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President Trump publicly ordered the US Navy to shoot and kill any vessel mining the Strait of Hormuz, while Israeli Defense Minister Katz declared Israel is prepared to resume war against Iran and is awaiting a US 'green light' to strike Iranian energy infrastructure and the new supreme leader. Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ghalibaf resigned from the negotiating team amid reported IRGC interference, further complicating ceasefire diplomacy.

Hezbollah fired an anti-tank guided missile at IDF forces in southern Lebanon — confirmed by the IDF as a ceasefire violation — while Iran's parliament speaker Ghalibaf declared the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen as long as the US is 'blockading ports,' hardening Tehran's position beyond the fee-charging posture reported in the prior SITREP. Israel-Lebanon ceasefire talks are underway in Washington with the truce set to expire in approximately three days.

Since the prior SITREP, a senior Iranian official has told AFP that Tehran has begun charging transit fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz — a significant operational shift from the prior posture of threatening closure. Separately, dozens of Israeli settlers crossed into Syrian territory in the Golan Heights and barricaded themselves on a rooftop, representing a new flashpoint not covered in the prior SITREP.

Since the prior SITREP, the US Navy has expanded its interdiction of Iranian oil tankers into Asian waters, citing a mine threat in the Strait of Hormuz that the Pentagon estimates could take up to six months to clear. Separately, IDF assessments confirm Iran retains hundreds of ballistic missile launchers and approximately 1,000 missiles largely intact despite US-Israeli strikes.

Since the prior SITREP, Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil has been confirmed killed — not merely trapped — in the IDF strike at al-Tiri, southern Lebanon, with her body recovered after hours of search. Separately, US Navy Secretary John Phelan has departed the Trump administration immediately, amid ongoing maritime tensions with Iran.

Since the prior SITREP, the IRGC has conducted the most significant kinetic maritime escalation of the current cycle: seizing two vessels and firing on at least one additional ship in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran explicitly framing the action as retaliation for the US capture of the Touska. Simultaneously, Hezbollah launched a drone at IDF troops in southern Lebanon — intercepted by Israeli air defenses — marking a fresh ceasefire violation.

Since the prior SITREP, three new developments have emerged: UKMTO issued a second maritime incident report 8NM west of Iran (distinct from the prior northeast-of-Oman attack); the US Treasury blocked a ~$500M Iraq oil dollar shipment to curb Iran-linked groups; and Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya spokesman issued a 'hands on trigger' warning as the IRGC marked its 48th anniversary with vows of military surprises.

An IRGC vessel fired on a container ship approximately 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, causing significant damage to the bridge — a kinetic maritime incident during the active US-Iran ceasefire and Hormuz blockade. UKMTO confirmed the attack; Israeli and regional media corroborate the IRGC attribution.

Trump announced an open-ended ceasefire extension hours before the Wednesday deadline, conditioned on Iran producing a 'unified proposal,' while explicitly maintaining the naval blockade of Hormuz. Simultaneously, Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at an IDF position in Kfar Giladi — the first confirmed kinetic exchange on the Lebanon front since the prior SITREP — and the US issued fresh sanctions on 14 Iran-linked arms entities.

Iran's state media denies any delegation has departed for Islamabad while a Pakistani diplomatic source claims a preliminary Iranian delegation has arrived, creating unresolved ambiguity over whether Tuesday talks are alive as the ceasefire expires Wednesday. The IEA has declared the Hormuz closure the worst energy crisis in history, a Mossad officer was killed outside Israel during the war, and Israeli forces are escalating demolitions in southern Lebanon under ceasefire cover.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf has publicly threatened to 'reveal new cards on the battlefield' and rejected negotiations under threat, materially hardening Tehran's posture since the prior SITREP's tentative signal of Islamabad attendance. Trump has confirmed the Hormuz blockade remains in force, Hormuz transits have collapsed to three vessels in 12 hours, and Pakistan-brokered talks are described as hanging by a thread.

Since the prior SITREP, a cluster of covert Iranian operations has come into focus: 40 Israelis were detained at Moscow's airport in an apparent Russia-Iran alignment signal, a foiled IRGC assassination network in Azerbaijan reportedly resulted in senior IRGC commanders being killed, and the UAE dismantled an Iran-linked cell while the US charged an Iranian national with arms trafficking to Sudan. On the diplomatic track, Iranian sources now indicate Tehran will attend Islamabad talks, a partial reversal from the prior 'no decision' posture.

The US Navy seized the Iranian cargo vessel MV Touska in the Sea of Oman/Strait of Hormuz area, prompting the IRGC to threaten retaliation and Iran's Foreign Ministry to accuse Washington of ceasefire violations. Simultaneously, Iran has not confirmed participation in the next round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad despite Vance's arrival in Pakistan, placing the diplomatic track in acute uncertainty.

As of 2026-04-18T22:50:39Z, the Iran-Israel-US armed conflict is in its fifth week following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Israeli-US strikes on approximately February 28, 2026. The co

The Lebanon ceasefire is nominal and deteriorating, Hormuz remains closed with active IRGC harassment, and diplomacy produces only procedural signals — no breakthrough in 24 hours.