INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts answered their two biggest offseason questions by re-signing quarterback Daniel Jones and receiver Alec Pierce.
Next week, general manager Chris Ballard will be looking for more help in the NFL draft — at a critical time in his career.
Yes, the Colts added three new defensive linemen in free agency, but they still need another consistent pass-rushing threat opposite Laiatu Latu and need depth at several additional positions if they want to snap a five-year playoff drought that has Ballard and coach Shane Steichen on the hot seat again.
Ballard heads into draft week with seven picks, the first coming in Round 2, No. 47 overall, and he's made it clear throughout the offseason what needs to be upgraded.
“The front seven, we've had some pretty good players there,” he said during the league's scouting combine in Indianapolis. “But we've got to get faster on defense, and we've really got to get faster on the front seven.”
The need to find pass-rushing help for second-year defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo became even clearer after defensive ends Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam left in free agency. Latu had a team-best 8 1/2 sacks last season.
Ballard did add two potential replacements by signing defensive ends Micheal Clemons and Arden Key, but Clemons had only 8 1/2 sacks in four seasons with the New York Jets while Key has 30 1/2 in four stops during his eight-year NFL career. That may not be enough to force teams to block Latu with only one guy, exacerbating the necessity of finding help during draft weekend.
It's not just the pass rush. Ballard traded starting linebacker Zaire Franklin to Green Bay and No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh after working out the Pierce deal, and the Colts could be looking for more help at both spots. Indy also could take a quarterback and will be looking for reinforcements along an offensive line that lost right tackle Braden Smith and Danny Pinter, a backup at multiple positions, in free agency.
Tight end Tyler Warren lived up to the hype of his first-round selection last year, making an immediate impact with Jones. And with plenty of bodies on the roster behind Warren, adding another tight end may be more of a luxury than a necessity. Indy also appears to like its specialists. Punter Rigoberto Sanchez continues to be one of the league's best. They also have two strong kickers already on the roster — Spencer Shrader, who was perfect until he suffered a season-ending knee injury early last season, and Blake Grupe, who finished the season strong in Indy.
Ballard already traded two starters this offseason and he may not be done wheeling and dealing just yet. Cornerback Kenny Moore II, a 2021 Pro Bowler, could be dealt in a move that could clear salary cap room space as Justin Walley, a third-round draft pick in 2025, could be ready to replace Moore. Indy also has given quarterback Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, permission to find a trade partner.
Indy sent first-round picks this year and next to the Jets in a trade deadline move for two-time All-Pro Sauce Gardner, one of the league's top cover cornerbacks when healthy.
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FILE - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) walks along the sideline during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip,File)
FILE - Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy,File)
Pakistan’s army chief met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war.
The meeting comes as President Donald Trump announced the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak later on Thursday about halting the fighting between them. It was not clear what leaders Trump was referring to.
The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continued as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions on countries doing business with it, calling the move the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.
The White House said any further talks with Iran would likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations. Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator after it hosted direct talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad.
In a development in the war's other front, Trump wrote late Wednesday on Truth Social that leaders from Israel and Lebanon would speak the next day in a renewed effort to broker a ceasefire after the countries’ first direct talks in decades ended the previous day in Washington without a deal.
Here is the latest:
U.S. Central Command says those vessels have turned around in the first three days of the blockade on Iranian ports at the direction of American forces.
At a Pentagon news briefing earlier Thursday, U.S. defense leaders said more than 10,000 American troops are helping enforce the blockade on Iranian ports and that no ships have yet needed to be boarded.
He said it followed “excellent” conversations he had with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades Tuesday in Washington after more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Trump said he’s directed U.S. Vice President JD Vance others to work with Israel and Lebanon to “achieve a Lasting PEACE.” He added: “so let’s, GET IT DONE.”
The office of Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said President Trump was thanked by the Lebanese head of state to reach a ceasefire in the devastating war.
Aoun earlier spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio where he refused to have a direct call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has insisted on achieving a ceasefire ahead of continued direct talks. Israel hasn’t made a decision regarding a ceasefire.
The statement said Trump stressed “his commitment to fulfilling the Lebanese request for a ceasefire as soon as possible.”
Neither the State Department nor the White House immediately issue a statement on the calls with the Lebanese president.
A second Lebanese official said Aoun explained to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that direct talks with Netanyahu at this point would be inappropriate given the ongoing airstrikes and destruction in Lebanon and the lack of a ceasefire in place.
The official also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
— Kareem Chehayeb
Lufthansa said Thursday that labor disputes and high fuel prices are forcing it to immediately shut down its feeder airline CityLine earlier than planned and take its 27 older, less fuel efficient planes out of service. The decision accelerates a shutdown that had been expected for next year.
CityLine’s primary role was bringing passengers to Lufthansa’s mid- and long-haul hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, Germany. Fuel prices have soared since the outbreak of the Iran war in February and the blocking by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage way for crude oil and fuel products from Persian Gulf producers.
CityLine will halt operations Saturday.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group, said that in negotiations with Iran, the U.S. is making “impossible demands for any independent country to accept.”
During a video speech Thursday, he said the ongoing two-week ceasefire was a result of “failures” by the U.S. and Israel to achieve their goals in the Iran war.
“If negotiations succeed, it will either result in a longer period of stability or an end to the aggression,” he said, adding that the U.S. entered negotiations based on their own terms built on “arrogance and pride.”
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says that among the killed are 260 women and 172 children since the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah began March 2. Another 7,185 have been wounded.
Israel’s latest military escalation started after Hezbollah fired rockets towards northern Israel in solidarity with its key ally and patron Iran.
Lebanon and Israel started direct talks Tuesday, the first of their kind since 1993. Lebanon hopes those talks can end the war.
“There are no dates yet,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters Thursday.
“We will announce the timing of these talks as and when it is decided,” he said, urging the media to avoid speculation.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s role as a mediator and facilitator did not end when the first round of talks concluded over the weekend.
“It continued,” he said.
He said Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is visiting Iran with a delegation, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also traveling to regional countries to promote peace.
“We will continue to advocate for peace, prosperity and stability,” he said.
Asked about the first round of talks, Andrabi said there was “certainly not a major breakthrough in terms of any concrete document emanating from these talks, but there was no breakdown as well.”
Germany’s largest shipping company Hapag-Lloyd says it’s feeling the impact of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as 150 sailors are trapped there on six of its vessels.
“Five and a half weeks in a war zone — that’s something relatively new. And of course, these are difficult days and weeks for our colleagues,” Hapag Lloyd spokesperson Nils Haupt told The Associated Press.
“We’ve been able to rotate some of them in the meantime, but you can easily imagine that after such a long time, monotony naturally sets in on board and the most important thing now in this situation is to maintain that team spirit,” he added.
Hapag-Lloyd is in contact with the captains and crews at least once a day asking how the crew is doing and what they can do to help.
It’s helpful, Haupt says, that thanks to modern satellite technology, the sailors are able to keep up communication with their families.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon that “ultimately, they need to come to the table and make a deal.”
He said the U.S. will ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon.
“We’d prefer to do it the nice way through a deal led by our great vice president and negotiating team. Or we can do it the hard way,” Hegseth said.
Iran has repeatedly insisted that it doesn’t seek a nuclear weapon and that its program is for peaceful purposes.
Later in the news briefing, Hegseth said to Iran’s government: “I pray you choose a deal, which is within your grasp for the betterment of your people and for the betterment of the world.”
That’s according to a government official familiar with the developments.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the remarks were made during a call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that Washington was “understanding of Lebanon’s position.”
Aoun’s office acknowledged a call with Rubio in a public statement, but did not mention the possibility of talks with Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s office did not do so either.
— Kareem Chehayeb
The minister, Israel Katz, warned Tehran it could opt “between a bridge to the future and an abyss of isolation and destruction.”
If Iran chooses the latter, it will “quickly discover that the targets we have not yet struck until now are even more painful than what we have already struck.”
Katz sought to frame Israel’s campaign against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of a wider confrontation with Iran.
He was speaking at a memorial ceremony at the ministry Thursday.
Europe has “maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left,” the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday in a wide-ranging Associated Press interview, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,” stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
“In the past there was a group called ‘Dire Straits.’ It’s a dire strait now, and it is going to have major implications for the global economy. And the longer it goes, the worse it will be for the economic growth and inflation around the world,” he said.
The impact will be “higher petrol (gasoline) prices, higher gas prices, high electricity prices,” Birol told the AP, speaking in his Paris office looking out over the Eiffel Tower.
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Speaking at the Pentagon, he said U.S. forces “will actively pursue any Iranian flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran” — anywhere in the world.
He issued a clear warning to any targeted vessel attempting to circumvent a U.S. blockade: “Turn around or prepare to be boarded. ... We will use force.”
Caine described the effort as a “blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline” with enforcement “inside Iran’s territorial seas and in international waters.” He noted that U.S. forces in other areas of the world, including the Pacific, also would pursue vessels tied to Iran.
The blockade “applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports” and includes “dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil.” He defined those as “vessels or those illicit or illegal ships evading international regulations, sanctions or insurance requirements.”
Gen. Dan Caine says more than 10,000 sailors, marines and airmen using ships, planes and helicopters are working to enforce the blockade.
Any vessel that approaches the blockade is first warned to turn around or be boarded. Warning shots and other escalatory tactics could also be used, Caine said.
Caine says that so far no ships have had to be boarded.
“Thirteen ships have made the wise choice of turning around,” he said.
President Trump’s top military advisor described Navy warships maintaining the blockade against Iran “like driving a sports car through a supermarket parking lot on a pay day weekend.”
Gen. Dan Kaine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went on to say these maneuvers are being performed “with thousands of kids in that parking lot” as they position themselves to get to ships that would attempt to run that blockade.
The defense secretary touted public support for the war during remarks at the Pentagon on Thursday, contrasting that with what he said was an overly critical press.
“They see the success. They see the reality. And they don’t demand perfection,” Hegseth said of the public, after criticizing the press.
“You only seek the negative,” Hegseth said of the press.
Hegseth is overstating public support for the conflict. A recent AP-NORC poll shows nearly 60% of Americans say U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive. Meanwhile, 45% are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. navy is employing “less than 10% of America’s naval power” to enforce the blockade against Iran during a briefing Thursday.
“The math is clear. We’re using 10% of the world’s most powerful navy, and you have 0% of your Navy,” Hegseth said.
The Navy currently has 16 warships, including 11 destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, an aircraft carrier, and a littoral combat ship in the Middle East out of a battle force of roughly 300 total warships.
At the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Iran is moving around its assets but is unable to replenish its military power almost seven weeks into the war.
The secretary pressed that idea repeatedly in the opening minutes of his morning briefing.
“You can move things around, but you can’t actually rebuild,” Hegseth said, speaking directly to Tehran’s leaders and telling them they no longer have a viable defense industry.
“As you expose yourself with your movement to our watchful eye, we are locked and loaded on your critical dual use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry,” Hegseth said, telling Iran the war “is not a fair fight” given U.S. power.
The office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of anticipated direct talks with Israel.
Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group before engaging in direct talks. Its top political leaders have vowed to commit to disarming the group.
The president’s office said that during Thursday’s call, Rubio “affirmed his continued efforts to reach a ceasefire as a prelude to establishing peace, security, and stability in Lebanon.”
Washington has not publicly stated its support of a ceasefire in Lebanon as a precondition, and the Israeli government has framed the prospective meeting as peace talks with a focus on disarming Hezbollah.
Aoun’s office made no mention of speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iranian website NourNews has reported that Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the powerful speaker of Iran’s parliament, stressed the importance of a ceasefire in Lebanon when he spoke with his Lebanese counterpart Nabih Berri by phone.
The report by the site, which has close contacts with Iranian security officials, said Qalibaf emphasized that Iranian authorities were closely monitoring developments in Lebanon and pushing for a permanent ceasefire in the Mideast war.
“A ceasefire in Lebanon is as important to us as a ceasefire in Iran,” he reportedly said.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency has reported that the Israeli military struck and entirely destroyed the Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani River in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it did not strike the bridge but “struck adjacent to it.”
Shares around the world rose as investors grew optimistic of a ceasefire extension in the Iran war.
In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100, France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX were all up by around 0.5%.
In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 closed 2.4% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.7% to 26,394.26. The Shanghai Composite index ended 0.7% higher.
Israeli warplanes have unleashed an intense barrage of strikes on the southern town of Nabatiyeh, sending giant plumes of black smoke billowing over the regional hub of southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the attacks Thursday hit near the town’s industrial zone and outside a supermarket along Nabih Berri Avenue, a main thoroughfare lined with shops and residential buildings. The strikes, among the heaviest in the area since the start of the war, also hit several surrounding suburbs.
Israel has intensified its aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon in recent days as it seeks to extend security control into Lebanese territory in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah. The Israeli military on Wednesday targeted three teams of medics from Nabatiyeh in successive strikes as they were working to administer aid to civilians and rescue each other, killing four medical workers and wounding six others.
The Foreign Press Association in Israel has asked the court to expedite a decision on allowing the international media to enter Gaza independently.
Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza independently since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The FPA filed a petition seeking entry in September 2024, but the Israeli government has repeatedly delayed the proceedings.
“The never-ending delays have made a mockery of the legal process,” said the FPA’s chairwoman, Tania Kraemer. “It is time for the justices to put an end to this once and for all.”
The FPA represents dozens of international news outlets, including The Associated Press.
The army says it found more than 130 weapons, including automatic rifles and pistols in Bint Jbeil, the focus of a new offensive in southern Lebanon.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of operating in civilian buildings.
Iran’s state television says on its Telegram channel that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has met with Gen. Asim Munir, the head of Pakistan’s army.
The TV network didn’t immediately provide further details. Munir arrived in Iran on Wednesday.
In this photo released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, meets with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir in Tehran, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)
Girls chase bubbles next to their family's tents used as shelter after fleeing Israeli bombardment in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, in Beirut, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A young girl carries a portrait of a killed Hezbollah fighter at a mass grave where civilians and Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli airstrikes are temporarily buried in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Backdropped by ships in the Strait of Hormuz, damage, according to local witnesses caused by several recent airstrikes during the U.S.-Israel military campaign, is seen on a fishing pier in the port of Qeshm island, Iran, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the village of Qlaileh, as seen from the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
