The US naval blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports has been continuing this weekend.

Donald Trump announced the blockade a week ago - less than a day after lengthy talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan failed to reach a deal.

American forces said they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran's coast, regardless of nationality.

The US hopes to put pressure on Iran by restricting its ability to profit from oil exports.

US Central Command (Centcom) said this weekend that it has forced 23 ships to turn around near the Strait of Hormuz since the blockade began.

In a social media post published just an hour ago, Centcom says "the blockade has completely halted economic trade going in to and out of Iran by sea".

However, BBC Verify tracked at least four vessels from Iranian ports that appeared to have crossed the US blockade line.

Here’s an overview of negotiations between the US and Iran so far:

28 February: Conflict breaks out after the US and Israel launch strikes on Iran, as diplomatic talks collapse

6 March: Donald Trump says there will be no deal "except unconditional surrender" of Iran.

21 March: Trump sets a deadline, threatening to target Iran’s energy infrastructure unless it agrees to open the Strait of Hormuz.

23 March: Trump postpones his deadline, citing "productive conversations" - this is followed by a series of further postponements.

7 April: Trump warns “a whole civilisation will die” if the strait is not opened before another deadline.

8 April: Pakistan, acting as mediator, announces a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran for further talks.

11 April: Senior US and Iranian officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meet in Pakistan. After 21 hours of back and forth, Washington and Tehran remain far apart on key sticking points.

12 April: Trump announces a blockade of Iranian ports.

17 April: Iran’s Araghchi says the strait will remain open for the rest of the ceasefire. Trump says the US blockade will continue.

18 April: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it will block the strait again. Trump says “very good conversations” are happening but the US will not be “blackmailed” over the waterway.

Image source, Reuters

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that "very good conversations" are happening with Iran, but that he won't let Tehran "blackmail" the US over the Strait of Hormuz.

He described them as acting "a little cute as they have for 47 years".

As a reminder, Trump had earlier said that the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until "our transaction with Iran is 100% complete".

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker, says that while "progress has been made" in negotiations to end the war with the US, the two sides are "far from final discussion".

One of Iran's negotiators, Ghalibaf was in Pakistan last week for peace talks with US envoys, including Vice-President JD Vance.

No date has been set for the next round of talks.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Vice-President Kamala Harris says Donald Trump has been "pulled" into war with Iran by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking at a fundraising event on Saturday, she told the audience: "He entered a war, got pulled into it by Bibi Netanyahu, let us be clear about that – entered a war that the American people do not want, putting at risk American service members."

At the time of reporting, Trump has not responded directly to Harris, but said that Israel has been a "great ally" in a post to social media. It read as follows:

"Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to WIN!"

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed the details of a soldier it says was killed on Friday.

According to a statement, Sgt First Class (Res) Lidor Porat, 31, died in combat in southern Lebanon.

Nine soldiers were also injured and have been taken to hospital, the IDF says.

Image source, Reuters

We are continuing our live coverage of events in the Middle East. Here is a recap of recent developments:

Strait of Hormuz closed again

• The key shipping route is shut after it was briefly opened by Iran on Friday. It will stay closed until the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has said
• Under the American blockade, US forces have said they will intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran's coast. Donald Trump said the blockade would continue until a peace deal was agreed

Ships report attacks

• A tanker and container ship have come under attack off the coast of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. These were the first reported attacks on ships in the region in more than 10 days
• Meanwhile, India's foreign ministry says two Indian-flagged ships were involved in "shooting incident" in the strait

US-Iran hint at dialogue

• Trump said "very good conversations" are happening with Iran but the US will not be "blackmailed" over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
• Iran's Supreme National Security Council said new proposals have been put forward by the US, which Tehran is "currently reviewing and has not yet responded to"

Across the region

• French President Emmanuel Macron said a French soldier was killed during a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Hezbollah denied involvement
• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has set up a security perimeter in southern Lebanon. It also said it had struck "terrorists [who] violated the ceasefire"

Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.