Mediators Closer to Extending Ceasefire04/15 06:08

   Mediators moved closer Wednesday to extending the ceasefire between the 
United States and Iran and restarting negotiations to salvage the fragile truce 
before it expires next week.

   CAIRO (AP) -- Mediators moved closer Wednesday to extending the ceasefire 
between the United States and Iran and restarting negotiations to salvage the 
fragile truce before it expires next week.

   The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats have 
imperiled the week-old agreement, but regional officials said Wednesday they 
were making progress, telling The Associated Press that the United States and 
Iran had given an "in principle agreement" to extend it to allow for more 
diplomacy.

   Before the two-week ceasefire expires on April 22, mediators are pushing for 
a compromise on three main sticking points that derailed direct talks last 
weekend -- Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for 
wartime damages -- according to one of the regional officials who is involved 
in mediation efforts.

   Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

   World leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and U.N. 
Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said on Tuesday that revived talks in the 
upcoming days were likely.

   The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in 
Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. 
service members have also been killed.

   Prospect for more talks as blockade threatens escalation

   The war, now in its seventh week, has jolted markets and rattled the global 
economy as shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have torn through military 
and civilian infrastructure across the region. Oil prices fell on hopes for an 
end to fighting on Wednesday, and U.S. stocks surged close to records set in 
January.

   Yet whether the fragile ceasefire would hold appeared increasingly uncertain 
as the U.S. pressed ahead with its blockade, which threatens to sever Iran from 
economic lifelines it has relied on since the war began nearly seven weeks ago.

   "I think they want to make a deal very badly," Trump said in an excerpt from 
an interview with Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" scheduled to air 
Wednesday morning. He added: "I view it as very close to over."

   A U.S. official said Tuesday that fresh talks with Iran were still under 
discussion and that nothing has been scheduled. The official spoke on condition 
of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive negotiations.

   Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan's finance minister, told The Associated Press 
that "our leadership is not giving up" on efforts to help the U.S. and Iran end 
the conflict.

   Tankers turned around after blockade took effect

   U.S. Central Command said Tuesday no ships made it past the blockade in the 
first 24 hours, while six merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. 
forces to turn around and reenter Iranian waters.

   The blockade is intended to pressure Iran, which has exported millions of 
barrels of oil, mostly to Asia, since the war began Feb. 28. Much of it has 
likely been carried by so-called dark transits that evade sanctions and 
oversight, providing cash that's been vital to keeping Iran running.

   Tankers approaching the strait Monday turned around shortly after the 
blockade took effect, though one reversed course again and transited the 
waterway.

   Since the war began, Iran has curtailed maritime traffic, with most 
commercial vessels avoiding the waterway. Tehran's effective closure of the 
strait, through which a fifth of global oil transits in peacetime, has sent oil 
prices skyrocketing, pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other basic 
goods far beyond the Middle East.

   Strikes continue in Lebanon after Washington talks

   Meanwhile, Israel pressed ahead with its aerial and ground war in Lebanon. 
The country's National News Agency reported airstrikes and artillery shelling 
throughout southern Lebanon on Wednesday, include near Bint Jbeil, where 
Israeli forces have encircled fighters with the Lebanese militant group 
Hezbollah.

   The fighting continued after Israeli and Lebanese officials concluded their 
first direct talks in decades. Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said the two 
countries are "on the same side of the equation" in "liberating Lebanon" from 
Hezbollah. Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad called Tuesday's meeting 
"constructive" but urged an end to the fighting. Since March, that war has 
displaced more than 1 million people in Lebanon.

   Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established 
in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic engagement with 
Israel.