Iran Designates Paths Ships Must Use Through the Strait of Hormuz; Vance says US Did Not Agree that Ceasefire would Cover Lebanon

LATEST: Iran ceasefire under threat as Israel kills 250 in Lebanon

Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet yesterday, killing hundreds of people and drawing a threat of retaliation from Iran, which said the attacks violated a ceasefire deal agreed with the US a day earlier.

Iran and the US, meanwhile, laid out sharply contrasting agendas for talks that aim to forge a more durable peace in the region.

Those talks, due to take place in Pakistan on Saturday, will be led by US vice-president JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Aragchi.

Both Iranian officials questioned whether the ceasefire could hold, saying the agreement had been undermined by Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, where Israel has been pursuing a parallel war with the Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah.

“The US must choose – ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” Mr Aragchi wrote on social media.

Israel and the US both said the two-week ceasefire did not cover Lebanon, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue.

US president Donald Trump announced the ceasefire late on Tuesday, two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its “whole civilisation.”

Although both the US and Iran declared victory in a five-week-old war that has killed thousands, their core disputes remained unresolved. Each side is sticking to competing demands for a deal that could shape the Middle East for generations.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions also remain a sticking point. Mr Trump said Iran had agreed to stop enriching uranium, which can be turned into nuclear warheads, and the White House said Iran has indicated it would turn over its existing stocks.

“The US will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried … Nuclear ‘Dust,” Mr Trump said on social media.

Mr Ghalibaf, however, said it was allowed to continue enriching uranium under the terms of the ceasefire.

Despite the uncertainty, world stock indexes surged while oil prices plunged 14pc to settle near $95 per barrel, after falling as low as $90.40.

Benchmark Brent crude remains roughly $25 higher than before the joint US-Israel attacks began.

Tehran’s newly demonstrated ability to cut off Gulf energy supplies through its grip on the strait, despite decades of massive US military investment in the region, shows how the conflict has already altered power dynamics in the Gulf.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel had achieved many of its objectives in the war with Iran, but stressed that Israel had its “finger on the trigger” and was prepared to return to fighting at “any moment”.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency cited an unnamed source warning that Iran will withdraw from the ceasefire if attacks on Lebanon continue.

Iran also struck oil facilities in nearby Gulf countries, including a pipeline in Saudi Arabia that has been used to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, according to an oil industry source.

Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE also reported missile and drone strikes.

The Strait of Hormuz remained shut to vessels sailing without a permit and shippers said they needed more clarity before resuming transit.

MarineTraffic data showed two Greek-owned and two Chinese-owned bulk carriers have passed through the strait since early yesterday.

In a flurry of online posts, Mr Trump announced new tariffs of 50pc on all goods from any country that supplies arms to Iran.

Crowds took to the streets of Iran overnight to celebrate, waving Iranian flags and burning those of the US and Israel.

Iran retains both its stockpile of near-weapons-grade highly enriched uranium and its ability to hit its neighbours with missiles and drones.

The clerical leadership, which faced mass protests months ago, has withstood the superpower onslaught with no sign of internal collapse.

“The enemy, in its unjust, illegal and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historic and crushing defeat,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump believes Nato was “tested and they failed” during the Iran war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday, just hours before Mr Trump was due to meet with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. Ms Leavitt said Mr Trump was looking forward to having a “very frank and candid conversation” with the Nato chief.

Reuters

52 minutes ago

Iran delegation heads to Islamabad

Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart Thursday suggesting the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz during the war, a likely pressure tactic as Iran, Israel and the United States are now in an uneasy, two-week ceasefire ahead of possible negotiations in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, in unusually strong language, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “unequivocally” condemned Israeli strikes in Lebanon that killed and injured hundreds Wednesday after the ceasefire was announced, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.

Israel has said the ceasefire agreement does not extend to its war in Lebanon with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, although Iran and mediator Pakistan said it does. Sirens sounded in northern Israel early Thursday as Hezbollah claimed it was attacking with rocket fire.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran’s negotiating team for talks with the United States will arrive Thursday night in Islamabad, the Iranian ambassador there said.

Reza Amiri Moghadam made the comment on X, without identifying who was on the Iranian team.

He wrote that the “Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran.”

Those points include Iran enriching uranium, maintaining its control of the Strait of Hormuz and other issues that have been nonstarters in the past for U.S. President Donald Trump.

The White House has repeatedly described the 10 points issued by Iran as false.

Moghadam wrote that the Iranians would come to Islamabad despite “skepticism of Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by Israeli regime to sabotage the diplomatic initiative.”

That refers to Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, which Israel and the U.S. have said wasn’t included in the shaky ceasefire.

Oil rose again to above $97 a barrel and Asian stocks were trading lower Thursday on skepticism over a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.

Brent crude was up 2.9% to $97.46 per barrel. It previously fell briefly to below $92 following the temporary ceasefire announcement.

Benchmark U.S. crude was 3.7% higher Thursday at $97.94 per barrel.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.8% to 55,855.57, while South Korea’s Kospi lost 1.7% to 5,773.03.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.2% to 25,831.21. The Shanghai Composite index was down 0.8% to 3,961.31.

Ship-tracking data from trade data and analytics platform Kpler showed only four vessels with their Automatic Identification System trackers on passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day of the ceasefire.

However, this total does not include so-called “dark fleet” vessels — those with their AIS trackers turned off.

Many of those “dark fleet” ships carry sanctioned Iranian crude oil out to the open market.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an online statement Thursday insisting that his surge of warships and troops will remain around Iran “until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with.”

Trump’s comments on his Truth Social platform appear to be a way to pressure Iran as uncertainty hangs over the tentative two-week ceasefire now holding in the war.

“If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” Trump wrote.

He also insisted Iran would not be able to build nuclear weapons and “the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE.” That comes as vessels are not moving through that waterway, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded once passed.

A New York-based think tank is warning that the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war “hovers on the verge of collapse.”

The Soufan Center said the Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday risked the deal falling apart.

“Even if Lebanon was formally outside the deal, the scale of Israel’s strikes was likely to be viewed as escalatory, nonetheless,” it wrote in an analysis published Thursday.

“Israel’s strikes can be understood both as an effort to drive a wedge between Iran and its proxies and as a response to being allegedly sidelined in the original ceasefire discussions.”

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound reopened with dawn prayer Thursday after being closed for the duration of the Iran war, according to Jerusalem’s Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian religious authority that administers the compound.

Jerusalem’s police said Wednesday that it would lift restrictions on all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City starting Thursday morning. It added that hundreds of officers and volunteers would be active in the city.

Access had been prohibited altogether, or restricted to a few dozen faithful, at Christian, Jewish and Muslim sites during the now-paused conflict, when missile attacks from Iran often sent Jerusalem residents into shelters.

The restrictions subdued Lent, Passover and Ramadan celebrations for many in some of the holiest sites for adherents of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

But they’re lifted just in time for Orthodox Christians, who celebrate Easter (Pascha) on Sunday, a week after Catholic and Protestant observances.

Associated Press

Yesterday 10:17 PM

France’s Macron tells Iran, US leaders that ceasefire decision was best choice

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he spoke with both Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as well as with U.S. President Donald Trump, and told them their decision to accept a ceasefire was the best possible one.

“I expressed my hope that the ceasefire will be fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon,” Macron said in a post on X.

Macron added that any agreement between the countries must address the concerns raised by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its regional policy and its actions obstructing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters

Yesterday 09:20 PM

Vance says US did not agree that ceasefire would cover Lebanon

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said Tehran’s negotiators thought the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreed to on Tuesday included Lebanon, but the U.S. had in fact not agreed to that.

Vance was speaking to reporters in Budapest.

Reuters

Yesterday 09:18 PM

Trump weighs punishing certain NATO countries over lack of Iran war support, WSJ reports

The Trump administration is considering a plan to punish some members of the NATO alliance that he believes were unhelpful to the U.S. and Israel during the Iran war, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing administration officials.

The proposal would involve moving U.S. troops out of NATO member countries deemed unhelpful to the Iran war effort and station them in countries that were more supportive of the U.S. military campaign, the report added.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Reuters

Yesterday 08:32 PM

Iran designates safe paths through the Strait of Hormuz under coordination with Revolutionary Guards

Iran ports and maritime organization said on Wednesday that safe passage routes through the Strait of Hormuz have designates and must be used by ships in coordination with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the Student News Network reported.

The organization said that the safe entry path is from the Sea of Oman towards the north of Larak Island while the safe exit path from the Gulf passes south of Larak Island and towards the Sea of Oman.

Reuters

Yesterday 08:07 PM

Iran’s parliament speaker says three key clauses of ceasefire proposal were violated ahead of negotiations

Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer ‌Qalibaf said on Wednesday that three key clauses of a 10-point proposal were violated before negotiations set to start on Friday in Pakistan, adding that in such a situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations were unreasonable.

The breaches included the violation of a ceasefire in Lebanon, the entry of an “intruding drone” into Iranian airspace and the denial of Iran’s right to uranium enrichment, he said in a post on X.

Pakistani sources said it would be Qalibaf along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi who will head to Islamabad for talks with the United States.

Reuters

Yesterday 08:07 PM

Iran has indicated it would turn over enriched uranium, White House says

Iran has indicated it would turn over its stocks of enriched uranium, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, adding that such a transfer was one of President Donald Trump’s main priorities.

Trump says one of his main reasons for launching the war was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, something Iran has long denied wanting to develop.

“That is a red line that the President is not going to back away from, and he’s committed to ensuring that takes place,” Leavitt told a briefing.

Asked whether the Iranians had given an indication they would hand over the uranium, Leavitt replied “They have, yes.” She did not give details.

The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that when Israel launched its first attacks in June, Iran had 440.9 kg of 60% uranium. If enriched further, that would provide enough needed for 10 nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick.

Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Almost half of Iran’s uranium enriched to up to 60% purity was stored in a tunnel complex at Isfahan and is probably still there, the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has said.

The tunnel complex is the only target that appears not to have been badly damaged in attacks last June by Israel and the U.S. on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Right now, it’s buried, and we’re watching it. We know exactly what they have, and they know that,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters separately on Wednesday, saying Washington reserved the right to launch more military strikes targeting the enriched uranium if needed.

In an address to the nation on Wednesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran’s enriched uranium would be removed by agreement or by force.

Reuters

Yesterday 08:05 PM

UAE to seek clarification on US-Iran ceasefire to ensure Tehran’s commitment to cessation of attacks in region

The UAE will seek clarification on the terms of the U.S.-Iran two-week ceasefire agreement to ensure Tehran’s full commitment to a cessation of attacks on the region and “unconditional reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz, a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a post on X.

The spokesperson stressed the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses Iranian threats, including Tehran’s nuclear and military capabilities and its proxies in the region.

Reuters

Yesterday 07:03 PM

Trump dispatching Iran negotiating team to Pakistan, White House says

U.S. President Donald Trump is dispatching his Iran negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, to Pakistan for talks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday, adding that the first round of negotiations would take place on Saturday.

Reuters

Yesterday 07:02 PM

NATO was ‘tested and they failed,’ White House says ahead of Rutte meeting

President Donald Trump believes NATO was “tested and they failed” during the Iran war, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, sharing a direct quote from Trump ahead of his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House.

Reuters

Yesterday 06:43 PM

White House says it has seen an uptick of traffic in Strait of Hormuz 

The United States has seen an uptick in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Reuters

Yesterday 06:42 PM

Iran’s original plan to end war was unacceptable and discarded, White House says

Iran proposed a more reasonable plan to end the Middle East war after originally putting forward one that the United States deemed to be unacceptable, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday.

Reuters

Yesterday 06:41 PM

Israel’s Ben Gurion airport to resume full operations at midnight

Israel’s transport ministry said on Wednesday that Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, will resume full operations at midnight following the announcement of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

Reuters

Yesterday 06:35 PM

Iran can no longer give weapons to proxies, White House says

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday said Iran can no longer distribute weapons to its proxy groups in the Middle East following U.S. and Israeli attacks that began on February 28.

Reuters

Yesterday 05:30 PM

Iran’s IRGC have said that if attacks on Lebanon by Israel do not end, they will respond with force to the “aggressors” of the region.

Yesterday 04:13 PM

Still ‘a lot of work to do’ to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, UK’s Starmer says

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday there was still a lot of work to do to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, speaking during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

“We now … have a ceasefire, but there’s a lot of work to do, as you will appreciate, a lot of work to make sure that that ceasefire becomes permanent and brings about the peace that we all want to see,” he told UK and Saudi personnel during the visit.

“But also a lot of work to do in relation to the Strait of Hormuz, which has an impact everywhere across the world.”

Elizabeth Piper, Reuters

Yesterday 03:13 PM

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claims war in Iran was complete military victory