LIVE: Confusion over JD Vance’s Pak visit after Trump claims delegation departure
While Trump says US team including Vance is en route for talks, Reuters reports he remains in the US, creating confusion over his Pakistan visit claims
Here is the top, trending news of Monday, April 20, 2026, including the West Asia war, Indian politics, states’ politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Read updates below.
Live Updates
- 20 April 2026 9:41 PM IST
Confusion over JD Vance’s Pakistan visit after Trump claims delegation departure
Ahead of high-stakes negotiations in Pakistan, US President Donald Trump has signalled a possible diplomatic opening with Iran, saying he is willing to meet senior Iranian leaders if ongoing talks deliver a breakthrough. Speaking to The New York Post, Trump confirmed that the US delegation -- including JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner -- is already on its way to Pakistan.
"They’re heading over now," Trump said shortly after 9 AM EST. "They’ll be there tonight, (Islamabad) time." However, a day earlier, he said that JD Vance would not travel to Pakistan. However, contrary to Trump's assertions, news agency Reuters reports that JD Vance is still in the US and has not departed for Pakistan.
- 20 April 2026 7:11 PM IST
War impact: Oil prices jump, Wall Street slides
Oil prices climbed more than 5 per cent, and Wall Street veered toward losses before the opening bell on Monday (April 20) as a standoff between Iran and the US prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz.
Futures for the S&P 500 also fell 0.5 per cent, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.6 per cent. Nasdaq futures were also off by 0.5 per cent.
US benchmark crude gained USD 5.18, or 6.3 per cent, to USD 87.88 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 5.3 per cent at USD 95.20 a barrel.
Since the war began, market sentiment has swung wildly. A strong start to the earnings reporting season for big US companies has helped support stocks.
“The problem for markets is not the absence of hope; it is the overpricing of it,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. “The latest move higher in equities has started to feel less like conviction and more like momentum feeding on itself.” - 20 April 2026 4:48 PM IST
US-Iran talks face setback as Pakistan flags port blockade hurdle
A renewed diplomatic effort between the United States and Iran has hit a snag, with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir stepping in to highlight what he described as a major obstacle to the second round of peace talks planned in Islamabad.
According to Reuters, citing Pakistani security sources, Munir spoke with US President Donald Trump and warned that the US blockade of Iranian ports was a “hurdle” to holding the next round of negotiations. The source added that Trump said he would take the concern into consideration.
The conversation came at a delicate time. Prospects for another round of talks in Islamabad have weakened after Tehran signalled it would not take part, dealing a blow to efforts to extend the ceasefire in the Middle East conflict, which is approaching two months.
Munir’s intervention followed his recent three-day visit to Tehran, where he met senior Iranian leaders, including the president, foreign minister and top military officials, in what Pakistan described as an attempt to encourage de-escalation.
- 20 April 2026 4:35 PM IST
Sensex, Nifty erase early gains to settle flat in volatile trade as crude oil rebounds
Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed almost unchanged in a volatile session on Monday as investors turned cautious amid mounting geopolitical headwinds and rising crude oil prices.
The 30-share BSE Sensex closed marginally up 26.76 points or 0.03 per cent at 78,520.30. During the day, it hit a high of 78,942.45 and a low of 78,203.30, gyrating 739.15 points.
The 50-share NSE Nifty edged up 11.30 points or 0.05 per cent to settle at 24,364.85.
Among the 30-Sensex firms, Trent, State Bank of India, Asian Paints, NTPC, Bajaj Finance and InterGlobe Aviation were the major winners. Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Electronics, HCL Tech and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the laggards.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 4.76 per cent to USD 94.68 per barrel.
"Renewed disputes over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz injected volatility into global markets. Investors interpreted the recent disruptions in the Middle East as potential negotiation tactics rather than the onset of a full-scale conflict,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd. With the ceasefire set to expire this week, market participants remain cautious, awaiting further developments, he added.
In Asian markets, South Korea's benchmark Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended higher.
Markets in Europe were trading lower. US markets ended significantly higher on Friday.
- 20 April 2026 3:48 PM IST
UK calls for 'toll-free' Strait of Hormuz
Britain on Monday called for a lasting settlement to ensure freedom of navigation and a toll-free Strait of Hormuz as the US-Iran ceasefire hung in the balance.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper arrived in Japan for the final leg of what has been branded as an "intensified shuttle diplomacy tour" to advance coordination with key allies on shared geopolitical, economic and energy security priorities.
During the six-day tour spanning Europe and West Asia, the British minister held in-person talks with Foreign Ministers from 11 countries, including Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, and Ukraine, concluding with a meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister for the annual Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo.
"An important meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on importance of extending the ceasefire & getting shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz fully reopened,” said Cooper, following the meeting with her Pakistani counterpart on Sunday.
“The UK is grateful to Pakistan for the role they have been playing in facilitating diplomatic talks,” she said.
It came ahead of the US seizure of an Iranian cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend for allegedly trying to get past the American blockade of the country’s ports. It has thrown a second round of planned negotiations in Pakistan into disarray as Tehran declined to continue with the peace process.
“This is a critical diplomatic moment with the end of the ceasefire looming. Further talks on a lasting settlement are welcome – they must lead to a toll-free Strait of Hormuz,” said Cooper.
- 20 April 2026 3:19 PM IST
Trump says Iran committed ‘serious violation’ of ceasefire, but deal still possible
US President Donald Trump has reportedly said that Iran has committed a "serious violation" of the ceasefire but a peace deal is still possible.
“It will happen. One way or another. The nice way or the hard way. It’s going to happen. You can quote me,” ABC reporter Jonathan Karl cited Trump as saying, in a post on X on Sunday.
- 20 April 2026 3:17 PM IST
Iran accuses US of ceasefire violations, questions sincerity in diplomacy
Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that the United States was not serious about pursuing diplomacy, citing what it called "violations" of their two-week ceasefire.
"While claiming diplomacy and readiness for negotiations, the US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process," a ministry spokesman said.
He said that the US attack on an Iranian ship in the Gulf of Oman and the US naval blockade on Iranian ports were all "clear violations of the ceasefire".
The ministry also said that removing the nuclear stockpile from the Islamic Republic was "never an option in negotiations". Tehran's definitive position is to preserve nuclear achievements within its territory, said the spokesman.
- 20 April 2026 2:19 PM IST
India shares fresh advisory for tankers in Hormuz after firing on 2 Indian ships
After the firing incident on two Indian vessels by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 18, the Indian Navy has tightened the security grid near the Strait of Hormuz.
India has issued a fresh advisory to Indian-flagged vessels in the Persian Gulf, asking them to stay clear of Larak Island and transit only when directed by it to ensure safety.
Sources told India Today that the Indian Navy is prioritising security for all Indian vessels waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Eleven Indian vessels have already crossed the strait so far. The last tanker, Desh Garima, crossed on April 18 -- the same day two Indian vessels, Jag Arnav and Sanmar Herald, had to turn back after being fired upon by Iranian Guards while attempting the passage.
After crossing the strait, Desh Garima is now being escorted by the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea and is expected to arrive in Mumbai on April 22.
Larak Island sits at the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz and is home to a major portion of Iran’s oil infrastructure. As it is critical to Iran’s energy sector, the surrounding waters are heavily guarded, and traffic through Hormuz is closely monitored through a network of bunkers and radar systems.
Larak Island lies south of Hormuz Island in the roughly 33-km-wide Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint that carried about 20% of global oil before the Iran-US conflict.
- 20 April 2026 1:06 PM IST
Over 3,300 people have died in Iran during war
Iran on Monday offered a new death toll for the war with Israel and the United States, with its forensic chief saying at least 3,375 people had been killed in the conflict.
The figure came from Abbas Masjedi, the head of Iran's Legal Medicine Organisation.
Masjedi, quoted by the judiciary's Mizan news agency and other outlets Monday, said only four of the dead remain unidentified.
His comments did not break down casualties among civilians and security forces, instead just saying that 2,875 were male and 496 were female.
Masjedi said 383 of the dead were children 18 years old and under. - 20 April 2026 12:54 PM IST
CENTCOM releases video of US firing on Iranian-flagged vessel Touska
US Central Command released a message sent by a US Mariner to the Iranian-flagged tanker in a video posted on X, saying it shows the moments before the US seized Touska for crossing the US-imposed blockade line in the Gulf of Oman.
“Motor vessel Touska, Motor vessel Touska. Vacate your engine room. Vacate your engine room. We are about to subject you to disabling fire,” can be heard in the video. Later, three rounds are fired, leaving smoke in their wake.
CENTCOM said its fire targeted the vessel's engine room before forces seized the ship. It said Touska was headed to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and ignored multiple US warnings over six hours to evacuate the engine room. The USS Spruance then fired, after which Marines boarded and took hold of the ship.
“American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance,” it wrote on X.
