Iran warns of 'strong responses' as Israel's attacks on Lebanon threaten ceasefire
This version of Live Updates Iran War Ceasefire Trump Hormuz Israel Lebanon Rcna267390 - World News | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
No new attacks were reported in the Gulf today as the truce appeared to be holding there, but there was little sign that the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route had meaningfully reopened.
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What to know
- CEASEFIRE UNDER THREAT: The truce between the United States and Iran was in doubt this morning following Israel's deadly new attacks on Lebanon. Iran said the strikes, which killed hundreds, were a "grave violation" of the deal and warned of "strong responses." America and Israel insisted Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire, though mediator Pakistan says it was.
- LEBANON TALKS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would start direct negotiations with Lebanon, after the U.S. ally's massive attacks this week threatened to collapse the ceasefire. President Donald Trump asked Netanyahu in a phone call yesterday to scale back the strikes to help ensure the success of the Iran negotiations, a senior administration official said.
- HORMUZ WARNING: There was little sign that the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route had meaningfully reopened despite American claims of an increase in traffic. Iran even suggested it had put sea mines in the waterway as it offered alternative routes for the few ships transiting the strait.
- TRUMP'S WARNING: Trump said all U.S. ships, aircraft and military personnel will remain in place around Iran until a real agreement is reached and "fully complied with." No new attacks were reported in the Gulf, however, as the ceasefire appeared to be holding there.
- U.S.-IRAN TALKS? Vice President JD Vance, set to lead a U.S. team in peace talks in Pakistan tomorrow, said that confusion over Lebanon was a "legitimate misunderstanding" and that Iran would be "dumb" to let talks collapse over it. Iran’s ambassador in Islamabad wrote on X that its negotiating team would arrive in the Pakistani capital tonight but later deleted the post.
- DEATH TOLL: Iranian officials have not released a recent death toll. The U.S.-based rights group HRANA put the total killed at almost 3,400, including more than 1,600 civilians. More than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon, and 23 have died in Israel. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and two more died of noncombat causes.
- INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS: Get exclusive analysis and insight into the Middle East conflict by becoming an NBC News subscriber.
Trump bashes MAGA media figures over their Iran war criticism
Trump went after big-name conservative media figures today over their criticism of his handling of the war with Iran, calling some of his former allies “low IQ,” “losers” and “nut jobs.”
Trump criticized Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones, who have all broken with the president over the Iran war.
“They’re losers, just trying to latch on to MAGA,” the president wrote on Truth Social before dishing out personal insults.
“They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too!” Trump wrote.
Chart: Iran’s missile and drone strikes on its neighbors
The Bahrain Defense Force reported Iran launched seven drone attacks Thursday, the only Iranian attacks recorded across the gulf.
U.S. calls for Iraq to protect American diplomats
Iraq must protect American diplomats and assets from attacks by Iran-aligned militias or risk affecting U.S.-Iraq relations, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Khirullah yesterday.
U.S. personnel and facilities were attacked by drones yesterday near the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center and Baghdad International Airport, according to a U.S Embassy alert. U.S. citizens were warned to avoid Iraqi airspace even if commercial flights resume.
The attacks come after "hundreds in recent weeks" against U.S. citizens, diplomatic facilities and commercial interests, principal deputy State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a readout of the call. Failure to prevent such attacks could adversely strain ties between the U.S. and Iraq, Piggott said.
"The Deputy Secretary stressed the United States will not tolerate attacks on U.S. interests and expects the Iraqi government to immediately take all measures to dismantle the Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq," the statement read in part.
Iranian hacker group says it will pause attacks on U.S.
The hacker group that takes credit for Iran’s most visible cyberattacks on the U.S. says it will pause them in light of the ceasefire.
The group, Handala, is believed to be a front for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, according to the FBI, which has described its work as “psychological operations.” Handala has taken credit for a destructive cyberattack on the Michigan medical tech company Stryker and leaked old emails from a hacked Gmail account belonging to FBI Director Kash Patel, though it also frequently exaggerates its abilities and exploits.
Yesterday, Handala’s operators indicated on its Telegram channel that superiors in the Iranian government had instructed them to stop bragging about hacks against the U.S., seemingly in response to the ceasefire.
“According to the orders from the highest leadership of the Resistance Axis, we have currently postponed overt confrontation with the United States, but the world already knows our capability to penetrate and strike at the very core of American infrastructure,” it said.
Handala indicated it would keep hacking other targets, including Israel.
“The cyber war did not begin with the military conflict, and it will not end with any military ceasefire,” it said. “Handala, at full force, continues its cyber operations against the infrastructure of the Zionist regime.”
Trump and Starmer discuss restoring shipping through Strait of Hormuz
Trump spoke with his U.K. counterpart, Keir Starmer, today about the need to quickly restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.
With the ceasefire in effect for now, "we are at the next stage of finding a resolution," according to the statement.
"The leaders discussed the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible," it said.
Netanyahu's chief foreign policy adviser defends attacks in Lebanon
Netanyahu’s chief foreign policy adviser refused to say Israel was scaling back its military operation in Lebanon despite Trump’s directive to keep it more “low key.”
Ophir Falk told Kelly O’Donnell on “Meet the Press NOW” that Trump and Netanyahu are in “complete agreement” and hailed yesterday’s strike on Beirut as the largest operation against Hezbollah leadership since the pager attacks in 2024.
Asked about the World Health Organization’s call for Israel to reverse an evacuation order in Beirut’s Jnah area, which includes two major hospitals, Falk said, “Israel will take that into consideration.”
But, he claimed, Hezbollah is using civilians as human shields. He said the group has been "degraded significantly" as a result of Israeli attacks.
Speaking about the upcoming U.S. negotiations in Pakistan with Iran (which Israel is not a part of), Falk said Israel’s objectives continue to be to “remove the existential threat posed by the ayatollah regime, including their nuclear capabilities, their ballistic missile capabilities.”
A young girl's Snapchat video captures the horror of Israel's shock strikes on Beirut
Thirteen-year-old Naya Fakih smiled as she recorded herself walking down a residential street in Beirut with her dad yesterday, donning pink bunny ears dotted with hearts through a Snapchat filter.
Seconds later, as Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Lebanon’s capital, she was wailing as the sounds of explosions rang out around her.
“Daddy!” she cries out in the video, her face crumpling into tears as her father pulls her into a building, desperate to bring his young daughter to safety.
Moments before, he had been picking her up from basketball practice, just minutes from their home in Beirut’s Mazraa neighborhood, Naya’s mother, Ghida Margie Fakih, told NBC News today.
"We are civilians. This is a non-combat zone ... and this happened without warning," Fakih, a researcher and mother of three, said in a phone interview after shared the video on Instagram.
“It was only seconds,” she said, describing how her daughter can barely sleep, shaken by the harrowing ordeal.
She said her two sons, Ayan, 4, and Habib, 11, were also terrified after they heard blasts ring out around their home as they hid for cover in the bathroom with their babysitter. The family, whose home in southern Lebanon Fakih said had already been destroyed, immediately gathered what they could and fled Beirut, staying with Fakih’s sister just outside the city.
Fakih said she felt "extremely angry" seeing Israel bomb civilian areas in Beirut "in broad daylight."
NATO secretary general says 'there was not a lot of prior consultation' before the war in Iran began
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said some European nations acted with "a little bit of delay" when the war in Iran began, in part because "there was not a lot of prior consultation" from the U.S.
"I think part of the explanation is the fact that the president wanted to maintain the element of surprise, which I totally understand, but it also meant that there was not a lot of prior consultation, so then they had to scramble to understand what was happening and then to step up," Rutte said.
Trump has bashed NATO allies during the war for not getting further involved in actions such as forcing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route that has remained largely closed.
Israeli oil tankers not allowed to pass through Strait of Hormuz, Iranian parliamentarian says
Israeli oil tankers are not permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said today, according to the SNN news agency.
"Passage of Israeli oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz is absolutely prohibited," he said. "The movement of vessels and cargo related to the Zionist regime, whether military or non-military, in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is absolutely prohibited."
Other countries that are hostile to the Islamic Republic are also prohibited from passing through the strait, he said.
"Hostile countries and those that cooperate with them against Iran’s security do not have the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
Trump says Iran isn't allowing oil to pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz
Trump accused Iran today on Truth Social of "doing a very poor job" by restricting the amount of oil that can pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!" he wrote.
Trump says Iran better not be charging ships to pass through Strait of Hormuz
Trump said on Truth Social that Iran had better not be charging tankers to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20% of the world's oil passed before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
"There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now! President DONALD J. TRUMP," he wrote.
Shadi J.H. Alassar / Anadolu via Getty Images
WHO urges Israel to spare hospitals and shelters in Lebanon
The World Health Organization pleaded with Israeli forces to reverse an evacuation order for Beirut’s Jnah area, which includes two major hospitals operating at full capacity.
"At this time, no alternative medical facilities are available to receive approximately 450 patients from the two hospitals (including 40 patients in the ICU), rendering their evacuation operationally unfeasible," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
Sites of Israeli attacks in Beirut on Wednesday. Getty Images; AP
Both facilities are full with patients who include people injured in yesterday's strikes by Israel. The affected area also includes five shelters that are accommodating more than 5000 people, he said.
"I urge Israel to reverse this order and ensure the protection of all health facilities, health workers, patients and civilians," he added.
Iran denies reports of ceasefire violations
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has "absolutely not" attacked any countries since a ceasefire was declared, the corps said in a statement the semiofficial Fars News agency posted on Telegram.
"The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have absolutely not launched anything towards any country during the ceasefire hours so far," the statement said.
The statement referred to media reports about drone and missile strikes on countries in the southern part of the Persian Gulf.
"If the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran strike any target, they will declare it with full courage in an official statement, and any action not mentioned in official statements of the Islamic Republic of Iran has no connection to us," the statement read.
Management of Strait of Hormuz enters 'new phase,' IRGC navy says
In the two days since Iran entered into the tenuous ceasefire, the Strait of Hormuz has entered "a new phase" of management, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' navy command posted on X.
The message did not elaborate on details of the new phase.
“In these 2 days of the period of silence in military conflict, both the enemy and allies have come to clearly understand through experience that the management of the Strait of Hormuz has entered a new phase, God willing, and praise be to God," the post read.
Iran's parliament speaker says 'time is running out,' an apparent reference to ceasefire
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said today on X that "time is running out," an apparent reference to what he sees as violations of the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
Ghalibaf, who is now a key figure in Iran's power structure and may lead negotiations with the U.S., noted three additional points.
He said Lebanon and Iran's regional proxies, which he called "the entire Resistance Axis," are "an inseparable part of the ceasefire."
He noted that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had "clearly stressed the Lebanon issue" and added that "there is no room for denial and backtracking."
And Ghalibaf ended his post with a warning.
"Ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and STRONG responses," he wrote. "Extinguish the fire immediately."
Direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon could take place as early as next week, U.S. and Israeli officials say
Direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are under discussion to take place as early as next week, two State Department officials and an Israeli official told NBC News.
Two of the sources said the first meeting could take place at the State Department in Washington with Israel represented by its ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon represented by its U.S. ambassador, Nada Hamadeh-Moawad. A State Department official said the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michael Issa, would represent the U.S.
“We can confirm that the department will host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon,” the other State Department official said.
The Lebanese and Israeli governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Axios first reported the meeting.
Netanyahu said today he had instructed his Cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanon with the aim of “disarming Hezbollah” and achieving “a historic and sustainable peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun agreed that the only solution is a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon followed by direct negotiations, according to a readout from the president’s office.
Netanyahu made it clear, however, that until an agreement is reached, military operations in Lebanon would continue.
“There is no ceasefire in Lebanon,” he said in another statement today directly addressing Israeli civilians on its northern border. “We continue to strike Hezbollah with force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.”
Widespread damage following Israeli airstrikes in Beirut this week. Getty Images; AP
In an interview today with NBC News, Trump said the Israelis were “scaling back” operations in Lebanon, and two senior administration officials said Netanyahu told Trump in a phone call yesterday that they would pull back on strikes to ensure the success of opening negotiations with Iran.
“I spoke with Bibi, and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” Trump said. Vance also told reporters yesterday that Israel had agreed to “check themselves a little bit” in Lebanon as the IDF’s military operations continue.
“Given the level of the negotiators — ambassadors all — and the apparent lack of urgency, [next week] these talks are likely largely performative,” former U.S. diplomat and Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller said of the potential talks. “The big question — will Trump press Netanyahu to stand down in Lebanon — will be answered in a different conversation.”
At least 250 civilians were killed in Lebanon yesterday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, in what Israel described as its largest offensive yet against Hezbollah.
“Today we dealt Hezbollah the greatest blow it has suffered since the pagers,” Netanyahu said yesterday. “We attacked 100 targets in 10 minutes in places Hezbollah was certain were immune.”
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on X he was in Beirut yesterday to commend the Lebanese government for offering to begin negotiations when the Israeli attacks took place.
“Israel launched, with no previous warning, one of the most massive strikes since the beginning of the hostilities, allegedly causing hundreds of civilian victims," he wrote.
“We were at the embassy with my delegation, just a few hundred meters from where the missiles struck,” he said. “This must stop. The ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran must include Lebanon!”
A flurry of statements from senior U.N. officials offered a similar message.
“A grim day for Lebanon. This is not a ceasefire. This is not restraint,” U.N. humanitarian relief chief Tom Fletcher said on X following the attacks. “As I told Security Council from Beirut last week, we must stop the violence, protect civilians, choose dialogue.”
The Israeli military warned civilians in at least eight suburbs of southern Beirut today to evacuate as Israel continues its attacks against Hezbollah.
“Our message is clear: whoever acts against Israeli civilians will be targeted,” Netanyahu said today on X. “We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever necessary, until full security is restored to the residents of the north.”
Netanyahu doubles down on refusing ceasefire in Lebanon
Netanyahu reiterated in a video address that Israel does not consider Lebanon part of the ceasefire with Iran. He also said the Lebanese government had made "repeated requests" to start "peace negotiations."
Netanyahu said, he instructed his Cabinet last night to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon with the aim of achieving two goals: disarming Hezbollah and creating a lasting peace between Lebanon and Israel.
"We continue to strike Hezbollah with force, and we will not stop until we restore your security," he said in the video address, adding: "Israel is stronger than ever. Iran is weaker than ever."
Kuwait fending off drone attack, Kuwait's Defense Ministry says
Kuwait is fending off a drone attack, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said on X.
"The air defenses in the armed forces are currently dealing with hostile attacks from drones that have penetrated the country’s airspace, targeting a number of vital facilities," the post said.
The post did not say the drones were launched from Iran. If the drones are determined to be Iranian, the attack would constitute a major breach of the shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
Iran's supreme leader vows victory over U.S. and Israel despite 'phase of silence'
Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued a lengthy message as Iran marks 40 days since his father and predecessor was killed.
The written statement attributed to Khamenei was disseminated by state-run media, with Khamenei, 56, having not been seen in person since the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, and sparked the current conflict.
The Trump administration has said Mojtaba Khamenei was also wounded in the strike, but the extent of any injuries is unclear.
Khamenei struck a defiant tone, saying the conflict has only brought the country together and reinforced its resolve to defeat its enemies, even as "the battlefield has entered a phase of silence" amid the two-week ceasefire.
Iran "will certainly punish the aggressors who targeted our country, we will definitely demand compensation for all the damages inflicted and for the blood of the martyrs and their families in this war, and we will certainly bring the management of Strait of Hormuz into a new phase," he said.
“We pray for a decisive victory over the enemy, whether in the field of negotiations or on the battlefield, and we hope that sooner or later we, and even our enemies, will witness the miraculous effects of this,” he added.
Hezbollah 'pleading' for Lebanon ceasefire, Israeli defense minister says
Israel's defense minister said Hezbollah is "pleading" for a ceasefire in Lebanon after heavy Israeli strikes on the country's capital, Beirut, yesterday.
Hezbollah and "its Iranian patrons are applying pressure and issuing threats — out of serious concern that Israel will crush Hezbollah," Israel Katz said in a statement after Iran threatened to collapse its own ceasefire with Israel over the Lebanon strikes.
Netanyahu has said Israel will seek direct talks with Lebanon aimed at restoring peace there.
In his statement, Katz said that "more than 200 terrorists were eliminated yesterday," appearing to refer to the total death toll from the strikes yesterday, which killed 203 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Katz also reiterated that Israel is ready to resume fighting if Iran blows up its own ceasefire. “The IDF is prepared and ready to act with force if Iran launches fire toward Israel,” he added.
Israel has expanded its control of various areas within Lebanon, he said, including its shared border to the south and the Litani River, where Israeli defense forces will maintain control, "preventing further militant infiltration and the return of residents southward," Katz said.
German leader critical of Israel’s actions in southern Lebanon
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that “the severity with which Israel is waging war there could cause the failure of the peace process as a whole, and that must not happen.”
He said that he and others asked Israel yesterday to “end its further intensified attacks” and that his foreign minister had spoken twice to his Israeli counterpart.
Merz also spoke to Trump yesterday. He said today that the German government would start talking to Iran again, in consultation with the U.S. and its European partners, in the interest of making “our own contribution” to the success of peace negotiations.
Merz didn’t specify with whom Germany intends to speak or when.
Republicans block effort to halt Trump’s war with Iran after ‘civilization’ threat
House Democrats unsuccessfully tried to pass a resolution today to halt Trump’s war with Iran — a response to his shocking threat two days earlier to annihilate “a whole civilization.”
House and Senate members are at the tail end of a two-week spring recess, but Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., and other Democrats returned to Washington for a routine “pro forma” session to try to pass the resolution by unanimous consent.
However, the Republican lawmaker presiding over the session, Chris Smith of New Jersey, gaveled out of the brief session without calling on Ivey. Democrats howled in protest, with some shouting, “Shame!”
Trump ‘optimistic’ about Iran peace deal even as ceasefire appears strained
Trump told NBC News today that he was “very optimistic” a peace deal with Iran was within reach as a diplomatic delegation led by Vance prepared to head to Pakistan for high-stakes talks aimed at ending the nearly six-week conflict.
Iran’s leaders “talk much differently when you’re at a meeting than they do to the press. They’re much more reasonable,” Trump said in a phone interview. “They’re agreeing to all the things that they have to agree to. Remember, they’ve been conquered. They have no military.”
“If they don’t make a deal, it’s going to be very painful,” he added.
But the tentative ceasefire already showed signs of strain, as Israeli forces continued to carry out attacks across southern Lebanon, where the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group is based.
In a phone call yesterday, Trump asked Netanyahu to pull back on the strikes to help ensure the success of the negotiations, a senior administration official told NBC News. Trump confirmed the conversation in his interview today, saying the Israelis were “scaling back” operations in Lebanon.
“I spoke with Bibi, and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” he said. Vance, speaking to reporters in Hungary yesterday, used similar rhetoric, saying the Israelis may “check themselves a little bit” in the assault on Lebanon.
Iranians mark 40th day since death of supreme leader
Mourners in Iran today are marking the 40th day since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
An NBC News freelance producer in Tehran attended a rally in the center of the capital, where they witnessed a ceremony packed with people next to Khamenei’s former house and office.
Families with kids were out, some on motorcycles, waving Iranian and Hezbollah flags. People were beating their chests, crying and moving through the main area as they passed by the compound. Some were chanting against surrender and compromise.
Khamenei was killed on the first day of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected to replace him, but has yet to be seen in public.
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'The missiles are ready to launch,' Iranian official says in warning ceasefire could collapse
The ceasefire could collapse rapidly if Israel continues striking Lebanon, an adviser to Iran’s parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned.
Mahdi Mohammadi said in a post to X that there would not be a ceasefire if Israel continues striking Lebanon.
"Only limited hours remain," Mohammadi said. Without "fully restraining" Israel in Lebanon, "there will be no ceasefire or negotiations, and the missiles are ready to launch," he said.
NATO secretary-general says European allies are doing nearly 'everything the United States is asking' on Iran
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte defended the alliance and the United States' European allies in a speech in D.C., but said that "some allies were a bit slow, to say the least," in providing support to the U.S. for the war on Iran.
He said that some allies were "a bit surprised" by the war, noting that President Donald Trump did not inform them before the strikes.
"But what I see when I look across Europe today is allies providing a massive amount of support, basing, logistics and other measures to ensure the powerful U.S. military succeeds in denying Iran a nuclear weapon and degrading its capacity to export chaos," he said. "Nearly without exception, allies are doing everything the United States is asking."
He noted that the United Kingdom is aligning military, political and economic tools "that will be required to ensure free passage through the Strait of Hormuz."
Netanyahu says Israel will seek 'direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is seeking "to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible."
"The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon," he said in a statement, which comes as Israel faces a global backlash over heavy strikes on Lebanon yesterday that left more than 200 dead, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
President Donald Trump asked Netanyahu in a phone call yesterday to scale back the strikes to help ensure the success of the Iran negotiations, a senior administration official said earlier.
The Israeli military has issued fresh evacuation notices for entire Beirut neighborhoods today, though there has been no immediate repeat of yesterday's intense bombardment. “Israel appreciates the Lebanese Prime Minister’s call today to evacuate Beirut,” Netanyahu's statement said.
'Hard to argue' Israel's Lebanon strikes were in self-defence, E.U.'s Kallas says
It is "hard to argue" that heavy Israeli strikes in Beirut yesterday were carried out in self-defence, Kaja Kallas, the European Commission’s vice president, said.
"Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the war, but Israel’s right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction," Kallas wrote in a post on X this morning.
The heavy bombardment, which killed more than 200 yesterday according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, makes it “hard to argue that such heavy-handed actions fall within self-defense,” she added.
She warned that Israel’s actions were putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under “severe strain,” adding that the truce should “extend to Lebanon.”
Oil prices rise above $100 again as doubts set in about the U.S.-Iran ceasefire
The price of oil rebounded today, as doubts began to set in about the state of the Iran ceasefire announced just two days earlier by Trump.
Chief among them was that fewer than a half dozen ships had been observed transiting the Strait of Hormuz yesterday.
Trump asked Netanyahu to scale back Israel’s strikes in Lebanon
President Donald Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call yesterday to scale back Israel’s strikes in Lebanon to help ensure the success of the Iran negotiations, a senior administration official said.
While the Trump administration and Israel have both said Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire, Israel agreed “to be a helpful partner,” the official said.
The phone call came after Netanyahu publicly vowed on Wednesday to continue striking Lebanon forcefully, the official said. Iranian officials have threatened to respond to strikes and end the ceasefire.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
Iran was 'on the verge of responding' to Israeli strikes on Lebanon yesterday, minister says
Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said Iran was considering responding to Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon yesterday, but mediator Pakistan intervened.
"Any peace in the region must include Lebanon, and the coming hours are very critical," Khatibzadeh said, according to Mizan, the Iranian judiciary's official news agency.
"Iran was on the verge of responding to the ceasefire violation last night," he said. "Pakistan intervened and conveyed messages indicating that the United States would control Israel." The U.S. must convince Israel to stop its strikes on Lebanon, he added.
Pakistani and Iranian officials have said that Lebanon was part of the ceasefire agreement, but U.S. and Israeli officials say it is not. Vice President JD Vance said yesterday that he believed there was a "legitimate misunderstanding," adding that while Iran thought the ceasefire included Lebanon, the U.S. never agreed to that.
IDF warns southern Beirut residents to evacuate as strikes continue
Israel's military has issued a warning to thousands of people living in southern districts of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, as airstrikes continue despite warnings from Iran that further strikes on Lebanon could put the ceasefire deal at risk.
Avichay Adraee, the IDF's Arabic spokesman, said on X that the force "continues its operations and strikes against military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah in various parts of the southern suburbs."
"Out of concern for your safety, you must evacuate immediately," he said. Alongside a map, Adraee listed eight neighborhoods that should be evacuated.
Earlier, amid apparent confusion on whether the ceasefire included strikes on Lebanon, Iranian figures said that continued attacks on Lebanon would nullify the truce and render meaningless the peace talks planned for this weekend.
A man inspects a residential building that was hit by Israeli strike in Beirut's Corniche Al-Mazraa district today. Murat Sengul / Anadolu via Getty Images
Iran's blackout has lasted for nearly 1,000 hours, internet tracker says
Iran's internet blackout has lasted for 41 days, an internet monitoring group said, with the regime’s ban on access to global networks continuing past 960 hours.
"The measure, unprecedented in scale and duration for a connected society, continues to violate Iranians’ rights to communicate and stay informed," NetBlocks said in a post on X earlier today.
Lebanon to file complaint with U.N. over Israel's escalation, restrict weapon possession to army
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the country’s Cabinet has decided to file an urgent complaint with the United Nations Security Council regarding the escalation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon and instruct the country’s security forces to immediately reinforce the state’s full control over the Beirut governorate.
In a post on X, the Lebanese presidency account said Israel’s “dangerous escalation” yesterday is in defiance of all efforts to end the war in the region and blatantly disregards the principles of international law and international humanitarian law.
It added that the possession of weapons in the Beirut governorate, where many of the Hezbollah militia’s operations are based, will be restricted to legitimate security forces only, to ensure “safety, security, and property of citizens.”
Shipping analyst says no ships are currently moving through the Strait of Hormuz
No ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz today, according to Muyu Xu, a Singapore-based analyst with data analytics firm Kpler.
She said there were Chinese ships in the long line waiting for clearance to leave the strait but added that the overall picture is confused and unclear. She said last week that Iran said it was accepting Chinese renminbi, or yuan, as payment, but this changed to a preference for cryptocurrency.
"They don't know whether they need to pay first, or they go past first and then Iran sends a bill? It's just a lot of uncertainty here," she said.
And this is in addition to the very real uncertainty over whether paying Iran would put shipping companies in violation of international sanctions that prohibit supporting or doing business with the regime.
Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers hold first call since start of war
In their first call since the start of the war, Iran’s foreign minister spoke with his Saudi counterpart, the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Abbas Araghchi spoke with Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the latest developments and a path forward.
“During the call, they discussed the latest developments and ways to reduce tensions in order to contribute to the return of security and stability to the region.”
Although Saudi Arabia is not directly involved in the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, it has been the frequent target of Iran’s retaliatory attacks.
Israel’s attacks devastate Beirut and threaten U.S.-Iran ceasefire
Mounting global condemnation of Israel was matched by confusion this morning over whether Lebanon was part of the truce deal agreed to by President Donald Trump.
In the capital, Beirut, the deadliest day of the current Israeli military campaign saw rescue workers search the rubble overnight as stunned civilians reeled from the surprise attacks.
Adam Nsouli, a 25-year-old nurse at the American University Hospital in Beirut, said he was haunted by what he witnessed after the Israeli strikes, which killed at least 200 people.
“The smell, the smoke — you can barely see — the fire, the sound of the screams,” he recounted to NBC News today. “All the destruction ... it’s like a Hollywood movie.”
'TODAY': New strikes in Middle East threaten fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire
Israel launched powerful attacks on Lebanon yesterday, killing at least 250 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Iran says the new attacks are a violation of the ceasefire with the United States, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the temporary agreement does not include Hezbollah.
Iranian president: Continued Lebanon attacks 'will render negotiations meaningless'
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Israel's attacks on Lebanon are “a clear violation of the initial ceasefire agreement” and warned that if they continue, they would make peace talks "meaningless."
He said on X that "this is a dangerous sign of deception and lack of commitment to potential agreements. The continuation of these actions will render negotiations meaningless. Our hands remain on the trigger. Iran will never leave its Lebanese brothers and sisters alone."
A man tries to retrieve some belongings from his destroyed home after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut today. Emilio Morenatti / AP
Iran’s parliamentary speaker says Lebanon is an 'inseparable' part of the ceasefire
Ceasefire violations carry “explicit costs,” Iran’s parliament speaker said, as he insisted Lebanon forms an “inseparable” part of the two-week agreement brokered between Iran and the U.S. yesterday.
In a post on X earlier today, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said there was “no room for denial and backtracking” that the ceasefire meant to include Lebanon. But both Israel and the U.S. say the fighting in Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire agreement.
“Extinguish the fire immediately,” Qalibaf wrote, saying “STRONG responses” would follow any ceasefire violations.
Abu Dhabi oil giant's CEO says 'the Strait of Hormuz is not open' despite ceasefire
“The Strait of Hormuz is not open” despite the ceasefire deal, Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE minister of industry and the CEO of state-run oil giant ADNOC, said in a LinkedIn post today. "Access is being restricted, conditioned and controlled," he wrote.
"Conditional passage is not passage. It is control by another name. The Strait must be open — fully, unconditionally and without restriction. Energy security and global economic stability depend on it," Al Jaber added in his post.
Yesterday, Trump floated a "joint venture" with Iran over control of the strait. But Al Jaber said "no country has a legitimate right to determine who may pass and under what terms."
The CEO said that by his count, "an estimated 230 vessels sit loaded with oil and ready to sail," but conditions must improve. "Markets remain at a critical crossroads," he continued, while noting that the situation is "particularly urgent for Asia, where 80% of these cargoes are bound and half the world's population lives."
He concluded his message by writing: "Stability now depends on restoring real flows. Not partial access, not temporary measures, not controlled passage, but full and reliable supply. That is how we slow the economic shockwave already moving through the system."
Al-Aqsa Mosque reopens after 41-day closure by Israel
Palestinian Muslims entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of East Jerusalem early today, as it reopened for worship after 41 days of closure. Israeli authorities cited security reasons for the shutdown, driven by their joint attacks with the U.S. on Iran.
The gates of the Haram al-Sharif opened with the morning call to prayer as hundreds of worshippers streamed inside.
Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu via Getty Images
Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu via Getty Images
Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu via Getty Images
Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu via Getty Images
UAE confirms 'airspace free of any air threats,' a sign ceasefire is holding in the Gulf
The United Arab Emirates said that its airspace has been "free of any threats during past hours," a sign the ceasefire is now holding across the Gulf after some attacks yesterday in the region and in Iran.
In a post on X, the UAE defense ministry said that its "air defense systems did not detect any ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or UAVs launched from Iran" today.
It said that no injuries or deaths were recorded in recent hours, leaving the total number of dead in the emirate at two since the start of the conflict.
The statement added that the UAE "affirmed its full readiness to address any threats and to respond firmly to any attempts that aim to undermine the UAE’s security, ensuring the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguarding national interests."
Strait of Hormuz is open with permission, Iran's deputy foreign minister says
The Strait of Hormuz is open to shipping and anybody who communicates with the Iranian authorities will have permission to pass, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said.
In a clip released by British broadcaster ITV news earlier today, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said there were “technical restrictions because of the war zone” for ships trying to pass.
“This is why all the ships that would like to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, they have to communicate with our army and military,” he said.
“Those technical restrictions are very much connected to the wartime conditions, and it takes time to be removed,” Khatibzadeh added. “So safe passage is secured. Strait of Hormuz is open. But of course, every each tanker and every each vessel should make necessary arrangements with the Iranian authorities to be able to securely pass the strait.”
However, neighboring nations dispute this. The United Arab Emirates' industry minister, Sultan Al Jaber, wrote on LinkedIn: "This moment requires clarity. So let’s be clear: the Strait of Hormuz is not open. Access is being restricted, conditioned and controlled."
He called on Iran to unconditionally open the strait, through which only five ships passed yesterday, according to data analysis firm Kpler.
Fortified Islamabad awaits Pakistan-hosted U.S.-Iran peace talks with tight security
Pakistani authorities have stepped up security in the capital, Islamabad, deploying hundreds of additional police and paramilitary forces ahead of much-awaited peace talks between the United States and Iran.
The talks, seen as a potentially significant diplomatic opening to end the war in the region, will begin later this week.
Army troops patrol today to ensure security ahead of possible U.S.-Iran negotiations in Pakistan's capital. Anjum Naveed / AP
Security personnel stands guard outside the foreign ministry office in Islamabad today. Aamir Qureshi / AFP via Getty Images
Iran has not said who will represent its delegation, which is due to arrive in Islamabad later Thursday. The White House, however, has confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. negotiating team in talks with Iran aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war.
Britain calls for no tolls, restrictions in Strait of Hormuz
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for the Strait of Hormuz to be fully reopened after ships in the Gulf were warned by the Iranian navy that those without permission to pass through faced attack.
Cooper told the BBC there should be no tolls or restrictions on the critical shipping route, as ships face uncertainty on possibly making payments to Iran to secure safe passage.
She also called for Lebanon to be “urgently included” in the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Abu Dhabi earlier this morning as part of his visit to the Gulf.
China calls for the U.S. and Iran to ‘seize the opportunity for peace’
China called for the U.S. and Iran to “seize the opportunity for peace” through dialogue and diplomacy.
“We hope that the relevant parties will seize the opportunity for peace, bridge differences through dialogue and consultation, and promote the early restoration of peace and stability in the Gulf and Middle East regions,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular briefing today.
When asked about Israel’s ongoing strikes, he said that Lebanon’s sovereignty and security “should not be violated” and that the safety of civilians “must be protected.”
Trump has previously said that he believes China played a role in getting Tehran to the ceasefire negotiating table.
Last remaining bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country damaged by Israel
An image released today shows the last remaining bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, located in Qasmiyeh, damaged after it was struck by Israel yesterday.
Reuters
Americans, Trump ‘absolutely not trustworthy,’ Iran army spokesman says
The U.S. and President Donald Trump have proved that they are not trustworthy, Iran’s army spokesman said today, as the tense ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. continues.
In a statement carried by the hard-line Student News Network close to the Iranian regime, Mohammad Akraminias said Iran’s armed forces were on alert and fully prepared.
“The Americans, especially Trump, have proven that they are absolutely not trustworthy,” Akraminias said, according to SNN. “Our hand is on the trigger and listening to the orders of the Commander-in-Chief.”
Rescue teams search for survivors after Israeli strike in Beirut
Rescue teams worked through the night to pull survivors from a damaged building in Beirut after Israel carried out a series of strikes across Lebanon. Israel said it targeted more than 100 Hezbollah command centers in the largest coordinated strike since the conflict began. Lebanese officials said at least 200 people were killed and over 1,000 injured across the country.
Pakistan condemns Israeli strikes in Lebanon
Pakistan has condemned ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
“Israeli actions undermine international efforts to establish peace and stability in the region,” the statement said.
Pakistan has emerged as an unlikely mediator as a two-week ceasefire agreement was reached in the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.
More than 10 people, including children, were killed during an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.
Only 5 ships crossed Strait of Hormuz yesterday, analytics firm says
Only five ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on the first day of the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. yesterday, according to Kpler, a data and analytics firm.
All five ships were bulk carriers and none were oil and gas tankers.
Before the U.S. and Israel launched their bombing campaign on Feb. 28, around 110 ships were passing through the strait every day, data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows.
Traffic jams and clear skies: Life goes on in the Gulf as attacks stop amid ceasefire
In the wake of the this week’s fragile ceasefire, Saudi Arabia is getting on with life.
On a more than four-hour drive from the capital, Riyadh, to the Gulf coast yesterday, roads were busy — there were traffic jams leaving Riyadh — and there were lines of trucks on the desert highway.
Today in Al Khobar, a Saudi coastal town overlooking Bahrain, the skies are clear of drones and missiles. This region of the Gulf has been particularly hard hit by Iran during weeks of war. But for the first time in a long time there appears to be a lull in attacks, with none reported across the Gulf overnight.
Bahrain’s defense force said in a statement today that its air defense systems "continue to confront successive waves of sinful Iranian terrorist aggressions," but so far its interior ministry website has not announced more strikes today.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart today. The readout from Riyadh says they "discussed ways to reduce tensions to restore security and stability in the region."
How Gulf countries get back to some kind of normalcy is a question for later. For now, there appears to be a welcome respite amid the diplomacy.
Spain to reopen embassy in Iran
Spain is reopening its embassy in Tehran in hopes of achieving peace in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters earlier today.
“I’ve instructed our ambassador in Tehran to return, to take up his post again and reopen our embassy, and for us to join in this effort for peace from every possible quarter, including from the Iranian capital itself,” Albares said.
Spain, a traditional U.S. ally, has been one of the loudest critics of Trump's operation in Iran, rejecting the war as reckless and illegal while banning U.S. aircraft from using jointly operated bases in southern Spain in the Iran offensive.
Trump has threatened to cut trade with Madrid in response, as he has also complained about lukewarm support for his war on Iran from NATO allies.
Israel’s pounding of Lebanon is ‘deeply damaging,’ U.K. foreign secretary says
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Israel’s pounding of Lebanon is “deeply damaging” and poses a risk to the two-week ceasefire in the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.
“We want to see Lebanon included in the ceasefire,” Cooper told Times Radio. “We want it extended to cover Lebanon, because otherwise that will destabilize the whole region.”
“That escalation that we saw from Israel yesterday was deeply damaging, and we want to see an end to hostilities.”
Despite a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, Israel has launched its biggest attacks yet against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Iran maintains the ceasefire extends to Lebanon, a claim rejected by both the U.S. and Israel.
Crude oil price rises on supply uncertainty, edging toward $100 a barrel
The price of crude oil has risen following uncertain news from the Strait of Hormuz and the apparent continuation of Iran's blockade of the vital waterway, which carries 20% of the world's oil supply.
Despite the opening of the strait being a U.S. condition of the ceasefire, only a handful of ships have sailed through it, while hundreds remain in the Gulf waiting to leave.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose to $97 a barrel today after falling sharply from $102 following news of a ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran.
West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, rose 3% to more than $97 a barrel, after also falling this week on the ceasefire news.
The U.S. produces much of its own oil but is not immune from changes to the global energy market, and retail gas prices have risen to an average of $4.10 for regular fuel and $5.68 for diesel, close to its all-time high of $5.81.
Iran’s nuclear agency chief says its right to enrich uranium is ‘necessary’ for U.S. talks
The chief of Iran’s nuclear agency said that protecting Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “necessary” for any ceasefire talks with the United States.
Mohammad Eslami, who leads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the remarks to journalists including one from The Associated Press in Tehran, Iran, during commemorations for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“It is a part of the necessary [things] that nobody speaks about,” Eslami said, referring to the U.S. refusal to acknowledge enrichment as one part of Iran’s 10-point plan for a permanent ceasefire.
Netanyahu vows Israel will continue to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue striking Iran-backed Hezbollah militants with “strength, precision, and determination,” despite mounting global backlash.
In a message on X earlier this morning, Netanyahu reiterated the IDF’s earlier claim of the killing of the nephew of Hezbollah's chief and attacks on the militant group's command centers overnight.
“Our message is clear: whoever acts against Israeli civilians will be targeted,” Netanyahu said. “We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever necessary, until full security is restored to the residents of the north.”
Photos: First responders in Beirut search for people under the rubble after deadly Israeli strikes
Lebanese civil defense workers have been searching this morning for victims in the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israel's attacks.
Hassan Ammar / AP
Emilio Morenatti / AP
Emilio Morenatti / AP
Emilio Morenatti / AP
Hussein Malla / AP
The widespread strikes yesterday killed at least 182 people and wounded 890 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Israel’s strikes on Lebanon 'intolerable,' French foreign minister says
Israeli strikes on Lebanon are “intolerable attacks” that could undermine the ceasefire reached by Iran and the United States, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier today.
In an interview with radio station France Inter, Barrot said France denounces the “massive strikes” yesterday and that “Lebanon must absolutely be covered by this truce.”
Iran must stop terrorizing Israel through Hezbollah, a military group it backs, which must be disarmed and surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state, Barrot added. “The destruction of the Lebanese state will not destroy Hezbollah; on the contrary, it would strengthen it,” he said.
Hezbollah says it targeted 2 Israeli communities near Lebanese border
The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said it targeted two Israeli border communities overnight and into this morning in response to Israeli attacks.
In statements issued on Telegram, the group said it hit the border town of Kiryat Shmona with a barrage of rockets earlier this morning, and vowed that this response will continue until “the Israeli-American aggression against our country and our people cease.”
The statements also said that Hezbollah fighters have hit an Israeli tank and personnel in the town of Taybeh in southern Lebanon.
Overnight, the group said it also targeted the community of Manara in northern Israel.
New Israeli strike kills more than 10 people in Lebanon, state media reports
More than 10 people, including children, were killed as Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon, state media reported this morning.
The strike targeted a residential building in Zrariyeh, a town in southern Lebanon, according to the report.
Although a two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran has been reached, Washington and Israel say it does not include Lebanon. Iran rejects that claim.
Israeli military says nephew of Hezbollah chief killed in strike
The Israeli military has said it “eliminated” the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.
In a post on Telegram this morning, the IDF said Ali Yusuf Harshi was killed when it struck the Beirut area yesterday. Harshi was a close associate and personal advisor to Qassem, it added, and played a central role in managing and securing his office.
A series of what the IDF called Hezbollah’s “terror infrastructure sites” were also struck overnight, the statement added.
Israel's assault on Lebanon a 'grave violation' of truce, Iranian minister says
Israel's assault on Lebanon is a "grave violation" of the truce, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said today.
"You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time," Khatibzadeh told the BBC's "Today" program this morning. He said that was the message that Iran sent "crystal clearly" to Washington a day before after Israel launched a sweeping barrage of strikes on Lebanon, including across its capital, Beirut.
A rescuer in Beirut this morning stabds near a building damaged by an Israeli strike yesterday. Louisa Gouliamaki / Reuters
Iranian officials have maintained that Lebanon was included in the truce announced by Washington and Tehran, with the ceasefire bringing a temporary halt to a conflict that has seen thousands killed across the region.
Israel and the U.S. have both insisted it is not included.
Iran's ambassador says peace talks delegation to arrive in Pakistan tonight, then deletes post without explanation
Iran’s envoy to Pakistan said in a post on X this morning that the country's delegation for peace talks with the U.S. would arrive tonight, before deleting the post without explanation.
Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said that “despite skepticism of Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime,” the delegation — invited by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — would travel to Islamabad.
“Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran,” he said in a post on X.
He offered no reason or further comment after deleting the post less than an hour later.
The 10-point plan as outlined by Iranian state media calls for Iran to keep control of transit through the Strait of Hormuz and for the complete withdrawal of United States combat forces from bases across the region. Trump has suggested that is not a plan he said could form the basis for a deal.
Iran suggests it may have mined Strait of Hormuz, announces alternative shipping routes
Ships have been directed to use alternative shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz to avoid potential naval mines in the main traffic zone, the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization announced today, according to the SNN news agency.
The ports organization said that “due to the wartime situation,” vessels should coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy and use the outlined detours, the statement said.
It included recommendations for both an inbound and an outbound route.
Iran’s naval forces have issued a map identifying alternative shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz in order to avoid sea mines. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting / via X
The chart showed a large circle marked “danger zone” in Farsi over the Traffic Separation Scheme, which was the route ships take through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded once passed.
The chart suggested ships travel further north through waters closer to Iran’s mainland near Larak Island, a route that some ships were observed taking during the war. It was dated from Feb. 28 until Thursday, April 9, and it was unclear if Iran had cleared any mining since then.
Trump in late-night post warns ‘Shootin’ Starts’ if agreement is broken
Trump threatened Iran on Truth Social shortly before midnight Wednesday, one day after a ceasefire agreement was reached.
“All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with,” the post read.
“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,” the post continued.
Trump’s post also said the Strait of Hormuz should be open.
“In the meantime,” it said, “our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest.”
Trump, also on Truth Social, had warned Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if an agreement with Iran was not reached, extreme rhetoric that prompted accusations that he was threatening war crimes.
