Islamabad, Apr 21: The prospect of a second round of talks was uncertain Tuesday after Iran’s chief negotiator said Iran would not negotiate in the face of threats while US President Donald Trump offered mixed messages about the path ahead for the US war against Iran, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict.

Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, wrote in a post on X early Tuesday that “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” and the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

Trump indicated that he still expects to dispatch his negotiating team, led by US Vice President JD Vance, to Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad for talks, even as Iran insisted it would not take part until the US leader dialed back his demands. Trump said he’s “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire before it expires Wednesday.

Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed.

Here is the latest:

Israeli strikes kill 5 in Gaza

Israeli strikes killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, hospital authorities said.

Four suspected militants were killed when a drone strike hit a security point just after overnight in the southern city of Khan Younis, the Nasser hospital said.

Another man was wounded in the strike, it said.

Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The militant-manned point was around 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) west of the so-called Yellow Line, separating the Israeli-controlled areas from the rest of Gaza, according to relatives of those killed.

In the northern town of Beit Lahiya, a 30-year-old woman was killed when the Israeli navy opened fire toward tents sheltering displaced people early Tuesday, the Shifa hospital said.

The Israeli military said it wasn’t aware of attacks in Beit Lahiya.

The deaths were the latest among Palestinians in Gaza since a fragile October ceasefire deal took hold to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas.

Iran state TV says no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad … so far’

Iranian state television on Tuesday issued an on-screen alert saying that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad … so far” as speculation about possible talks with the United States grows.

The on-screen alert likely reflects the internal debate ongoing within Iran’s theocracy as it weighs how to respond to the US Navy’s seizure of an Iranian container ship over the weekend.

Iranian state TV long has been controlled by hard-liners within Iran’s theocracy.

So far, no official has acknowledged that a delegation will be heading to Islamabad, where officials have been on standby for days now for the possible talks.

US Vice President JD Vance is expected to lead an American team to the talks.

Iran has offered no word on who could lead its delegation.

Last time, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf led the Iranian side.

China says war is at critical stage of transition,’ calls for further negotiations

China said it hopes all parties can maintain the momentum for peace talks, as the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war is set to expire Wednesday.

“The current situation is at a critical stage of transition between war and peace. At such a moment, it is all the more necessary for all parties to show the utmost sincerity, remain committed to a political solution, maintain the momentum of the ceasefire and negotiations,” said China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun.

China’s Xi Jinping called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz Monday.

While it’s not directly involved in ongoing mediation efforts, diplomats have said China had pressed for Iran to attend the first round of negotiations.

Pakistan says China supports efforts to facilitate US-Iran talks

China has expressed support for Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate engagement between the United States and Iran for peace and stability in the region and beyond, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong conveyed the message during a meeting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, where both sides discussed the latest regional developments.

Dar reaffirmed the “all-weather” Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnership, underscoring strong bilateral ties and the importance of continued high-level exchanges, the statement said.

Thousands of security personnel deploy in Islamabad

Security has been tightened across Pakistan’s capital, where authorities have deployed thousands of personnel and increased patrols along routes leading to the airport, as US and Iranian delegations are expected to arrive this week for the second round of talks, witnesses and officials said Tuesday.

Security arrangements appear stricter than those put in place during the first round of talks held in the capital on April 11 and 12, following diplomatic efforts by Pakistan and regional countries, including China, to ease tensions in the region.

Pakistan has not announced final dates for the talks, however.

Analysts say the scale of the security measures suggests the possibility of high-level participation if negotiations make progress.

“The arrangements this time are markedly different from those during the first round,” said Syed Mohammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst.

“Pakistan appears to be preparing for the possibility of visits by top US and Iranian leaders if the talks advance to a stage where an agreement could be signed,” he told The Associated Press.

EU transportation ministers meet on energy, jet fuel concerns

Transportation ministers from across the 27-nation European Union are meeting in Brussels Tuesday to discuss spiking energy prices because of the war in Iran, and how to protect consumers at home and at the pump after the head of the International Energy Agency warned that Europe has “maybe six weeks” supply left of jet fuel.

“This evolving geopolitical crisis in the Middle East has highlighted that Europe may have a short-term issue in supply of fuel,” said Cyprus Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades, who is chairing the virtual meeting.

He said that currently there is currently no crisis, but that the bloc must prepare for the possibility of shortages.

“If this ever happens, it will affect connectivity, it will affect every citizen in the Union,” Vafeades said.

“We need to be ready to avoid queues at the gas stations if this ever happens.”

Pakistan’s top diplomat speaks with Egyptian counterpart

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, to discuss the latest regional developments, as part of a diplomatic push linked to a possible second round of talks between the United States and Iran.

In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said both leaders emphasized the importance of dialogue and engagement for peace and stability and agreed to remain in close contact.

The statement gave no further details.

While Pakistani officials have expressed confidence that Iran will send a delegation late Tuesday night, there has been no formal announcement from Tehran.

Trump said over the weekend that he is sending a US delegation to Pakistan.

Russian authorities lift restrictions on flights to UAE and in Iranian airspace

Russia’s Transport Ministry announced Monday that Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority, “lifted recommendations for Russian airlines to temporary halt sales of tickets to flights to and from the UAE,” Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Restrictions on flights via Iranian airspace have also been lifted, the report quoted the ministry as saying in an online statement.

Flights to Iranian airports and transit flights over the country will be carried out with recommendations from local aviation authorities taken into account, the report said.

Restrictions on flights to the Middle East were introduced in February.

Apple said on Monday that Tim Cook will step down as CEO after nearly 15 years, with John Ternus, the company’s head of hardware engineering, set to take over the role on September 1, according to Al Jazeera report.

Tim Cook, 65, assumed  office after late Steve Jobs. During Cook’s reign, the company’s market value soar by more than $3.6 trillion in an iPhone-fuelled era of prosperity.

Wile turning over the CEO duties John Ternus, on September 1, Cook will remain involved with the Cupertino, California, company as executive chairman. That is similar to the transitions made by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Netflix’s Reed Hastings after they ended their highly successful tenures as CEO.

Although he never shook the perception that he lacked Jobs’s vision, Cook leveraged the popularity of the iPhone and other breakthroughs orchestrated by his predecessor to lift Apple to heights that seemed unfathomable when it was on the brink of bankruptcy in the mid-1990s.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a letter posted on the company’s website.

Cook joined Apple in 1998. He became CEO in 2011 and has overseen the introduction of numerous products and services, including new categories like Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro, as well as services ranging from iCloud and Apple Pay to Apple TV and Apple Music.

Under Cook’s leadership, Apple has grown from a market capitalisation of approximately $350bn to $4 trillion, representing a more than 1,000 percent increase, and yearly revenue has nearly quadrupled, from $108bn in fiscal year 2011 to more than $416bn in fiscal year 2025.

Ternus, 50, an Apple veteran, became senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021. He was instrumental in the introduction of multiple new product lines, including iPad and AirPods, as well as many generations of products across iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch.

“John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future,” Cook said in a statement.

As executive chairman, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.

Mexico City, Apr 21: An armed man standing atop one of the historic Teotihuacan pyramids opened fire on tourists, killing one Canadian and leaving at least 13 people injured at the archaeological site north of Mexico’s capital, authorities said.

The shooter later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said, and security officials found a gun, a knife and ammunition.

The local government said seven people were wounded by gunshots on Monday. How the other people were injured was not disclosed, but those taken to hospitals for treatment were six Americans, three Colombians, one Russian, two Brazilians and one Canadian, the local government said.

Video and photos published by local media showed a man standing with a gun on top of a pyramid while people ducked for cover. A number of gunshots rang out in the videos.

The shooting took place shortly after 11:30 am when dozens of tourists were at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. A man standing on the structure’s platform began firing upward, according to a tour guide who was at the scene and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

“Some people, because they were scared … threw themselves face down on the ground, and the rest of us started to go down,” the guide said, recounting how the shooter, upon seeing the tourists descending the pyramid’s steps, began firing.

Another group of visitors lay motionless on the pyramid’s platform to avoid being targeted by the shooter, who authorities have not yet identified.

Brenda Lee, of Vancouver, British Columbia, said she was waiting to buy a souvenir when she and others in her group thought they heard firecrackers.

“Before we knew it, someone said, No, that’s gunfire, run,’ and we saw people coming off the top,” she told CTV News, one of Canada’s national television broadcasters.

“There were thousands of people there and there were a lot of gunshots that just kept coming,” Lee said.

The scene quickly turned chaotic as people tried to escape, Lee said.

“And then a fellow jumped,” she said. “It was someone trying to get away, and he dropped to the next level, but he fell on his back, and it was … it just was awful.”

In past years, staff at the archaeological site carried out security scans before people entered the area but have since stopped.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on social media that the shooting would be investigated and that she was in touch with the Canadian Embassy.

“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” she wrote.

Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said on X that as a “result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacán” and that her “thoughts are with their family and loved ones. ”

The Teotihuacán pyramids are a series of massive structures on the outskirts of Mexico City built by three different ancient civilizations. As one of Mexico’s most important touristic destinations, the site drew more than 1.8 million international visitors last year, according to government figures.

New Delhi, Apr 21: With a fragile truce set to expire on April 22, US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his administration’s hardline position, declaring that Washington will not ease its naval blockade of Iran until a comprehensive deal is reached with Tehran.

In a series of posts on his platform Truth Social, Trump said the blockade, imposed after failed negotiations earlier this month, was already having a decisive impact.

“The US will not lift its blockade on Iranian ports until a deal has been reached with Tehran,” he wrote, adding that the measures were “absolutely destroying Iran” and that the United States was winning the conflict “by a lot”.

The comments come at a moment of deep uncertainty. A temporary ceasefire agreed earlier in April is due to end tomorrow, on Wednesday, while a proposed second round of talks remains in doubt. Security has been tightened in Islamabad, but Vice President JD Vance has yet to depart Washington, and Iranian officials say they have not decided whether to attend.

Trump used his posts to push back against suggestions that he is being rushed into a diplomatic settlement. “I’m not going to let them rush the United States into making a Deal that is not as good as it could have been,” he wrote, insisting: “I am under no pressure whatsoever… Time is not my adversary.”

In a lengthy message, he framed the confrontation in sweeping historical terms, comparing it to major 20th-century conflicts. Listing the durations of the two world wars, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq, Trump argued critics were wrong to question the pace of his campaign against Iran.

“They like to say that I promised 6 weeks to defeat Iran,” he wrote. “Actually, from the Military standpoint, it was far faster than that.” He added that the outcome would “happen, relatively quickly,” but stressed that only a “RIGHT” deal would be acceptable after “47 years” of what he described as failed policies by previous administrations.

Trump also turned his fire inward, accusing domestic opponents of undermining US leverage. “The Democrats are doing everything possible to hurt the very strong position we are in,” he said, calling them “weak and pathetic… TRAITORS ALL”.

At the same time, he praised the US military campaign and its execution. “This is being perfectly executed… just a bigger, more complex operation,” he wrote, comparing it to previous US interventions.

He reiterated that military strength built during his first term, “including adding Space Force,” was now being used “properly and judiciously” to resolve the crisis.
Oil, shipping and blockade pressure

Trump also claimed that Iranian actions were indirectly benefiting the United States. “The Iranian leadership has forced hundreds of Ships toward the United States… to get their Oil, Thank you very much!” he wrote, pointing to increased energy flows toward American ports.

On the ground, the blockade appears to be tightening. According to US Central Command, American forces have already forced at least 27 vessels to turn back since operations began earlier this month.

The US has also escalated enforcement. Over the weekend, American forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship attempting to breach the blockade,  the first such interception of the conflict, a move that Tehran condemned as a violation of the ceasefire.

The wider standoff has affected shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil supply. Many ships have begun turning back due to confusion and growing security concerns.

Donald Trump has already indicated that if no agreement is reached, the blockade will continue, and military action could also restart. At present, his message is very clear: no deal means no relief.

As the deadline approaches, strong statements, military pressure, and the lack of progress in talks suggest that the chances for peace may be decreasing rather than increasing.