NPR News: 04-18-2026 9AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Iran's military says restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz are being reimposed, accusing the U.S. of repeated breaches of trust. A tanker has reported coming under fire today from Iranian forces while traveling through the waterway. NPR's Quillarans reports the status of the strait has been shifting rapidly as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue. Yesterday, there was a ceasefire announced between Israel and Lebanon. Iran then announced it would open the strait for commercial traffic for the duration of that ceasefire, though only along this prescribed route close to the Iranian coast. But then the U.S. said it would still maintain its total blockade of Iranian ports while these peace talks continue. And perhaps in response today, Iran's military said that the strait no is closed until the U.S. lifts the blockade. So it's been a confusing 24 hours. That's NPR's Quillarans reporting. There's no word on when peace talks will continue between the two sides.

1:01The U.S. Treasury Department says it's extending a one-month pause on sanctions against Russian oil to tamp down global energy prices amid the war with Iran. The decision reverses an announcement earlier this week by Treasury Secretary Scott Besant ruling out such a move. NPR's Charles Mainz reports from Moscow. The Trump administration first introduced the sanctions waver in March, part of an attempt to level out global energy prices amid the war in Iran. The policy's extension effectively allows countries to legally purchase previously sanctioned Russian oil for the second month in a row. The Kremlin's U.S. envoy, Creole Demetrius, said the move amounted to an acknowledgement of the crucial role of Russian energy in maintaining the stability of the global economy. Demetrius predicted more than 100 million additional barrels of Russian oil would soon reach global markets. Critics of the U.S. sanctions waver say it provides the Kremlin with a windfall for its warn Ukraine in a moment when the Russian economy had otherwise been struggling. Charles Mainz in Pyrrhenews, Moscow. At least two dozen tornadoes have been reported across the Midwest this week.

2:04Marsha Dirling, who lives in Lena, Illinois, outside of Rockford, says one storm left significant damage in her area. There's trees down, our neighbors have trees down. The neighbor over there lost her roof. There's a house across the street and down from her. There's no rough, no trusses, nothing. Forecasters say the threat of severe weather is now shifting east. National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Sinard, says storms today are expected to be less widespread, but still dangerous. The threat is lower today, but the risk of some severe weather, the greatest threat is going to be farther east today. So generally from the importance of eastern Kentucky up into West Virginia, eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, southwest New York. Officials are now assessing the damage after storms knocked out power and triggered emergency responses across several states. This is NPR News. An American delegation has met with Cuban officials in Havana, marking a renewed diplomatic

3:07effort. During the meetings, the U.S. delegation discussed the Trump administration's push for political and economic reforms as well as demands for the release of political prisoners. The talks come as President Trump has threatened to intervene in Cuba. The United States has announced new sanctions aimed at those it says are recruiting Colombian forces to fight in the conflict in Sudan. Michael Colloquy has more from Nairobi. The U.S. Treasury Department has put in place sanctions targeting five companies and individuals involved in recruiting former Colombian military personnel to fight on behalf of the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. Among those sanctions are a former colonel in the Colombian army, as well as a Colombia-based employment agency. Clashes involving the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces have been going on for three years. The U.S. has called on both warring sides to accept the three-month humanitarian troops. Scores of civilians caught up in the conflict are being killed and appruded from their

4:09homes. In what Abe Group say is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. For NPR News, a Michael Colloquy in Nairobi. Scores across Iran remain closed, even as airstrikes have paused under a fragile cease-fire with the United States. Officials say there's no timeline yet for students to return. Many officials say thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, and daily life has yet to return to normal for many families. This is NPR News in Washington. Every episode of NPR's It's Been a Minute Podcast starts with a question about how culture shapes our lives. Are we spending too much on other people's weddings? Is social media bad for your mental health? We're here for your right to be curious. One big question at a time. Follow It's Been a Minute wherever you get your podcasts.