Fate of Iran peace talks uncertain as deadline approaches for end of ceasefire

By Parisa Hafezi, Jana Choukeir and Steve Holland

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following moves by Islamabad to end a U.S. blockade of Iran's ports, a significant obstacle to Tehran rejoining peace efforts as the end of a two-week ceasefire approaches.

However, the official stressed that no decision had been made ‌and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that "continued violations of the ceasefire" by the U.S. are a major obstacle to continuing the diplomatic process.

Araqchi told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in a telephone call that Iran, ‌while taking all aspects of the matter into account, had yet to decide how to proceed further.

On Monday night, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused U.S. President Donald Trump on X of increasing pressure on Tehran through the blockade and ceasefire violations, saying Iran rejects negotiations under threat.

The two-week ceasefire ​in a conflict that has killed thousands and roiled the global economy, particularly energy markets, is set to expire this week.

It had appeared to be in jeopardy after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate.

In the Islamabad talks, Trump is eager for a deal that would help avoid another surge in oil prices and plunge in stock markets. Iran hopes to leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping channel for global energy supplies, to get an agreement that prevents a resumption of the war, and allows financial relief from long-running sanctions and some breathing room for its nuclear program.

Adding to the uncertainty, Vice President JD Vance remained in the United States on Monday, a ‌separate source told Reuters, denying reports he was already on his way to Pakistan ⁠for talks.

The unnamed senior Iranian official said Tehran was "positively reviewing" its participation, a shift from earlier statements ruling out attendance and pledging to retaliate for U.S. aggression.

The official said mediator Pakistan was making positive efforts to end the U.S. blockade and ensure Iran's participation.

Trump announced the two-week ceasefire with Iran on April 7, and has not specified when precisely it ends.

A Pakistani source involved ⁠in the talks said it would expire at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, which would be midnight GMT or 3:30 a.m. Thursday in Iran.

Trump said on social media that he believed his administration's nuclear deal with Iran would be better than a 2015 international agreement reached after years of negotiations under then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

Trump withdrew from that agreement - which had been vehemently opposed by congressional Republicans and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - in 2018, during his first term as president.

It was unclear what kind of agreement could be reached in ​just ​a few days of talks, but the Republican U.S. president predicted a quick result.

"I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all ​happen, relatively quickly!" Trump said in a Truth Social post.

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BLOCKADE POSES A PROBLEM

A Pakistani security source ‌said Pakistani mediator Field Marshal Asim Munir had told Trump the blockade was an obstacle to talks, and that Trump had promised to consider ending it.

The U.S. was hoping to start negotiations in Pakistan shortly before the ceasefire expires.

However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that "unconstructive & contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran's surrender."

"Iranians do not submit to force," he added on X.

The U.S. has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

Oil prices rose around 5% as traders remained fearful that the ceasefire would collapse. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a virtual standstill with just three crossings in the space of 12 hours, according to shipping data. [O/R]

U.S. MARINES BOARD IRANIAN VESSEL

The U.S. military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran's Bandar Abbas port on Sunday after a standoff. ‌U.S. Central Command released video showing Marines descending ropes from helicopters onto the vessel.

The vessel is likely to have been carrying what Washington ​deems dual-use items that could be used by the military, maritime security sources said on Monday.

Iran's military said the ship had been travelling from ​China and accused the U.S. of "armed piracy", according to state media. They said they were ready to confront U.S. ​forces over the "blatant aggression", but were constrained by the presence of crew members’ families on board.

China, the main buyer of Iranian crude, expressed concern over the "forced interception", and Chinese President Xi Jinping ‌called for ships to resume passage through the strait as normal and for the conflict to ​be resolved through political and diplomatic channels, state news agency ​Xinhua reported.

Trump warned on Sunday that the U.S. would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if it rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.

Iran has said that if the United States were to attack its civilian infrastructure, it would strike power stations and desalination plants in its Gulf Arab neighbours.

PREPARING FOR TALKS THAT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN

Pakistan geared up to host the talks despite uncertainty over whether they would go ahead. ​Nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed across Islamabad, a government official and a security ‌official said.

Thousands of people have been killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and in an Israeli invasion of Lebanon conducted in parallel since the war began on February 28. A truce in Lebanon is also ​currently in place and Washington is to host a second round of ambassador-level talks between Lebanon and Israel on Thursday as part of efforts to protect a fragile ceasefire.

(Reporting Reuters bureaus; Writing by John ​Geddie, Alexandra Hudson, Keith Weir, Patricia Zengerle and Tim Reid; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams and Nia Williams)

byAndy Corry

in

April 21, 2026

Fate of Iran peace talks uncertain as deadline approaches for end of ceasefire

By Parisa Hafezi, Jana Choukeir and Steve Holland DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - Iran is considering attending peace talk...

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2 teens dead, 5 injured after gunfire breaks out during 'planned fight': Police

Seven teenagers were shot, including two fatally, after a "planned fight" between juveniles at a North Carolina park escalated and several people opened fire, authorities said.

The gunfire broke out at Leinbach Park in Winston-Salem on Monday morning, according to police.

The fight broke out at the park before 10 a.m., and the "situation escalated significantly, leading to multiple people exchanging gunfire," the Winston-Salem Police Department said.

8 children fatally shot in Louisiana domestic violence incident: Police

Two people are dead, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Winston-Salem police identified them as 17-year-old Erubey Romero Medina, who was found in the parking lot of the park, and 16-year-old Daniel Jimenez Millian, who was located inside the park. Both had gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Additionally, four female teens -- ages 14, 15, 17 and 19 -- and an 18-year-old man were shot, according to Winston-Salem Police Capt. Kevin Burns. Officers located them in another nearby parking lot, with injuries ranging from minor to critical, he said.

The names of the injured minors will not be released, while the names of the adults are being withheld pending further investigation into their involvement, Burns said.

"Detectives are actively working to determine each individual's role in this incident," he said during a press briefing on Monday. "Preliminary information indicates that some of those injured may have also been involved in the shooting."

It is unclear how many firearms were involved, according to Winston-Salem Police Chief William H. Penn.

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The incident was isolated to the park and remains under investigation, police said.

Leinbach Park is located near a middle school. Students at the school were safe, police said.

5 injured, one critically, in shooting near University of Iowa campus, officials say

Chief Penn expressed frustration over the deadly mass shooting.

"I feel like everyone else. I'm frustrated, I'm angry, I'm sad," he said during the press briefing. "This didn't have to happen. It's senseless. And hopefully we as a community kind of get fed up together and just get more involved, get more nosy."

He urged parents to speak with their children and to take actions such as checking their backpacks before school.

"We gotta tell them to stay away from fights. I feel like I just had the same conversation about cellphones, fights and how just having those phones out, how that changes the behavior of our youth," the chief said. "And I'm saying it again -- stay away from the fights. It's not the same as it used to be."

Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill also urged parents to speak with their children and for people to report fights in the hopes of avoiding such deadly violence.

"I can't help but believe that somebody out there would have known about this fight taking place this morning and didn't pick up a phone and anonymously call and this could have been averted," O'Neill said during the briefing. "There is incredible sadness and tragedy in the homes of our neighbors tonight, and it all could have been averted."

byAndy Corry

in

April 21, 2026

2 teens dead, 5 injured after gunfire breaks out during 'planned fight': Police

Seven teenagers were shot, including two fatally, after a "planned fight" between juveniles at a North Carolina park escalate...

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Prince banned Bruce Springsteen and Madonna from his dressing room, drummer reveals 10 years after singer's death

Bobby Z is reflecting on his friendship with Prince, who died in April 2016 of an accidental overdose.

Key Points

• One tidbit he recalled was when Madonna and Bruce Springsteen weren't allowed in his dressing room backstage.

• The drummer, who played in the band Prince and the Revolution, said that Prince "found meeting other celebrities very uncomfortable unless he was a fan."
  

Prince's dressing room was restricted, even if you were The Boss or Madge.

Bobby Z, the drummer in Prince and the Revolution, spoke toThe Guardianaboutthe musicianwhodied nearly 10 years ago on April 21, 2016, reflecting on their friendship. Among the anecdotes, the musician recalled Prince banningBruce SpringsteenandMadonnafrom his dressing room.

"Once there was a hilarious moment when Bruce Springsteen and Madonna came backstage but Prince's dressing room was off limits to them, so they had to use the band's toilet," Bobby Z remembered.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

The drummer, who was friends with Prince for over 40 years, also said that he "found meeting other celebrities very uncomfortable unless he was a fan," and would get "bashful or embarrassed," despite being a major star himself. "There could be huge stars and he just wouldn't give them the time of day. So besides shakingElizabeth Taylor's hand I don't know if he'd be interested in chatting," he added.

However, "When he metDavid Bowieat Paisley Park [Prince's longtime home and studio] it was a warm moment, because he felt that they were equals."

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The Grammy winner was found dead at Paisley Park, outside Minneapolis.His cause of deathwas ruled as an accidental overdose caused by "fentanyl toxicity" and that "the decedent self-administered fentanyl.” He was 57.Many mourned his passingthroughout Minneapolis, the U.S. and the world, lighting up buildings and structures with purple displays.

Days after his death, The Boss honored Prince with a cover of "Purple Rain" to open his Barclays Center concert in Brooklyn, perVanity Fair. Covered in purple light, Springsteen gave his best rendition of the 1984 track. "Prince forever," Springsteen said. "God bless."

Madonna paid tribute with an Instagram post of her and Prince, who cowrote "Love Song" for her 1989 albumLike a Prayer. "He changed the world! A true visionary! What a loss. I'm devastated. This is not a love song," she wrote, perMashable.

Madge also honored Prince with a performance at theBillboard Music Awards in May 2016, singing "Nothing Compares 2 U," which he composed and wrote but was made famous by the lateSinéad O'Connor's rendition.

Bobby Z, whose real name is Robert B. Rivkin, looked back fondly on his years with prince with Prince. "Playing with Prince was like being in the purple marines: he might toughen you up or break you down, but he'd bring you to a place you didn't think you had," he concluded toThe Guardian."For a moment you might even turn into a superhuman like him."

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAndy Corry

in

April 21, 2026

Prince banned Bruce Springsteen and Madonna from his dressing room, drummer reveals 10 years after singer's death

Bobby Z is reflecting on his friendship with Prince, who died in April 2016 of an accidental overdose. Key Points ...

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Kim Kardashian Goes All-In on a Statement Neckline for Coachella

When it comes to making a statement,Kim Kardashianrarely does anything halfway. And for Coachella this year, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star stepped out in a head-to-toe black look. It was equal parts edgy, stunning, and just impossible to ignore.

Kim Kardashian turns heads in black outfit

Have a look at Kim Kardashian’s latestphotoshere:

In her latest party-ready photos from Coachella 2026, Kim Kardashian stepped out in a skin-tight black outfit. The stunning outfit featured a plunging neckline.

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Furthermore, the outfit was body-hugging and added an impactful edge to an otherwise minimal look. Kardashian’s look was sleek, sharp, and designed to command attention without trying too hard. Even her accessory choices and makeup look were totally on point for this one, adding some extra sass. Fans took to the comments section to shower praises on her overall look, with one saying, “Greatness,” and another adding, “The eternal diva.”

Originally reported by Mehak Walia onMandatory.

The postKim Kardashian Goes All-In on a Statement Neckline for Coachellaappeared first onReality Tea.

byAndy Corry

in

April 20, 2026

Kim Kardashian Goes All-In on a Statement Neckline for Coachella

When it comes to making a statement,Kim Kardashianrarely does anything halfway. And for Coachella this year, the Keeping Up With The Kardas...

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The story of how Sean Connery became the greatest James Bond of all time

Despite theJames Bondfranchise having more than sixty years of history, there have not been many actors who have played theAgent 007on the big screen. The first wasSean ConneryinDr. Noin 1962, followed by George Lazenby, but for only one film, then Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. While waiting to find outthe name of the next actorchosen to play the character created by Ian Fleming, after a historic transfer of control of the franchisedecided by the Broccoli familyin favor of Amazon, onEsquirewe dug up aranking of the best actorswho have played James Bond. At the top, perhaps a bit predictably, is Sean Connery, star ofDr. No,From Russia with Love,Goldfinger,Thunderball,You Only Live Twice. After leaving the character, concerned that his career was becoming too closely identified with the films in the series, Connery was called back forDiamonds Are Forever, which followed Lazenby's unfortunate stint andOn Her Majesty's Secret Service.

But how did this exceptional career beginning come about? Below we have tried to reconstruct thestoryof howSean Connerywas chosentoplayBond, creating an immense precedent with which all subsequent actors would engage.

Connery, the story of how he became secret agent 007

When producers Harry Saltzman and Albert "Cubby" Broccoli went to United Artists, they were already planning more than one adaptation of Ian Fleming's novels. For the lead actor, that meant a long-term commitment, in other words appearing in more than just one feature film. As we read inJames Bond. Dr. No, written and edited by Paul Duncan and published by Taschen, Cary Grant, David Niven, Trevor Howard, and James Mason had expressed interest in stepping into the role of James Bond, but Saltzman preferred an unknown actor. Fleming described 007 in his novels like this: 1.80 meters tall, weighing 75 kilos, slim build, irresistible charm. The search for an actor would begin from here.

Patrick McGoohan and James Fox were ruled out because they would not have been comfortable with the sex scenes, whileRoger Moore, who would become the third and longest-serving Bond, was considered at the time too buttoned-up and too young.

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“While Bond casting was being discussed, one face kept coming back to mind,” Broccoli later said. “It belonged to an actor I had met briefly a few years earlier in London. It wasSean Connery, who at the time was making a film with Lana Turner,Another Time, Another Place(1958). He was a handsome and likable man, who projected a physical virility. He was tall, with a strong physical presence, and there was just the right hint of menace behind that hard smile and that slightScottish accent”.

It was the producer's wife, Dana, who pushed for the final decision. After seeing Connery inDarby O'Gill and the Little People, a 1959 film, she said bluntly: "He's our Bond." It was Saltzman who got in touch.

At the meeting, the producer was fascinated by Connery's roughness. In the book, Bond has the manners of a member of high society, but the two producers were looking for a more athletic and sexy leading man, whom they imagined would appeal to more people. A delicate moment in the negotiations came when they began talking about money. The budget allocated forDr. Nowas not high andConneryhad no intention of working for such a low fee: "I want a lot or I won't do the fucking film! I won't work for free!" he said. “It was quite a performance,” the producer recalled, “I think Sean himself admitted some time later that it was all an act. But everything ended amicably. We agreed on his salary and he left happy.”

There was one last obstacle left: the author IanFleming, who did not like Sean Connery. He called him an overgrown "stuntman" and despised his manner, which he considered far too unrefined. Once again, it was a woman who encouraged the choice of the man who is now consideredthe greatest actorin the role of 007: Fleming's girlfriend, Blanche Blackwell, reassuredthe novelistthat Connery had the right appeal. And the author himself changed his mind after the premiere ofDr. No.

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byAndy Corry

in

April 20, 2026

The story of how Sean Connery became the greatest James Bond of all time

Despite theJames Bondfranchise having more than sixty years of history, there have not been many actors who have played theAgent 007on ...

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Naomi Watts Details the Moment One of Her Children Found Lube in Her Bedroom

Naomi Wattsis recalling the moment one of her children stumbled across some lube in her bedroom.

During an interviewwithPeopleon Thursday, April 16, the actress, 57, spoke about trying to end the stigma around menopause when she was asked whether she encourages her kids to educate their friends about perimenopausal and menopausal health.

While Watts noted she doesn’t know “if it goes that far with the kids,” the topic prompted her to tell a personal anecdote involving one ofher children.

“I mean, I do remember the first time one of my kids saw lube in the bedroom, and they were like, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘Yes, yes, you know, by the way, lube is sold at Urban Outfitters now.’ And they're like, ‘No way, no way!’” she told the outlet.

Naomi Watts Shares Sweet Tribute to Son Sasha on His 18th Birthday: ‘Cannot Believe It’

TheMulholland Drivestar continued, “And I said, ‘Yeah, it's a real thing.’ So, yeah, the stigma is definitely reducing.”

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Watts shares son Sasha, 18, and daughter Kai, 17, with her exLiev Schreiber.Watts and Schreiber, 58, were together for 11 years beforesplitting in 2016.

“Over the past few months, we’ve come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple,”  they toldUs Weeklyin a joint statement at the time of their separation. “It is with great love, respect and friendship in our hearts that we look forward to raising our children together and exploring this new phase of our relationship.”

After she and Schreiberwent their separate ways,Watts moved on withBilly Crudupand they tied the knot in 2023.

Schreiber also began a new relationship and marriedTaylor Neisenin July 2023. They share daughter Hazel Bee, 2. For his part, Crudup, 57, also has a son, William Atticus Parker, 22, with exMary-Louise Parker.

Although Watts and Schreiber are no longer an item, they have repeatedly emphasized their commitment to coparenting amicably over the years.

Naomi Watts Had a ‘Few Extra Secret Cries’ While Dropping Off Son Sasha at College

“We’re doing things very differently. I’m pretty proud of us, corny as that may sound,” Watts told Net-a-Porter’sPortermagazine in 2019. “We’ve made it our absolute priority to be good and kind to each other and we’re absolutely committed to that.”

Schrieber has also addressed how they have tried hard to navigate their blended family respectfully despite the challenges that can come with that dynamic.

“It’s always hard, you know? You build a life with someone and things change. And I think the way that we’ve looked at it is that we’ll always be partners and that’s what kind of keeps us together and keeps us amicable,” Schreiber said onSunday Today With Willie Geistin 2018. “But I think we’re more than that, I think we also genuinely really care about each other.”

byAndy Corry

in

April 19, 2026

Naomi Watts Details the Moment One of Her Children Found Lube in Her Bedroom

Naomi Wattsis recalling the moment one of her children stumbled across some lube in her bedroom. During an interviewwithPeopleon ...

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Cookies, deodorant, socks. Iran war puts military packages in limbo

Dan F. was alarmed when his daughter, a Marine aboard the USS Tripoli, a warship deployed to fight the Iran war, sent him a photo of a meal served on the ship. A lunch tray, two-thirds empty, carried one small scoop of shredded meat and a single folded tortilla.

A picture of a mid-April dinner on the USS Abraham Lincoln, shared by a service member with his family, was similarly unappetizing – a small handful of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty and a gray slab of processed meat.

Dan and other military family members worried that their loved ones deployed to the Middle East are going hungry are filling boxes with items they hope could help service members ride out prolonged deployments in the Middle East – homemade fudge, Jolly Ranchers, crossword puzzle books, playing cards, toothpaste, Girl Scout cookies and fresh socks.

But mail delivery to military ZIP codes across the Middle East has been indefinitely suspended as of April, and packages in transit now hang in limbo.

Dan asked to go by his first name only to protect his daughter from retaliation.

Both theNavyand Pentagon chiefPete Hegsethdenied reports of food problems.

"My team confirmed the logistics stats for the Lincoln & Tripoli," Hegsethsaid in a post on X. "Both have 30+ days of Class I supplies (food) on board. NavCent monitors this everyday, for every ship. Our sailors deserve — and receive — the best."

Military says war conditions prompted suspension

The U.S. Postal Service temporarilysuspendedmail delivery to 27 military ZIP codes after the United States and Israel attacked Iran. The Army said there is no end date in sight for the suspension, despite a ceasefire in the war.

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Smoke rises following an explosion after the U.S. and Israel reportedly launched an attack against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026, in this screen grab taken from video.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on February 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital.

Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after disembarking Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 27, 2026. Hours later, Trump made live comments about the military strikes he launched against Iran.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Buildings inin Tehran stand after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Latest photos capture US and Israeli strikes against Iran

Smoke rises following an explosion,after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

The Postal Service and the Military Postal Service Agency have suspended deliveries as of the beginning of April "due to airspace closures and other logistical impacts from the ongoing conflict," Maj. Travis Shaw, an Army spokesperson, told USA TODAY. Mail already in transit when the suspension took effect is being held in secure Postal Service or military facilities "for future delivery once service resumes," he said.

The suspension is "in effect until further notice," Shaw added. "Resumption of mail service is contingent upon the reopening of airspace by civil authorities, and the area commander’s evaluation of regional transportation and distribution stability."

No mail is being "returned to sender" for those ZIP codes, Shaw said.

David Coleman, a USPS spokesperson, noted in an emailed statement that temporary suspensions to military zip codes can be monitored through thepostal service's website.

"No military mailings are being returned to the sender during a suspension. They are held until they can be delivered," he added.

Dan F.'s daughter told him in sporadic messages – when the USS Tripoli reached a pocket of internet service – that members were rationing their food supplies on the ship. Fresh produce was nowhere to be found, she told him.

After his daughter told him the coffee machine on board had broken down, Dan said he stopped drinking coffee in solidarity with what she's going through.

When Dan F.'s daughter said hygiene products were running low on the ship, the family sent a care package with shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste and tampons, filling every open space with candy and snacks.

They filled the second box with Emergen-C vitamin C packets – Dan's daughter said she was feeling a sore throat coming on – and clean socks.

The boxes were sent nearly a month ago, yet neither has reached its destination.

"We have the strongest military in the world. You shouldn’t be running out of food, and you shouldn’t not be able to get mail on the ship," said Dan, 63, who also served in the Marines.

"The one thing we had over our adversaries [was] we fed our people."

A Texas mother whose son, a Navy sailor, is also aboard the Tripoli, said she panicked after hearing he was hungry on the ship. Her family has now spent at least $2,000 on care packages, but none have reached her son. The mother asked to remain anonymous out of fear her son would face retaliation.

In message exchanges with him that she shared with USA TODAY, the sailor said service members on the ship eat when they can, and they divvy up food evenly when one person gets more than the others.

Supplies "are going to get really low," and the crew doesn't anticipate any port visits until the ship returns from its mission, he wrote in a message on March 11.

"Morale is going to be at an all-time low," he wrote.

Karen Erskine-Valentine, pastor of a church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, said she was alarmed to hear from a community member whose son is in the Middle East aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln about the poor quality of food on the ship. The Abraham Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers sent to the region, along with the USS Gerald Ford. A third, the USS George H.W. Bush, ison the way.

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"The food is tasteless and there’s not nearly enough and they’re hungry all the time," Erskine-Valentine said. "That kind of breaks your heart."

The community packaged and sent 18 boxes to the sailor to share with his shipmates. She sent another four boxes on April 15.

"I put out the announcement that they were in need of love and nourishment," she said. "Within two days, I had 18 boxes of stuff."

Sending the boxes wasn't cheap – at least $540 for shipping alone, she said.

Six of the packages reached Tokyo on April 14, according to Postal Service tracking. They have yet to reach their destination.

The Tripoli has been at sea for more than a month since it left its home port in Japan to join the Iran war. The 3,500 sailors and Marines aboard the Tripoli and its two accompanying warships are nowtaskedwith enforcing the U.S. blockade of ships leaving Iranian ports, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Other warships have been at sea far longer. On April 15, the USS Gerald Fordbroke the recordfor the longest deployment of any aircraft carrier since the Cold War – 295 days. The carrierretreatedto Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the island of Crete for maintenance work March 23. The militarysaida laundry fire had erupted on the ship, and it wasplaguedwith plumbing problems.

'Extenuating circumstances' affect military mail delivery

It's common for wars and other operations to delay package deliveries to deployed military members, said Lynn Heidelbaugh, a curator at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. She said she had not come across an all-out suspension of mail delivery to a military ZIP code like those now in place, but the absence of a formal announcement, especially in the pre-internet age, doesn't mean mail hasn't been stalled before.

"There are always extenuating circumstances," she said. "It's far more complex than domestic mail."

The Military Postal Serviceprovidesmail service across 76 countries, according to the Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General. Itoperates1,670 Postal Service operations worldwide and moves about 80 million pounds of mail a year, an agency fact sheet says.

Non-expedited shipping of packages to the Middle Eastusually takesup to 24 days, the Postal Service says. In 2003, mailtookan average 11 to 14 days to reach service members deployed to the Iraq war, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

USPS historian Steve Kochersperger said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY: "Interruptions and delays in mail service have been a part of every American conflict since the Revolutionary War. Communications and supply networks that work well during peacetime are invariably disrupted during wartime."

He noted the "tremendous backlog of mail following the D-Day invasion of 1944."

USPS has no internal records about mail delayed to military addresses during more recent conflicts in the Middle East, but "newspaper reports from the time indicate there were numerous disruptions due to the war," he said.

Packages wait in living rooms, stuck between destinations

Karen Turgeon, organizer of an annual Thanksgiving care package drive for military families in Monson, Massachusetts, rushed to organize an extra drive for the four service members from her community who were sent to the Middle East after the war broke out.

None of the group's packages have reached their destinations. Instead, the drive has redirected its energy toward dropping cards of encouragement and flowers at the homes of service members' families.

"We’re trying to cheer them up at home," she said. "We give them an envelope filled with things to send so that when they can, they will."

Dawn Penrod, treasurer of an American Legion Auxiliary chapter based in Edgewater, Maryland, said she spent an hour at the post office roughly two weeks ago trying to send a care package to her nephew, an Army Reserve member stationed in Bahrain.

In the package was a grab bag of small pleasures to ease the difficulty of a lengthy deployment – Kind bars, candy, homemade fudge, Girl Scout cookies, puzzle books, pencils, pens, decks of cards and other games. The auxiliary chapter gave Penrod $100 plus postage to spend on the package, and a client of hers gave another $50.

But Penrod said a postal worker told her she couldn't send anything to the military address she had listed. She wasn't even able to fill out the customs form required to ship a package to a military ZIP code abroad. She left the post office, package in hand.

"It's sitting in my living room, waiting," she said.

Others in the auxiliary chapter who had sent care packages to service members for decades had never seen such delays and suspensions, Penrod said.

"They were delivering mail and packages all the time," Penrod said. "I just don’t know why they can’t now."

(This article was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Families fear US sailors are hungry on Iran war ships, packages in limbo

byAndy Corry

in

April 19, 2026

Cookies, deodorant, socks. Iran war puts military packages in limbo

Dan F. was alarmed when his daughter, a Marine aboard the USS Tripoli, a warship deployed to fight the Iran war, sent him a photo of a ...

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