BY TYLER DURDEN
THURSDAY, APR 16, 2026 – 04:00 PM
Summary
- Trump says "probably, maybe" Iran talks resume this weekend, "not sure" about ceasefire extension.
- Trump unveils 10-day Lebanon ceasefire, but which Hezbollah has not signed on for, amid heavy IDF attacks on south. BBG reports on potential 6-month timeframe for comprehensive Iran deal, oil spikes.
- Iran seeks to boost rial through toll payment scheme; vessels pay Hormuz passage through Iranian banks.
- US Navy: vessels seeking entry into Hormuz Strait now fair game for boarding, search, and outright seizure – including for suspicion of ‘contraband’.
- Hegseth: US forces are ready to restart combat if Iran doesn’t agree to a deal & strait blockade to continue for as long as it takes. Already 14 ships have been turned around.
Trump Still Signals Ambiguity on Peace/Ceasefire Potential
President Trump appeared to confirm ceasefire talks with Iran are still very up in the air, saying that he also doesn’t see the need to extend the current two-week ceasefire – "not sure," he said – also amid the going US naval blockade of Iranian-China oil exports, or other sanctioned vessels. With no extension, the ceasefire will expire on April 22.
"If there’s no deal fighting resumes," Trump affirmed in fielding reporters’ questions. Importantly, talks and timeline are still a big maybe:
President Trump told reporters the next in-person talks negotiating a deal for Iran will "probably, maybe" happen this weekend. He didn’t say where, and other U.S. officials haven’t confirmed any details.
He took the opportunity in the same remarks to slam the Pope. "If the pope looked at the 42,000 people that were killed over the last two or three months, as a protester, with no weapons, no nothing," he claimed, using the same unsourced numbers he’s lately been throwing around. "I mean, you take a look at that, so I can disagree with the pope. I have a right to disagree. I have a right to disagree with the pope."
The president added, "The pope can say what he wants. And I want him to say what he wants. But I can disagree. I think that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. If they do, the whole world would be in jeopardy, the Middle East would blow up and the whole world would be in jeopardy."
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