• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
ABC News

US being 'humiliated' by Iran, German chancellor says

PHOTO: Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, April 27, 2026.
1:14
Reuters
Trump to hold national security meeting Monday on Iran, officials say
By David Brennan, Emily Shapiro, Leah Sarnoff, Nadine El-Bawab, Meredith Deliso, Jon Haworth
Last Updated: April 23, 2026, 1:10 PM

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

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan earlier this month failed to reach a peace deal.

Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of the blockade until Iran's proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded "one way or the other."

Key Headlines

  • Rubio dismisses Iran peace proposal, stresses nuclear issue
  • Israel, Hezbollah trade strikes, accuse each other of violating ceasefire
  • Americans have no strategy, entire nation is being humiliated by Iran: German chancellor
Here's how the news is developing.

Apr 23, 2026 1:10 PM

Trump says he ordered Navy to 'shoot,' 'kill' boats putting mines in strait

President Donald Trump said in a Thursday social media post that he ordered the Navy to "shoot and kill" any boats putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

"I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote.

"There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine 'sweepers' are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!" Trump added.

There are currently no U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz , but there are 17 U.S. Navy ships east of the strait in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. So far, all of the previous attacks on Iranian mine-laying ships have been from the air.

The president’s post comes a day after the Washington Post reported that a Pentagon assessment found that clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz could take as long as six months. 

It is currently unclear if Iranian mine-laying operations remain underway in the Strait amid the ceasefire. The regime previously declared that it had mined a wide swath of the strait off of the coast of Oman. 

-ABC News' Luis Martinez and Nicholas Kerr


Apr 23, 2026 12:26 PM

Iranian oil passing through US blockade, maritime tracking groups say

Cargo tracking group Vortexa told ABC News it identified 34 sanctioned or Iranian-linked ships moving in and out of the Gulf of Oman through the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports which came into effect on April 13.

Fifteen of those were inbound toward Iran, while 19 were outbound away from Iran.

Of the observed outbound movements, six of the ships were confirmed to be laden with approximately 10.7 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.

Financial Markets Wall Street
The Associated Press
Traders Jim Bodner, left, and Chris Lagana work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The Associated Press

However, after Vortexa shared its data and media outlets named three of those ships, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) publicly refuted that the three named ships had evaded the blockade.

CENTCOM said two of those ships -- the Hero II and Hedy -- had returned to an Iranian port, and that the third -- the Dorena -- was "under the escort of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after previously attempting to violate the blockade."

It was not immediately clear whether the M/T Majestic X, which the U.S. announced Thursday it had interdicted in the Indian Ocean for carrying oil from Iran, was also one of the ships tracked as having moved through the blockade.

Vortexa said that the blockade is having some effect but, "based on observed vessel activity, flows have continued, although in a more constrained and selective environment."

TankerTrackers.com, a maritime intelligence company that tracks crude oil shipments, told ABC News that they observed nine shipments of Iranian oil pass through the U.S. blockade between April 13 and 20, one of which has been sent back to Iran.

Of the nine shipments, eight were tankers belonging to Iran's National Iranian Tanker Company and one was independently-owned.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule and Chris Looft


Apr 23, 2026 12:07 PM

US boards Iran-linked tanker in the Indian Ocean

The Pentagon said in a post to X on Thursday that U.S. forces interdicted and boarded the M/T Majestic X tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight, a vessel it said was "transporting oil from Iran" as part of Tehran's illicit oil fleet.

The seizure is the second this week in the Indian Ocean. "We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," the Pentagon said.

Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility. We will continue global maritime enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/SWF6Jt9Ci4

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) April 23, 2026

-ABC News' Luis Martinez



Apr 23, 2026 10:29 AM

1st Strait of Hormuz toll revenues banked, Iran lawmaker says

Hamidreza Hajibabaei, the deputy speaker of Iran's parliament, said Thursday that the first revenues from Iran's new tolls on shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz have been deposited into the state's central bank account, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

"We have control over this Strait," Hajibabaei said, speaking at a public gathering in the western city of Kuhdasht.

PHOTO: This screen grab taken from a video released by Iran's IRGC and made available via Iran's state broadcaster on April 23, 2026, shows an IRGC boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Irib Tv/AFP via Getty Images
This screen grab taken from undated video footage released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and made available via Iran's state broadcaster on April 23, 2026, shows an IRGC boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Irib Tv/AFP via Getty Images

"If the United States continues on its current course, no vessels will pass through the Strait of Hormuz," Hajibabaei said. He added, "We are not engaged in negotiations -- rather, we are making demands."

Alireza Salimi, another member of the Iranian parliament, confirmed the deposit of the revenues in an interview with the semi-official Tasnim News Agency on Thursday.

"The amount collected from each ship depends on its cargo and level of risk they pose," Salimi said, as quoted by Tasnim.

"Iran determines how much and how these fees are collected, in other words, we determine the rules," Salimi said.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian


Apr 23, 2026 7:07 PM

Israel waiting for 'green light' from US to resume the war with Iran, Katz says

Israel is waiting for the "green light" from the U.S. to resume the war with Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday, after meeting with Israeli military officials.

"Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran," Katz said. "The IDF is prepared for defense and attack, and the targets are marked."

"Waiting for the green light from the U.S. -- first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty," Katz said.

Katz also threatened to target Iran's energy infrastructure along with its "national economic infrastructure."

"The attack this time will be different and deadly and will add devastating blows in the most painful places - following the enormous blows that the Iranian terrorist regime has suffered so far -- that will shake and collapse its foundations," Katz said.


GMA Newsletters

Sign up for our newsletters to get GMA delivered to your inbox every morning!

Up Next in news

PHOTO: In this April 20, 2025, file photo, Prince Andrew leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

Man arrested near former Prince Andrew's home appears in court

May 8, 2026
PHOTO: As part of his civic curriculum, Leon Smith takes his students at Haverford High School to the Pennsylvania state capitol.

Black educators say they're committed to the profession amid growing pressures, underrepresentation

May 8, 2026
PHOTO: Jake Reiner attends the Los Angeles premiere of "Things Like This" at Landmark Theatres Sunset on May 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Jake Reiner discusses death of parents Rob and Michelle Reiner in return to podcast

May 7, 2026

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2026 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2026 ABC News