Dubai: The leader of Iran’s joint military command has threatened to halt trade in the Gulf region if the US does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Even so, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was “very close to over” in an interview that aired on Wednesday.Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the US is preparing to ramp up economic pain on Iran by levying secondary sanctions on financial institutions that do business with the Middle Eastern nation. Bessent called the measure the “financial equivalent” of the bombing campaign.Mediators’ efforts to extend a US-Iran ceasefire made progress as the two sides are expected to hold another round of negotiations, regional officials said. But a senior US official said Washington has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire. A Pakistani delegation arrived for talks in Tehran in the latest diplomatic move.Israel, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with its aerial and ground war against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, a day after the two nations held their first direct talks in decades.Blockade has been fully implemented: US admiralApril 16, 2026 8:22 amThat’s according to Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, who says: “US forces have completely halted economic trade going in and out of Iran by sea.” The command said on Wednesday that no vessels have made it past its forces during the blockade’s first 48 hours. Central Command noted that 10 vessels have complied with directions to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or Iran’s coastal area.Pakistan’s PM briefs Saudi crown prince on efforts to ease US-Iran tensionsApril 16, 2026 8:22 amPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to the Kingdom, briefing him on Pakistan’s efforts to ease US-Iran tensions and assuring him of Islamabad’s “full support,” his office said before dawn Thursday. Sharif was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.Trump would welcome an end to Israel-Hezbollah conflict: US officialApril 16, 2026 8:22 amA US official says President Donald Trump would welcome an end to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict as part of a broader peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon but has not specifically asked for one. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Trump administration’s position during closed-door talks between Israel and Lebanon, said an Israel-Hezbollah truce is not part of peace negotiations the US is having with Iran.Israeli PM says forces will continue push in south LebanonApril 16, 2026 8:22 amPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the current fighting is concentrated in the strategic south Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil, where Israeli troops are about to “eliminate this great stronghold of Hezbollah.” Netanyahu, in a video address on Wednesday evening, said he has given instructions for the military to continue to widen the security zone in south Lebanon – a reference to areas close to the border that the Israeli army now occupies – and to spread it eastward.