Morning Briefing: April 21, 2026

Rabia Ali

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including US President Donald Trump saying an agreement currently under negotiation with Iran will be better than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the US turning back 27 vessels since the start of its naval blockade of Iran, and Iran rejecting negotiations with the US “under the shadow of threats.”

TOP STORIES

• Trump claims new deal with Iran ‘will be far better’ than previous nuclear pact

US President Donald Trump said an agreement currently under negotiation with Iran will prove superior to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The deal that we are making with Iran will be far better than the JCPOA,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, referring to the original pact as one of the “worst” agreements ever made regarding US security.

He argued that the previous deal served as a “guaranteed road to a nuclear weapon” for Tehran, a scenario he insisted would not occur under his administration.

Trump also announced Sunday that US representatives would fly to Islamabad for negotiations, though Tehran has yet to officially confirm its participation and demanded the lifting of a blockade.

US Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner left the US for Islamabad to prepare for talks with Iran and were expected to arrive early Tuesday. Trump told the New York Post on Monday. However, there are conflicting reports on whether Trump’s statements reflect reality, as multiple media outlets suggest Vance is still in Washington.

• US turned back 27 vessels since start of naval blockade of Iran: CENTCOM

US Central Command said that American forces have directed 27 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port since the naval blockade of Iranian ports began on April 13.

The figure marks an increase from the 25 vessels reported earlier and follows Sunday’s interception of the Iranian-flagged cargo ship TOUSKA in the northern Arabian Sea.

It was disabled by the USS Spruance after its crew refused to comply with warnings over a six-hour period.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28, rattling global energy markets and raising fears of prolonged economic damage.

• Iran rejects negotiations with US ‘under the shadow of threats’

Iran rejects negotiations with the US “under the shadow of threats,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.

Ghalibaf, who has played a key role in the talks, roundly criticized US President Donald Trump for his decision to impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has maintained is a violation of an already-fragile ceasefire.

The parliament speaker said on the US social media company X’s platform that Trump has sought to use the threats to turn the talks “into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.” He said Iran has prepared new military options should a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire lapse this week.

Trump announced Sunday that US representatives would fly to Islamabad for negotiations, though Tehran has yet to officially confirm its participation and demanded the lifting of the blockade.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• US President Donald Trump told Fox News reporter Maria Bartiromo that an agreement with Iran would be signed “today” in Islamabad, Pakistan.
• US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will step down from her post to take a position in the private sector, the White House said.
• The UN Security Council condemned “in the strongest terms” an attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon that killed one and injured three others.
• US President Donald Trump said the retrieval of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile will require a “long and difficult process.”
• Delegations from Cuba and the United States met in Havana in an environment of strong tensions amid repeated threats by US President Donald Trump, who maintains an energy blockade on the island and has deprived its people of their oil needs.
• Pakistani and Iranian top diplomats spoke by phone, the second such call in as many days, amid a push for a second round of US-Iran talks to end the war.
• At least three members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) were killed during training exercises in southwestern Japan, according to a local media report.
• William Shomali, an auxiliary bishop for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, condemned the destruction of a statue of Jesus Christ by an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon, calling it a “shameful and disgraceful act.”
• The US will host a second round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations at the State Department on Thursday, a spokesperson told Anadolu.
• French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the recent escalation in the Persian Gulf, saying the US decision to maintain a naval blockade and Iran’s subsequent reversal of its “open strait” policy is a “mistake on both sides.”
• Commercial ship traffic remained at a virtual standstill around the Strait of Hormuz over the last 24 hours as of 1500GMT Monday, with only 15 vessels appearing in shipping data, as a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran teetered on the brink of collapse following the seizure of an Iranian-flagged ship.
• Germany summoned Russia’s ambassador after Moscow published a list of European defense companies it claimed were involved in Ukrainian drone production and described them as potential military targets.
• Hungary’s prime minister-elect announced that Budapest would halt withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying visiting leaders sought by the court must be arrested.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a “comprehensive” ceasefire and the normal passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran conflict.
• Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called for accountability and disciplinary action over alleged misconduct by Israeli soldiers, saying some had admitted to committing war crimes.
• The EU hosted a Global Alliance meeting in Brussels on the implementation of the two-state solution, bringing together international and regional partners.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Apple names John Ternus CEO as Tim Cook becomes executive chairman

Apple said that John Ternus will become the company’s next chief executive officer on Sept. 1, while Tim Cook will assume the role of executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors, according to an official company announcement.

The iPhone maker said Cook will remain CEO through the summer and work closely with Ternus to ensure a smooth transition. The change was approved unanimously by Apple’s board and follows what the company described as a long-term succession planning process.

• Energy prices up 21.2% in Canada last month, pushing inflation up

Energy prices jumped by 21.2% in Canada last month versus February, while consumer prices rose by 0.9%, Statistics Canada announced.

“The largest price increase for gasoline on record, due to the supply shock resulting from the conflict in the Middle East,” said a press release.

The annual inflation rate rose to 2.4% in the country last month from 1.8% in February.