【文章标题】US team heads to Islamabad as Iran declares Hormuz fully closed
作者：CGTN 来源：China Global Television Network 发布日期：2026年4月20日 01:19 最后更新：2026年4月20日 01:19
Topics 标签
CGTN, World, Politics, Middle East, Iran, USA, Geopolitics, Diplomacy, International Relations
English Summary
US negotiators including Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner are heading to Islamabad for a second round of talks with Iran ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline. Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy declared the Strait of Hormuz fully closed and has attacked three vessels attempting transit. Trump renewed his threat to destroy Iranian infrastructure if Tehran does not accept US terms, while Iran continues rebuilding its missile and drone stockpile during the ceasefire period.
中文总结
在美国与伊朗即将于4月22日停火期限前进行第二轮谈判之际，伊朗革命卫队海军宣布完全关闭霍尔木兹海峡，并已在周六攻击了三艘试图通行的船只。美国总统特朗普重申，如果德黑兰不接受美国条件，将摧毁伊朗所有发电厂和桥梁。与此同时，伊朗利用停火期间重建其导弹和无人机库存。英国反恐警察正在调查伦敦犹太场所遭受的系列纵火袭击是否与伊朗代理组织有关。
Article 正文
US team heads to Islamabad as Iran declares Hormuz fully closed
Europe 01:19, 20-Apr-2026
CGTN
An image was released in February 2022 by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, of surface-to-surface “Khaibar-buster” missile from an undisclosed location in Iran. /Sepahnews/AP
HEADLINES IN BRIEF
Trump confirmed US negotiators - Vice President Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner - will travel to Islamabad on Monday for a second round of talks with Iran ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline. READ MORE BELOW
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy declared the Strait of Hormuz fully closed, warning any vessel attempting transit will be targeted; three ships were attacked on Saturday, bringing shipping to a standstill. READ MORE BELOW
A senior IRGC commander said Iran has begun rebuilding its missile and drone stockpile during the ceasefire, claiming its “speed in updating and refilling launch platforms is even greater than before the war.” READ MORE BELOW
Trump renewed his threat to “knock out every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran” if Tehran does not accept US terms; Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the US blockade a war crime. READ MORE BELOW
Iran’s chief negotiator Qalibaf said “gaps remain wide” on key issues including the nuclear program and Hormuz, but that both sides reached “a more realistic understanding of one another” in Islamabad. READ MORE BELOW
UK counterterrorism police are investigating whether a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London are the work of Iranian proxies; Britain’s chief rabbi warned of a “sustained campaign of violence and intimidation.” READ MORE BELOW
The Lebanon ceasefire is holding; the Lebanese army is reopening roads and building temporary bridges over the Litani River; two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon since the truce took effect.
Spain announced it will formally propose ending the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel at Tuesday’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting.
Islamabad is tightening security ahead of the talks; US advance security teams are already on the ground.
Billboards on Sunday promoting US-Iran talks ahead of a second round of the US-Iran officials talks, in Islamabad./ Ehsan Shahzad/AP
IN DETAIL
Second round of talks confirmed by US
Trump confirmed Sunday that US negotiators will travel to Islamabad on Monday for a second round of direct talks with Iran. Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round, will return alongside envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Trump used the announcement to repeat his threat, writing that if Iran does not accept the US offer, they would “knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran.”
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright offered a more measured tone on Sunday, saying talks were “actually going well” and that Washington was “not too far away from a deal.” He described Trump as “a creative negotiator” who uses “pressure and uncertainty in different ways.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi on Sunday to discuss “the need for continued dialogue.” Islamabad has begun tightening security, closing tourist sites and clearing hotels ahead of the talks. US advance security teams are already on the ground.
Iran’s chief negotiator, parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said Sunday that both sides had reached “a more realistic understanding of one another” in the first round, but cautioned that “the gaps remain wide and some fundamental issues are still unresolved.”
He cited the nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz as the two main sticking points, and described deep mistrust of the United States as Iran’s core concern. “At the same time, we have good intentions and seek a lasting peace - one that prevents the recurrence of war,” he said.
Hormuz fully closed; three vessels attacked
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy extended the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all corridors on Saturday night, including the limited passage lane it had briefly designated for coordinated transit.
The statement warned that any vessel attempting to cross without authorization would be targeted. Iran has linked the reopening of the strait directly to the lifting of the US naval blockade of its ports, which it calls a violation of the ceasefire.
Three vessels were attacked while attempting to cross on Saturday. US Central Command said it had turned back 23 ships bound for Iranian ports since the blockade began. Shipping tracker Kpler confirmed that vessel movement in the strait had returned to a near-standstill after 19 ships had crossed on Friday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the US blockade “an act of aggression” that amounts to “war crime and crimes against humanity” for “deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population.”
On the war crimes question from the US side: Trump’s UN Ambassador Mike Waltz, when asked whether targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime, called it “an escalatory ladder” but defended the strikes as “perfectly acceptable in the rules of land warfare.”
Iran rebuilding missiles during ceasefire
A senior IRGC commander said Iran has used the ceasefire period to repair and restock its missile and drone arsenal. A commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force said the speed of restocking “is even greater than before the war.”
Iranian state media aired footage of missiles and drones in warehouses alongside mobile launch platforms. The US and Israel have said they degraded Iran’s military capabilities significantly over the course of the nearly seven-week war.
Lebanon: ceasefire holds, roads reopen, soldiers killed
The 10-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, which took effect Friday, continued to hold on Sunday. The Lebanese army reopened the Khardali road linking Nabatiyeh and Marjayoun and the road connecting Tyre with Bourj Rahhal.
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect, with several more wounded.
Residents from the northern Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona demonstrated outside the US Embassy in Jerusalem against the ceasefire, saying Hezbollah remains a threat.
UK investigates Iranian proxy links to antisemitic arson campaign
Metropolitan Police counterterrorism officers are investigating whether a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites across north London are connected to Iranian proxy networks.
Fires have targeted synagogues, four Jewish charity ambulances in the Golders Green neighborhood, and a Persian-language media outlet critical of the Iranian government. A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia - the same group that claimed attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands — has claimed responsibility online.
No injuries have been reported in any of the incidents. Several people have been arrested.
Britain’s chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attacks “abhorrent,” adding: “Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”
Diplomatic efforts
Spain announced it will formally propose ending the EU’s 2000 Association Agreement with Israel at Tuesday’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting. “A government that violates international law cannot be our partner,” Prime Minister Sánchez wrote on X.
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Fidan described Israel’s military operations as the work of “a fundamentalist government” that is “a problem for the whole world.” Argentina’s President Milei arrived in Israel on Sunday for a three-day visit, meeting Netanyahu and visiting the Western Wall.
Vocabulary 词汇
| English | 中文释义 |
|---|---|
| negotiators | 谈判代表 |
| ceasefire | 停火 |
| Revolutionary Guard | 革命卫队 |
| stockpile | 储备、囤积 |
| blockade | 封锁 |
| war crime | 战争罪 |
| counterterrorism | 反恐 |
| proxies | 代理组织 |
| intimidation | 恐吓、威胁 |
| fundamentalist | 原教旨主义的 |
Phrases & Connectors 短语与连接词
a second round of talks - 第二轮谈判
- 例句或用法说明：常用于外交场合，指双方进行的第二阶段谈判
- Context: “Trump confirmed US negotiators will travel to Islamabad on Monday for a second round of talks with Iran.”
declared the Strait fully closed - 宣布海峡完全关闭
- 例句或用法说明：正式声明某个海上通道被完全封锁
- Context: “Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy declared the Strait of Hormuz fully closed, warning any vessel attempting transit will be targeted.”
gaps remain wide - 分歧仍然很大
- 例句或用法说明：形容双方在某个问题上仍存在重大分歧
- Context: “Iran’s chief negotiator Qalibaf said ‘gaps remain wide’ on key issues including the nuclear program and Hormuz.”
a more realistic understanding - 更现实的理解
- 例句或用法说明：指双方对彼此的立场有了更务实、更清醒的认识
- Context: “both sides reached ‘a more realistic understanding of one another’ in Islamabad.”
rebuilding its missile and drone stockpile - 重建导弹和无人机储备
- 例句或用法说明：军事术语，指补充和恢复武器装备库存
- Context: “A senior IRGC commander said Iran has begun rebuilding its missile and drone stockpile during the ceasefire.”
knock out every single power plant - 摧毁每一座发电厂
- 例句或用法说明：口语化表达，指彻底摧毁所有目标设施
- Context: “if Iran does not accept the US offer, they would ‘knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran.’”
sustained campaign of violence - 持续的暴力运动
- 例句或用法说明：指有组织、持续进行的暴力行为系列
- Context: “Britain’s chief rabbi warned of a ‘sustained campaign of violence and intimidation.’”
the work of Iranian proxies - 伊朗代理组织的行为
- 例句或用法说明：指由伊朗支持的非国家行为体实施的行动
- Context: “UK counterterrorism police are investigating whether a series of arson attacks are the work of Iranian proxies.”
Practice 练习
- According to the article, what are the two main sticking points mentioned by Iran’s chief negotiator Qalibaf?
- How many ships were attacked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy on Saturday while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz?
- What threat did Trump renew regarding Iranian infrastructure if Tehran does not accept US terms?
- Which UK authority is investigating the arson attacks on Jewish sites in London suspected to be connected to Iranian proxy networks?
- What measure has Spain announced it will propose at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting?
Teacher’s Tip
This article demonstrates sophisticated diplomatic and military vocabulary essential for understanding international relations news. Pay special attention to how different actors frame the same events through contrasting vocabulary choices - for example, the US describes infrastructure targeting in warfare terms while Iran characterizes it as “war crimes.” Notice also how diplomatic language like “gaps remain wide” softens direct confrontation while still communicating significant disagreement. When reading geopolitical news, always identify the source’s perspective and how word choice reveals underlying positions.
标签：CGTN, Geopolitics, US-Iran Relations, Diplomacy