Iran latest: US aims to increase economic pressure as blockade continues

No vessels have made it past the U.S. naval blockade of Iran in the 48 hours it has been in effect, Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the U.S. Central Command, said on Wednesday. Central Command reported that 10 vessels have complied with orders to turn around and return to Iranian ports or the country's coastal area.

Maps4Media processed and enhanced Sentinal-2 satellite imagery shows a broad view of the Strait of Hormuz between southern Iran and Oman's Musandam Peninsula, including surrounding islands, coastal terrain, and turquoise shallow-water zones at the en

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With the blockade in effect and expected to weigh heavily on the Iranian economy, officials in Washington looked to ramp up that pressure with what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described as the "financial equivalent" of the bombing campaign. Bessent added that the administration has warned other countries and companies against buying Iranian oil or having Iranian money in their banks.

Meanwhile, talks between Iran and Pakistan got underway on Wednesday and were expected to continue Thursday, according to Iranian state media. Pakistani officials, who have been mediating talks between Tehran and Washington, were expected to talk about their latest communications with the U.S.

Here's the latest:

Trump says Israel and Lebanon to meet again

6:33 a.m. ET: President Trump took to social media to say that leaders from both Israel and Lebanon would be meeting to talk on Thursday to discuss a deal for a ceasefire between the two nations.

The two last spoke earlier this week in Washington for the first such meeting in decades.