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Iran live updates: Iran pushes back on Trump's claims about agreement

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to the press, as he arrives at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, April 17, 2026.
2:19
Evan Vucci/Reuters
War with Iran 'going along swimmingly,' Trump says
By David Brennan, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: April 17, 2026, 11:47 PM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.

After negotiations, U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a peace deal. Trump said that Iran's nuclear program was the key sticking point, and said the U.S. would respond with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday.

Iran announced it would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, but Trump said the blockade will remain in place until the U.S.'s "transaction" with Iran is complete.

Israel, meanwhile, has reached a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, ending its ground operations and intense strikes, where it was engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran.

Key Headlines

  • When the next round of talks could happen, and a key sticking point
  • Trump says there 'could' still be differences to work out with Iran
  • White House insists Strait of Hormuz is 'completely open'
  • Iran says its enriched uranium is not going anywhere
  • US sanctions leaders of Iraqi militias back by Iran
  • Israeli strike on Lebanon kills 1, marking first death announced since ceasefire went into effect: Lebanese Health Ministry
Here's how the news is developing.

Apr 17, 2026 11:47 PM

Iranian negotiator: Trump's claims are 'false'

The current Iranian negotiations leader, Mohammed Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, posted a statement to social media Friday evening stating President Donald Trump "made seven claims in one hour, all seven of which are false."

Ghalibaf's statement also echoes what Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei said earlier -- that Iran would not allow navigation in the Strait of Hormuz if the American blockade continued, and that navigation will be carried out based on a "designated route" and with "Iranian permission."

He added that the "open or closed status of the Strait and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not social media."

The statement went on to say: "Media warfare and public opinion engineering are an important part of the war, and the Iranian nation will not be affected by these tricks."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule


Apr 17, 2026 11:33 PM

When the next round of talks could happen, and a key sticking point

President Donald Trump said in-person discussions would "probably" happen this weekend. Though two U.S. officials see Monday as the first feasible day that a second round of negotiations could take place in Islamabad. They also note that timing and the delegations are not locked in yet.

Trump has said that Iran has agreed to suspend their nuclear program indefinitely. Though there's still no agreement on how long Iran would suspend uranium enrichment or the terms around that, according to U.S. officials and another source familiar with the state of play. This is the key sticking point.

On Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, a U.S. official says negotiators are discussing multiple ways to address the issue in part because it's possible that not all of it can be downblended within the country, as some might not be stable enough to undergo the process.

The official says there are many details on this front to work out, but that the administration believes the sides are fundamentally in agreement.

At present, Iran's missile program and its support for regional proxies are not being discussed as terms within the potential memorandum of understanding, a U.S. official and another source familiar with the talks said.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston


Apr 17, 2026 9:56 PM

Trump says there 'could' still be differences to work out with Iran

President Donald Trump continued to tout the progress between the U.S. and Iran upon touching down in Phoenix on Friday, telling reporters that the two countries have had "some very good discussions."

"We've done a good job, but we'll see,” Trump said.

"Talks are going on and will go on over the weekend, and a lot of good things are happening," Trump continued, adding, "That includes Lebanon, too."

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to the press, as he arrives at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, April 17, 2026.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
President Donald Trump speaks to the press, as he arrives at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, April 17, 2026.
Evan Vucci/Reuters


Trump acknowledged that there "could" still be differences that the U.S. and Iran need to work out, despite saying earlier Friday that Iran has "agreed to everything."

"Well, there could be," Trump said when asked to respond to reports of Iran claiming the two countries still have significant differences. "Let's see what happens. If there are, we'll have to straighten it out. But I don't think there's too many significant differences."

The president also insisted that the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz will end once the U.S. and Iran sign a deal.

"When the agreement is signed, the blockade ends," Trump said.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Emily Chang



Apr 17, 2026 9:56 PM

White House insists Strait of Hormuz is 'completely open'

The White House is pushing back against claims by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz will require permission, reiterating Friday that the Strait is "completely open for business."

"As President Trump said, the Strait of Hormuz is completely open for business, and Iran has agreed to never close the Strait again," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement when asked to respond to the IRGC's claim. "Thanks to the United States' successful blockade of Iranian ports, the United States also maintains maximum leverage in negotiations to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat for good."

The White House response comes even as ship tracking data shows traffic still shows minimal traffic transiting through the region. About two dozen ships started to make their way toward the strait Friday morning amid announcements from Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that it was reopened, before most of the ships appeared to turn around and head back into the Persian Gulf, according to ship data from MarineTraffic.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr


Apr 14, 2026 8:09 PM

Sanctions on Iranian oil at sea will resume Sunday: Treasury

The Treasury Department confirmed Tuesday that it would not renew the short-term authorization license waiving U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea. The sanctions will go back into effect on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. ET.

In a post on social media, the Treasury Department said that it was "moving aggressively with Economic Fury" to apply pressure to Iran and put financial institutions "on notice" that the department is prepared to implement secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions doing business with Iran.

The sanctions were temporarily lifted as part of the administration's larger effort to increase supply and help drive global oil prices down. The U.S. also provided a waiver for Russian oil at sea to be temporarily unsanctioned amid the war. That license expired on April 11.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart and Nicholas Kerr


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