Talks between the US and Iran are “productive and ongoing”, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

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At least four Iran-linked ships – including two that visited Iranian ports – crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday following the start of a blockade by the US. At least three others also crossed the key shipping channel.

China’s foreign ministry condemned the blockade of Iranian ports as “dangerous and irresponsible” – a spokesman has warmed it would only “exacerbate tensions”.

Washington’s blockade came into force on Monday. US Vice-President JD Vance accused the Iranian government of engaging in an “act of economic terrorism” by blocking traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance added that US President Donald Trump has shown that “two could play at that game”.

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President Trump has announced that a 10 day ceasefire has begun in Lebanon. It was welcomed by Lebanon’s president, while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it presented an “historic” opportunity for peace.

Trump said that the militia group Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, is included in the deal. However Hezbollah has contradicted that claim, saying that it would not agree to any ceasefire unless Israeli troops withdraw from Lebanon. Israel says its troops will remain in a 10km-deep “security zone” in the south of the country.

Israel’s assault on southern Lebanon is jeopardising the prospects of a wider peace deal between the US and Iran, with the current ceasefire between them due to end in less than a week.

Trump has held out the prospect of further imminent negotiations with Iran, insisting that the Islamic republic is prepared to make significant concessions, something which Tehran has denied.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Smith, Nawal Al-Maghafi and Hugo Bachega.

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Tehran has sought to restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israel war with Iran, but some vessels continued to attempt to transit the waterway. The US also introduced its own blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports.

On April 17, Iran said the strait would reopen to commercial vessels, though the US blockade of Iran’s ports would remain in place.

BBC Verify has been monitoring the situation closely but often has to rely on partial vessel data and expert insights to understand developments in the region. The strait is one of the most scrutinised waterways in the world, with around a fifth of global oil supply passing through it.

Before the April 17 announcement, Ben Chu spoke with Michelle Weise Bockmann, a maritime intelligence analyst at Windward, about how tankers are trying to break through the US blockade in the strait.

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Iran’s Lego-style AI videos have been a viral success story. 

Featuring dying children, fighter jets and President Trump, they have defined the so-called ‘slopaganda war’, colouring the narrative around the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran.

In this interview, Explosive Media admit for the first time that the Iranian government is a direct “customer” of theirs.

Their representative – known as Mr Explosive – tells Matt Shea they remain editorially independent, despite evidence that they are being fed key military information and their access to internet inside Iran.

When challenged on the factual inaccuracies featured in their content, he says they are acting defensively, “resisting against a hyper-reality Trump is using against us.”

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