil depots were used for "civilian purposes" but noted it could not determine whether they were also used for military support.

An informed source told the organization that "the oil depots only contained gasoline and diesel…not used for aviation, UAVs, or naval vessels."

The rights group concluded that, given the foreseeable environmental and health damage, the strikes raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for continued diplomacy to resolve the conflict in the Middle East, stressing that a negotiated solution is the only viable path forward.

In a post on X on April 14, Guterres said "after weeks of destruction & distress, it is clear that there is no military solution to the current conflict in the Middle East," and urged all sides to pursue dialogue.

He also emphasized that "freedom of navigation must be respected," underscoring the importance of maintaining international law in key waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz.

His remarks come after recent talks between Iran and the United States ended without a breakthrough.

The length of a ban on the enrichment of uranium was a key obstacle to reaching a deal in US-Iran peace talks last weekend in Islamabad, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

The outlets, citing US officials close to the negotiations, said Washington was seeking a 20-year moratorium on enrichment in exchange for relief from US sanctions on Tehran. The New York Times added that Iran's negotiating team offered a counter proposal of five years.

Neither US or Iranian officials have confirmed or commented on the reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 13 that Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation in Islamabad, had told him removing of all of Iran's uranium that has been enriched to a level of 60 percent is a "central issue" for Trump.

Netanyahu added that Trump also wants to ensure "that there is no further enrichment in the years ahead -- even decades ahead -- no enrichment within Iran."

In Dubai, rows of cars bound for Kyrgyzstan are sitting idle. Aktilik Alipbay uulu, a Kyrgyz importer based in the city, isn’t sure when they'll move.

“We haven’t received clear information like ‘load now, it will arrive in 35–40 days,’” he says. “So, we are keeping the cars in garages. These are entrusted goods. If something happens at the port, it would mean losses for us.”

Previously, cars shipped by ferry across the Persian Gulf to Iranian ports then traveled overland to Bishkek. With the war in Iran, that supply chain has slowed significantly.

“The strait is not completely closed, cars are still moving, but they are being held in ports for 15–20 days or even up to a month. We are trying to get them out to Kyrgyzstan, but there are serious delays. They are stuck in Iranian ports,” says Alipbay uulu.

“People at the ports are afraid to release shipments because missiles are being fired across the Persian Gulf. That’s why the cargo is being held up. That’s why everything is being held up.”

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