The Latest: Ceasefire at risk over Israel’s attacks in Lebanon, possible mines in Strait of Hormuz
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, as uncertainty hangs over a two-week ceasefire and further negotiations are expected in Pakistan.
The shaky ceasefire has been largely holding between the U.S., Israel and Iran, although Tehran and Washington have offered vastly different explanations of the initial terms.
Israel insists the agreement does not apply to their war against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and have escalated deadly strikes there, leading Iran to claim it is violating the deal. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “unequivocally” condemned Israeli strikes in Lebanon that killed and injured hundreds Wednesday after the ceasefire was announced.
Sirens sounded in northern Israel early Thursday as Hezbollah claimed it was attacking with rocket fire.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that his surge of warships and troops will remain around Iran “until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with.” He also insisted Iran would not be able to build nuclear weapons and “the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE.”
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Here is the latest:
Spain to reopen its embassy in Tehran
“I’ve given instructions today to our ambassador in Tehran to return during this time in which a hope for peace is rekindled,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told legislators Thursday.
Spain temporarily closed the embassy at the start of the war and evacuated its personnel.
Israel criticized Spain for the decision, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar calling Spain “an eternal disgrace” on X.
China denies provid
ing support to Iran’s military
China’s Defense Ministry has denied reports that it offered support to Iran’s military, including alleged intelligence on U.S. force’s location amid the war.
“We firmly oppose the dissemination of speculative and insinuating false information targeting China,” Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said during a briefing on Thursday.
The Washington Post recently reported that some Chinese private companies, including some with ties to the People’s Liberation Army, had been marketing intelligence about the movements of U.S. forces during the war.
Reuters has reported that China’s largest chipmaker had sent equipment used to make chips to Iran’s military, citing U.S. sources.
“China has always been open and above board on the Iran issue, maintaining an objective and impartial stance,” Zhang said, adding that the country has never engaged “in any activities that could incite conflict.”
Syria-Lebanon border crossing reopens
The main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria returned to service Thursday, five days after the Israeli military warned of plans to strike it, alleging that Hezbollah was using it to smuggle military equipment.
Both Lebanese and Syrian authorities denied the claim.
The threatened strike never took place. Lebanese officials have said that the U.S. and Egypt interceded to halt it. Syria’s port and customs authority announced the “resumption of normal traffic flow” at the crossing known as Masnaa on the Lebanese side and Jdeidet Yabous on the Syrian side, “following the elimination of the risks that necessitated its temporary closure.”
Travelers had been rerouted to another crossing to in the north, making the trip from Beirut to Damascus several hours longer.
Iran’s nuclear agency chief stresses protection of right to enrich uranium
The chief of Iran’s nuclear agency said Thursday 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.
The U.S. and Iran are due to meet in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, for talks this weekend.
Araghchi holds call with Saudi counterpart
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Thursday.
France says partners finalizing plans to escort ships in Strait of Hormuz
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said European and other partners are “finalizing” plans to set up a mission to escort ships in the Strait of Hormuz as soon as fighting effectively ends.
Barrot said Thursday “planning for this mission is currently being finalized between French military officials and countries that have volunteered,” speaking on France Inter radio.
Shipping traffic will likely be able to cross the strait safely once an agreement is reached between the belligerents and “with an escort system,” he said.
“Work is well advanced” for the mission to be deployed “once calm has been fully restored,” he said.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said about 15 nations are ready to participate in such a mission.
Italy’s Meloni says full reopening of Strait of Hormuz ‘critical’
In a speech to Parliament on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that any extra Iranian duties in the Strait of Hormuz would have “unpredictable economic consequences,” stressing that a full restoration of freedom of movement is needed in the area.
Meloni indicated that as the most critical point of the agreement between the U.S. and Iran.
“Full restoration of freedom of movement in the Strait of Hormuz is needed, and it must not be subject to any restrictions, as appears to have happened in recent hours,” she said.
The Italian prime minister also suggested that, if the crisis in Iran worsens, the European Union should consider suspending the stability and growth pact — a set of rules governing public finances within the EU.
UK says Lebanon must be part of ceasefire
Britain’s foreign minister said Lebanon must be included in a Middle East ceasefire, adding Israel’s continuing attacks on the country are causing mass displacement and dire humanitarian consequences.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News she is “deeply troubled about the escalating attacks that we saw from Israel in Lebanon yesterday.”
She told the BBC the attacks are “completely wrong.”
Britain and other European countries have called for Israel to stop its strikes on Lebanon and for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
Cooper said it’s “crucial” that Iran is not allowed to apply tolls in the strait.
Israel says it killed aide to Hezbollah leader
Israel said Thursday it killed an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem in its intense airstrikes that hit Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, on Wednesday.
It identified the man killed as Ali Yusuf Harshi, a secretary and nephew to Kassem.
Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran says opening Strait of Hormuz depends on end to US ‘aggression’
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said his country will allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with “international norms and international law” once the United States ends its “aggression” in the Middle East and Israel stops attacking Lebanon.
Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC on Thursday that Iran had closed the strait after U.S. ally Israel committed an “intentional grave violation of the ceasefire.”
He said “you cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. That was the message that Iran sent quite clearly, crystal-clearly, to Washington and to the Oval Office last night.”
Khatibzadeh added: “Definitely we are going to provide security for safe passage and it is going to happen after the United States actually withdraws this aggression. Does it mean that Iran is going to control the Strait of Hormuz in terms of letting ship by ship to go through that?
“I think that we have shown to everybody that energy security is pivotal for Iran, is pivotal for this body of water in the Persian Gulf, and we are going to be abided by the international norms and international law.”
Iran marks 40-day mourning ceremony for slain supreme leader
Mourners across Iran began mourning ceremonies Thursday marking the 40th day after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the Iran war.
In Iran’s capital, Tehran, mourners wearing black began their rally from Jomhouri Eslami Square to the neighborhood of the office of Khamenei, 86.
Iranian state television aired similar commemorations in other cities. It said the ceremonies will continue into the night.
Khamenei’s body has yet to be buried since his death Feb. 28.
His son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, now serves as Iran’s supreme leader.
Israeli strike kills at least 7 people in southern Lebanon, state media say
The strike in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyeh also wounded others, the National News Agency reported Thursday morning, in what it said was a preliminary toll.
The Israeli military did not immediately acknowledge the strike.
Israel intensified its strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, saying that its fight with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group is not part of the two-week ceasefire deal with Iran.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the strikes Wednesday killed at least 182 people and wounded 890 others, the highest single-day death toll in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.
Macron urges all sides to respect ceasefire, condemns Israeli strikes in Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for “each of the belligerents” to fully respect the ceasefire, including in Lebanon, as he spoke separately with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Macron said he “told both of them that their decision to accept a ceasefire was the best possible one,” and “must open the way to comprehensive negotiations,” in a message posted on X late Wednesday.
Macron also said he spoke with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to express “France’s full solidarity in the face of the indiscriminate strikes carried out by Israel” in the country.
“We condemn these strikes in the strongest possible terms,” Macron said, stressing they pose a direct threat to the sustainability of the ceasefire.
More than 180 people were killed in Lebanon Wednesday in the deadliest day of fighting there.
Pakistan’s interior minister meets US envoy ahead of Iran-US talks in Islamabad
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker on Thursday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and upcoming high-level talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, according to an official statement.
During the meeting, they also reviewed arrangements for the talks being held in Islamabad later this week.
The statement quoted Naqvi as saying that the visiting foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would be “special guests” and assured that a comprehensive security plan had been put in place to provide full protection to all foreign guests.
Iranian ambassador deletes comment about negotiating team
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan has deleted an online post saying that Tehran’s negotiating team would arrive Thursday night in Islamabad.
Reza Amiri Moghadam made the initial comment on X, without identifying who was on the Iranian team.
Then he deleted it without comment.
Pakistan declares 2-day holiday in Islamabad ahead of US-Iran talks
Pakistan has shut schools and government offices for two days in the capital, Islamabad, to keep people off the roads as authorities ramp up security ahead of U.S.-Iran talks later this week.
Officials have imposed sweeping restrictions across the city, including blocking key roads connecting Islamabad with neighboring Rawalpindi.
Shipping containers have been placed at multiple points to restrict movement and limit public access to sensitive areas.
Islamabad appeared unusually quiet Thursday, with many residents staying home as traffic diversions forced longer commutes between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The restrictions follow recent unrest in March, when protests by Shiite groups erupted across the country in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
First responders in Beirut search for people under the rubble after deadly Israeli strikes
The widespread Israeli strikes Wednesday killed at least 182 people and wounded 890 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Civil Defense spokesperson Elie Khairallah told The Associated Press that a wounded woman was found alive under the rubble overnight in the seaside Beirut neighborhood of Ain Mreisseh.
A man whose building collapsed after strikes in the capital’s southern suburbs was also found alive in rubble.
“The others so far have been killed,” Khairallah said.
Meanwhile, others like Mohammad Chehab, a Syrian man from Deir el-Zour, are anxiously waiting.
Six of his 10 family members have been found but others are still missing. He tries to stay hopeful.
“They’ve been searching all day,” he said nervously, watching rescue workers dig through the rubble.
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.
On Thursday, authorities also moved to seal off parts of the city by placing shipping containers along key roads leading to the city’s Red Zone, a heavily fortified enclave that houses the president and prime minister’s office, the Foreign Ministry, and foreign embassies.
A nearby hotel, where the delegations are expected to stay, has also been brought under tight security.
Iran has not said who will represent its delegation, which is due to arrive in Islamabad later Thursday.
The White House has confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. negotiating team in talks with Iran.
Iranian negotiating team arrives Thursday in Islamabad
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 rises and Asian stocks retreat on fragile Iran 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 shows only 4 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday
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.
Think tank warns that Iran war ceasefire ‘hovers on the verge of collapse’
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.”
Worships starts again at Al-Aqsa Mosque, other Jerusalem sites closed by war
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.