Trump says he has ‘good news’ on Iran as tankers cross Strait of Hormuz

InternationalMust ReadTrump says he has 'good news' on Iran as tankers cross Strait of HormuzBy Reuters -Apr 18, 2026WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: A convoy of oil tankers was crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the first major movement of ships in ​the crucial waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran seven weeks ago. The group of four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, was passing through Iranian ‌waters south of Larak Island with more tankers following from the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data. U.S. President Donald Trump hours earlier had cited “some pretty good news” about Iran, declining to elaborate. He also said fighting might resume without a peace deal by Wednesday. Iran reopened the strait, which before the war carried a fifth of the world’s oil trade, following a separate U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement on Thursday by Israel and Lebanon. UNCLEAR IF ANY DIRECT TALKS THIS WEEKEND The war with Iran, which began on February 28 with a U.S.-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic, has killed thousands, spread to ​Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait. Despite the progress on opening the strait, prospects remained unclear on a resumption of high-level U.S.-Iran talks or any agreement ​over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a key sticking point. “It seems to be going very well in the Middle East with Iran,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One while returning to Washington ⁠from Phoenix, Arizona. “We’re negotiating over the weekend. I expect things to go well. Many of these things have been negotiated and agreed to. “The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let Iran have a ​nuclear weapon, and that supersedes everything else.” But in sharp contrast, he said he might end the ceasefire with Iran unless a long-term deal to end the war is agreed before it expires on Wednesday, adding that a U.S. blockade...