Iran’s military, on Saturday, declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again, hours after reopening it and with more than a dozen commercial ships passing through the vital waterway.

The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism the day before, that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was “very close”.

Tehran had on Friday declared the strait, which usually carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, open on Friday after a ceasefire was agreed in Lebanon to halt Israel’s war with Hezbollah.

That prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging, but with Trump insisting that a US naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal was concluded, Tehran threatened to shutter the strait once more.

Then, late on Saturday morning, citing a statement from military central command, Iranian state TV reported that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status” and “is under strict management and control of the armed forces”, blaming the continued US blockade.

The announcement came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships making a dash through the narrow waterway, hugging close to Iranian territorial waters as instructed by Tehran and, for some, broadcasting their identity as Indian or Chinese in an apparent attempt to show their neutrality.

The same sites showed that late on Friday, a number of ships began heading for the strait before suddenly turning back amid the uncertainty.

By 0900 GMT on Saturday, several ships had fully transited the strait in both directions, but at least two tankers headed eastwards from the Gulf towards India after loading in UAE ports appeared to have turned around and aborted their journeys.

There are just four days remaining before the end of the two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran, launched by Washington and its ally on February 28.

Nevertheless, President Trump appeared convinced that a deal could be finished shortly.

He declared Friday “GREAT AND BRILLIANT,” and made a series of social media posts praising talks mediator Pakistan.

Islamabad’s powerful military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Saturday finished a three-day visit to Iran aimed at securing the peace deal, during which he met Iran’s top leadership.

While Munir was in Iran, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to push the peace process.

Islamabad has emerged as the lead mediator during the conflict, hosting a marathon round of direct peace talks last weekend attended by US Vice President JD Vance.

A second round of talks is expected in the Pakistani capital this coming week, with envoys hoping to end the war that was started by the US and Israel on February 28.

The allies launched a massive wave of surprise attacks on Iran, despite Washington and Tehran being engaged in diplomatic talks, that killed Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and numerous senior leaders.

The war rapidly spread across the region, with Iran targeting US interests in the Gulf and Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into the conflict by launching rockets at Israel.

In a sign that the two-week ceasefire remained stable, Iran’s civil aviation agency declared its airspace was open again, with international flights able to transit Iran via the east of the country.

Nevertheless, two major sticking points in the peace talks — Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and the future of the Strait of Hormuz — appeared up in the air.

Speaking by phone with AFP on Friday, Trump said “we’re very close to having a deal,” adding that there were “no sticking points at all” left with Tehran.

Later the same day, at an event in Arizona, the president declared that Iran had agreed to hand over its 440 or so kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 percent — close to that needed for a bomb.

“We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators,” he said.

But hours before, Iran’s foreign ministry had said its stockpile, thought to be buried deep under rubble by US bombing in last June’s 12-day war, was not going anywhere.

“Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV.

“Transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium to the US has never been raised in negotiations.”

Ordinary Iranians, meanwhile, remained cut off from the international internet, with monitor netblocks announcing on Saturday that the blackout implemented at the start of the war had reached its 50th day.

AFP

Former Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed on Friday that she is “thinking about” running for president in 2028 at the 2026 National Action Network Convention – in her most open public remarks to date about her political future.

“Listen, I might, I might. I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about it,” Harris told Rev. Al Sharpton when asked about whether she plans to run another White House campaign. Harris was the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 election.

Her comments came amid mounting speculation about what she may do next with her political career after she released a campaign memoir in late 2025 and embarked on a subsequent book tour.

Harris is also set to appear at Democratic Party events in four Southern states this month, CNN previously reported.

While Harris said in an August 2025 interview with CBS’ Stephen Colbert that she did not “want to go back in the system,” she hinted later in the year that she could make another bid for the White House, telling the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I am not done.”

On Friday, Harris received a warm welcome at the progressive organizing conference steeped in civil rights history, prompting loud chants of “run again,” which briefly interrupted her remarks at one point.

“I am thinking about (running again) but let me also say this. I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States,” Harris said. “I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room. I know what the job is. And I know what it requires.”

She went on to lay out the “work that needs to be done” as she considers what would be a third presidential campaign, with a crowded potential field taking shape.

“I’ve been traveling the country the last year, I’ve been spent a lot of time in the south and many other places. And the one thing I’m really clear about also, is the status quo is not working, and hasn’t been working for a lot of people for a long time,” the former nominee said.

Since leaving the White House, Harris has continued to be an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.

In her sit-down with Sharpton, Harris condemned Trump’s foreign policy actions, particularly the war with Iran, which she called a “choice.”

At Friday’s event, the former vice president went on to argue that Trump’s increasing bitterness toward some allies, particularly NATO countries, “is harmful to the people of America, not to mention people in allied nations around the world.”

She added that the impact of Trump’s foreign policy “keeps me up at night.”

The gathering of Black African American and progressive leaders at the annual conference in New York served as a staging ground for potential 2028 presidential contenders, several of whom sat down with Sharpton to test-drive their message.

Kicking off the proceedings on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — one of the party’s young, progressive stars — quipped about his ineligibility to run for president as a non-natural-born citizen.

“It is such a pleasure to be here, and I joked with the reverend that I’m proud to announce that I am not running for president in 2028, which I know that some people may be considering when they come to this conference,” Mamdani said.

The potential candidates – including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, California Rep. Ro Khanna, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Harris – fielded personal questions and touted local successes. Another potential contender, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, is set to address the conference on Saturday.

Shapiro promoted his work to repair the I-95 bridge in his state, echoing his “GSD” (get s*** done) slogan; Moore grappled with the fight over redistricting in his state, warning Republicans, “don’t play with me”; and Buttigieg criticized the TSA staffing shortages at airports amid the ongoing DHS funding stalemate, reflecting on his own experience leading the Transportation Department.

The conflict with Iran also created a throughline for the conversations, each Democrat laying into the Trump administration’s decision making and leadership. Gallego, Moore and Buttigieg, each veteran, grounded their criticism in personal terms.

“I know exactly what it feels like to get on that gray-tailed military transport plane and be on your way into a war zone, and how important it is to be able to believe that the people who sent you there only did that because they had no other choice,” Buttigieg said. “You do not put American troops’ lives on the line unless you have no other good alternative.”

Meanwhile, with speculation growing about their plans, every member of the potential 2028 field was emphatic about their commitment to Democratic successes in the 2026 midterms. “In these midterms, we’ve got four competitive US congressional races that I’m going all in on, so we can make Hakeem Jeffries the speaker of the House,” Shapiro declared.

Sharpton attempted to cut out the speculation, closing every interview by directly asking each would-be contender about their plans for the next White House race. But he received a series of artful dodges.

“We have an opportunity to have a real debate in our party about what we stand for. About what our affirmative vision is,” Shapiro said. “And what I can tell you for sure is that I want to be a part of that debate.”

Pritzker was similarly noncommittal. “My answer is, I don’t know what I’ll be doing after. I hope I win reelection after, but I can tell you this, I’m going to fight like hell to elect a Democrat in 2028,” he said.

Getting a loud reaction from the crowd during his turn, Moore relished the speculation. “We’re gonna send a message in Maryland. But I’m telling you, while I am – I tell people, you know, I’m hungry, but I’m not thirsty,” the Maryland governor remarked.

Finally, Sharpton asked Buttigieg, “When you ran for president, you met me, and we went up for a well-publicized lunch at Sylvia’s Restaurant, in Harlem. Just so my calendar is clear. Should I be reserving a table at Sylvia’s? Are you – are you gonna run again?”

“You save me a seat, I’ll be there,” he replied.

CNN

United States President, Donald Trump, has ordered a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear programme during peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Trump said on Sunday that negotiations held in Islamabad were largely successful, noting that “most points were agreed to,” but insisted Tehran remained firm on its nuclear ambitions.

“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!”

Tribune Online reports that talks ended without a deal as US Vice President JD Vance departed Pakistan after meeting with an Iranian delegation led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The meeting marked the highest-level engagement between both sides since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it,” Vance told reporters.

In separate posts, Trump criticised Iran for failing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route responsible for transporting about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil.

“They say they put mines in the water, even though all of their Navy, and most of their ‘mine droppers,’ have been completely blown up. They may have done so, but what ship owner would want to take the chance?” Trump said.

The waterway has remained effectively closed for weeks following a bombing campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran more than six weeks ago.

On Saturday, the US military confirmed that two warships had passed through the strait as part of a mine clearance operation.

AFP