Closing summary
We’re going to wrap up this live coverage now but our latest full report is here – and below is a recap of the latest news. Thanks for following along.
Donald Trump announced an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire would be extended by three weeks, saying on social media that “the United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah”, which opposes the Lebanon-Israeli talks. Trump said the leaders of Lebanon and Israel could meet at the White House “in the near future”.
Trump ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the strait of Hormuz. Trump also repeated the US had “total control” over strait, a claim that has met with scepticism in the face of Iranian commandos’ seizure of two container ships and a US report warning it could take six months to clear the strait of mines.
The president also said a peace deal with Iran had not been reached yet because its leadership was “in turmoil”. He also said the US would not use a nuclear weapon against Iran as the conflict continues without a clear end in sight.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said there were no “hardliners” or “moderates” in Iran, responding to Trump’s claim of internal division in Iran’s leadership. Separately, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said Iran’s state institutions “continue to act with unity, purpose, and discipline”.
Israel’s killing of a Lebanese journalist in a strike has been met with international outrage as Lebanon’s prime minister described the attack as a “war crime”. Amal Khalil, 43, was killed in what colleagues described as a sustained attack by Israeli forces, with rescuers attempting to dig her out of the rubble of a building also targeted and prevented from providing life-saving assistance.
Global stocks mostly fell on Thursday, retreating after recent gains as investors tempered their optimism for a quick end to the Middle East war. But on Friday Japan’s Nikkei share average rose and was poised for a third consecutive weekly gain, as enthusiasm over tech sector earnings offset uncertainty over the Middle East.
Trump said the secretary of the US navy, John Phelan, was fired after conflicts with senior Pentagon leadership over shipbuilding.
Italy was not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup after a suggestion to that effect by a Trump administration official, Italian sports officials said. “It’s not a good idea,” said sports minister Andrea Abodi.
The US had no objections to Iranian players participating in the World Cup but they would not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.
Pope Leo XIV urged the US and Iran to return to talks to end the war and condemned capital punishment, calling for a new “culture of peace” to replace the recourse to violence.
Continuing the market news, Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Friday, and was poised for a third consecutive weekly gain, as enthusiasm over technology sector earnings offset uncertainty over a potential peace deal in the Middle East.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.47% to 59,416.49, while the broader Topix slid 0.04% to 3,714.85.
The Nikkei briefly broke through the psychologically key 60,000 mark for the first time on Thursday, more than recouping all its losses since the war broke out in Iran almost two months ago and spread around the region.
The report from Reuters quotes Wataru Akiyama, an equities strategist at Nomura Securities, as saying:
Today’s Japanese stock market is being driven upward by a sense of relief regarding the situation in the Middle East, along with continued expectations of earnings growth from the expanding AI sector.
Updated
Stocks fall and oil prices rise again as Iran war hopes dim
Looking at financial markets amid the continuing US-Iran standoff, global stocks mostly fell on Thursday, retreating after recent gains as investors tempered their optimism for a quick end to the Middle East war.
The benchmark international oil contract – Brent North Sea crude – rose further above $100 a barrel, rekindling fears of pervasive inflation that could dent economic growth worldwide.
Wall Street’s main indexes finished lower after a volatile session, joining most markets in Europe and Asia in retreating, Agence France-Presse reports.
US investors were more preoccupied with high oil prices on Thursday than most recent days, said Art Hogan of B Riley Wealth Management, noting the market had been on an upswing since late March.
He said:
There’s still a tug of war between the fundamentals, the earnings that have been better than expected thus far and the fact that the news coming out of the strait of Hormuz has not gotten more constructive.
Business activity in the eurozone contracted for the first time in 16 months in April, as the Middle East war drove up energy prices and disrupted global supply chains, according to the closely-watched Flash Eurozone purchasing managers’ index (PMI) published by S+P Global.
S+P chief business economist Chris Williamson said:
The eurozone is facing deepening economic woes from the war in the Middle East, presenting a major headache for policymakers.”
Updated
US navy secretary fired amid conflicts about shipbuilding – Trump
Donald Trump says the secretary of the US navy, John Phelan, was fired after conflicts with senior Pentagon leadership over shipbuilding.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that Phelan would depart the role “effective immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit amid the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and ships.
Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday:
He’s a hard charger, and he had some conflicts with some other people, mostly as to building and buying new ships.
Got to get along, especially in the military, got to get along, you know. And some people liked him, some people didn’t, and that’s usually the truth about everything.”
Reuters quoted sources as previously saying Phelan – a billionaire seen as having close ties to Trump – was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to speed shipbuilding and because he had fallen out with key Pentagon leadership.
Trump has overseen a purge of top military personnel since returning to office early last year.
Updated
Here are some images from the funeral of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, whose killing in an Israeli “double-tap” strike in southern Lebanon has prompted international outrage.
Colleagues say the 43-year-old was killed during a sustained attack by Israeli forces and that rescuers trying to dig her out of the rubble of a building were also targeted and prevented from providing life-saving assistance.
Her death prompted renewed accusations that Israel has a policy of targeting media workers, despite its repeated denials.
Updated
Following on from the last post: US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the 2026 World Cup but that they would not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Nothing from the US has told them they can’t come,” Rubio said of the players on Thursday.
Donald Trump also said his administration “would not want to affect the athletes” in comments he made at the White House, Reuters reports.
Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy who has no official connection with the World Cup, had earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament.
Rubio said the problem wasn’t letting in the Iranian athletes but others they wanted to bring along with ties to the Revolutionary Guards.
They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers.”
Updated
Italy rejects replacing Iran at World Cup
Italian sports officials say Italy is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup after a suggestion to that effect by a Trump administration official.
Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup and the team is preparing to play in the US despite the war in the Middle East. Fifa says its group-stage games near Los Angeles and in Seattle will go ahead as planned in June.
The Financial Times reported that Paolo Zampolli, the US special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Zampolli emphasised to Associated Press on Thursday that “my request is not a political request”.
The request – made to Trump and Infantino on Wednesday – was meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament at the last minute.
Zampolli said:
I had a dream. My request was for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.”
He had told the FT that, with four titles, the Italian national team’s appearance in the World Cup would be justified, despite its failure last month to qualify.
Italian officials rejected the suggestion, with sports minister Andrea Abodi saying: “First of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea.”
Finance minister Giancarlo Giorgetti called the suggested swap “shameful”.
Updated
Continuing from the last post: Hezbollah said it carried out four operations in south Lebanon on Wednesday in response to Israel’s strikes.
A lawmaker with the Iran-backed militia, Hassan Fadlallah, reiterated Hezbollah’s objection to the Lebanon-Israel talks but also said at a televised press conference that he wanted the ceasefire to continue but “on the basis of full compliance” by Israel.
Israel is occupying a belt of the south that extends 5-10km (3-6 miles) into Lebanon, saying it aims to shield northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.
Israel’s military reiterated a warning to residents of south Lebanon not to cross into the area.
A Lebanese official quoted by the AP said Beirut wanted the ceasefire extension as a prerequisite for talks to expand beyond the ambassadorial level to the next phase, in which Lebanon would push for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of Lebanese detained in Israel and a delineation of the land border.
Updated
The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that Donald Trump has announced will be extended has yielded a significant reduction in violence but attacks have continued in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have seized a self-declared buffer zone.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it killed two armed individuals in southern Lebanon after identifying them approaching soldiers and posing what it described as an immediate threat.
It was not immediately clear whether the incident was related to strikes reported earlier in nearby areas by Lebanon’s health ministry, which said an Israeli air strike had killed three people and artillery shelling wounded two others, including a child, the Associated Press is reporting.
Those killed by Israeli strikes included Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, according to a senior Lebanese military official and her employer, Al-Akhbar newspaper. Our full report is here.
Wednesday was Lebanon’s deadliest day since the 10-day ceasefire took effect on 16 April. It was set to expire this Sunday before Trump today announced the three-week extension after Israel-Lebanon talks hosted by the US at the White House.
Updated
Interim summary
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire would be extended by three weeks. He wrote on Truth Social that “the Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah.” He said that the leaders of Lebanon and Israel could meet at the White House “in the near future”.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the US has “hit about 75% of our targets” in Iran. He also said a deal has not been reached yet because Iran is “in turmoil”. Trump added that he would not use a nuclear weapon against Iran as the conflict continues without a clear end in sight.
Israel’s killing of a Lebanese journalist in a strike has been met with international outrage as Lebanon’s prime minister described the attack as a “war crime”. Amal Khalil, 43, was killed in what colleagues described as a sustained attack by Israeli forces, with rescuers attempting to dig her out of the rubble of a building also targeted and prevented from providing life-saving assistance.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said that there are no “hardliners” or “moderates” in Iran, responding to US president’s Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social claiming that there is internal division within Iran’s leadership. Separately, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said that Iran’s state institutions “continue to act with unity, purpose, and discipline”.
Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to talks to end the war Thursday and condemned capital punishment, calling for a new “culture of peace” to replace the recourse to violence. “As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war,” he told reporters in a press conference on his way home from his trip to Africa. “I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division.”
Earlier today, Trump again said that the US has “total control over the strait of Hormuz”, adding that Iran’s leadership was so hobbled by infighting that it was unclear who was in charge. But the US president’s claim seemed questionable in the face of the seizure of two container ships by Iranian commandos and a US report warning it could take six months to clear the strait of mines.
Trump says Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by three weeks
US President Donald Trump announced today that an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire would be extended by three weeks.
“The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“The Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by THREE WEEKS,” he added.
He said that the leaders of Lebanon and Israel could meet at the White House “in the near future”.
Updated
Hezbollah said on Thursday it launched rockets at northern Israel in response to the country’s ceasefire “violation”, Reuters reports.
“In defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the Israeli enemy’s violation of the ceasefire and its targeting of the town of Yater in southern Lebanon,” Hezbollah “targeted the Shtula settlement with a rocket salvo”, the Iran-backed militant group said in a statement.
The Israeli military said “several launches that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were identified” and intercepted.
The attacks come as the US is slated to host a second meeting between Lebanese and Israeli envoys on Thursday.
Trump says he would not use a nuclear weapon against Iran
Speaking to reporters earlier today, Donald Trump said that he would not use a nuclear weapon against Iran as the conflict continues without a clear end in sight.
“Why would I use a nuclear weapon where we’ve totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it?”, he said on Thursday. “No, I wouldn’t use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.”
Trump posted a threat on social media earlier this month saying that a “whole civilization will die tonight,” referring to Iran, unless the country reached a deal to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
Updated
Trump says 'don't rush me' when asked how long he'll wait for Iran deal
Trump also told reporters that Iran might have loaded up their weaponry “a little bit” during the two-week ceasefire. He said that the US military could “knock that out” in about one day.
When he was asked how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal with Iran, he replied: “Don’t rush me”.
“Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone ...maybe they loaded up a little bit during the two-week hiatus, but we’ll knock that out about one day, if they did,” Trump added.
“I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now ... but I don’t want to do that. I want to have it everlasting,” Trump said.
Updated
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, US president Donald Trump said the US has “hit about 75% of our targets” in Iran. He later said that number was 78% percent.
“We’ve hit about 75% of our targets,” he said on Thursday. “We stopped a little early because they want to have some peace, and we have a blockade that’s 100% effective, and they’re getting no business.”
“They’re not doing well economically, financially, they’re not doing any business because of the blockade,” Trump said.
He also said a deal has not been reached yet because “they’re in turmoil”.
“We have been speaking to them, but they don’t even know who is leading the country. They’re in turmoil. They’re in turmoil, so we thought we’d give them a little chance to get some of their turmoil resolved,” Trump said.
“I took the country out militarily in the first four weeks,” he said. “Now what we’re doing is sitting back and seeing what deal, and if they don’t want to make a deal, then I’ll finish it up militarily with the other 25% of the targets. We’ve hit 78% of the targets that we’ve wanted to hit.”
Analysis: Trump may talk of regime infighting, but Iran seems united by strategy born of war
Donald Trump has claimed that the infighting between moderates and hardliners in Iran’s leadership is so intense that the country has “no idea who their leader is”, but many Iranian experts questioned his analysis, saying that – given the mass assassinations of senior commanders – the country has shown remarkable institutional cohesion.
Trump’s allegations of “CRAZY” splits in the Iranian leadership – the second outing for this argument in three days – is remarkable since he has previously said either he has little knowledge of the new Iranian leadership or that there has already been regime change.
But Trump’s team, either through Pakistani mediators or more direct contacts, may be picking up that different factions are demanding different preconditions for the talks to restart. Trump at a minimum is implying that military hardliners have taken charge from the civilian diplomatic leadership.
It is hardly a secret that Iran has been riven for decades over how to approach the US and the wisdom of negotiations, but some Iranian academics and observers are accusing Trump of cognitive warfare: attempting to create what Mohamed Amersi, a member of the Global Advisory Council at the Wilson Centre, described as “chronic systemic paralysis in which the country’s decision making machine becomes deadlocked”.
You can read the full analysis here:
Updated
UK prepared to deploy RAF Typhoons to keep strait of Hormuz open after Iran war
Britain is prepared to deploy a squadron of RAF Typhoons based in Qatar to patrol over the strait of Hormuz as part of a multinational mission to keep open the strategic waterway once the Iran war comes to an end.
The UK military also offered to deploy mine-hunting drones and specialist divers to help clear the strait mined by Iran – but no decision has been made on whether HMS Dragon or another warship would also be deployed.
The Typhoon proposal was at the heart of the offer made by British military planners during a 30-country two-day meeting held at the UK’s Northwood headquarters and organised jointly with France.
Eight of the fast jets are currently based in Qatar and a number were active in shooting down Shahed drones in defence of allied countries in the Gulf during the 38-day war in the Middle East that followed the US-Israel attack on Iran.
Germany, Norway, South Korea and Australia were among the countries that sent representatives to the meeting, which ended on Thursday. British sources would not confirm if the US participated, though they insisted the Americans were “kept abreast”.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said that there are no “hardliners” or “moderates” in Iran, responding to US president’s Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social claiming that there is internal division within Iran’s leadership.
“We are all Iranians and revolutionaries,” Pezeshkian wrote in a post on social media. “With ironclad unity of nation and state and obedience to the Supreme Leader, we will make the aggressor regret.”
Separately, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said in a post on social media that Iran’s state institutions “continue to act with unity, purpose, and discipline”.
“The battlefield and diplomacy are fully coordinated fronts in the same war. Iranians are all united, more than ever before,” Araghchi said.
In a post on Truth Social, US president Donald Trump said he is “possibly the least pressured person ever” to end the war in Iran.
“I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn’t — The clock is ticking!,” he wrote.
“A Deal will only be made when it’s appropriate and good for the United States of America, our Allies and, in fact, the rest of the World,” Trump added.
Trump to meet Lebanon, Israel envoys at White House talks
US President Donald Trump is slated to meet Israeli and Lebanese envoys when they hold a second round of peace talks on Thursday, a US official said.
“The ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon will now take place at the White House,” the official said. “President Trump will greet both representatives upon their arrival.”
Updated
Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to talks to end the war Thursday and condemned capital punishment, calling for a new “culture of peace” to replace the recourse to violence.
“As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war,” he told reporters in a press conference on his way home from his trip to Africa. “I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division.”
The pope said that he carries with him a photograph of a Muslim Lebanese boy who had been killed in Israel’s recent war with Hezbollah. The photo shows the boy holding a sign welcoming the pope when he visited Lebanon last year.
“As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war,” he said. “I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division.”
In regards to Iran’s recent executions, the pope said he condemns “the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe human life is to be respected and that all people from conception to natural (death), their lives should be respected and protected.”
“So when a regime, when a country takes decisions which take away the lives of other people unjustly, then obviously that is something that should be condemned,” he said.
According to several Israeli news sources, Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has resigned from leading negotiations with the United States.
This is a developing story.
US Central Command said on Thursday that 33 vessels have been ordered to turn around or return to port as part of its blockade on ships leaving from or heading to Iran.
That adds two more vessels since its last update on Wednesday night.
The White House press secretary said on Wednesday that US president Donald Trump was “satisfied” with the naval blockade, and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”.
However, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and lead negotiator, said that the reopening the strait of Hormuz would be “impossible” while the US and Israel committed “flagrant” breaches of the ceasefire, including the US naval blockade, “the hostage-taking of the world’s economy” and “Zionist warmongering”.
Lebanon’s foreign minister Yousseff Raggi said in a post on social media that there is “no shame in negotiating with Israel if the goal is to end the war, recover territory, and secure a lasting peace.”
“Lebanon can no longer endure wars fought on its soil on behalf of others, nor can Hezbollah continue to sell the illusion of victory,” he wrote.
The day so far
US president Donald Trump said he has ordered the US Navy “to shoot and kill any boat” that is laying mines in the strait of Hormuz. He also said that US minesweepers were working “at a tripled up level” to clear any mines from the waters.
Israel is awaiting the green light from the US to “return Iran to the Stone Age”, defence minister Israel Katz said on Thursday. “Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran. The IDF is ready in defense and offense, and the targets are marked,” Katz said.
An American-Kuwaiti journalist held for weeks in Kuwait during a crackdown on sharing footage of the US-Iran war has been cleared of all charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has contributed to the New York Times, PBS, and Al Jazeera English, was arrested on 3 March for allegedly spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone.
Italian UN peacekeepers have replaced the statue of Jesus Christ vandalised by Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, prime minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday. The sculpture of a crucified Jesus was located in the Christian village of Debl in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel.
The United Nations said Thursday it was “working on” maintaining a presence in Lebanon once the mandate for its Unifil peacekeeping force expires at the end of the year, AFP reported. “In terms of the post-Unifil, we’re currently in the process of working on these options,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, with the Lebanese government “very clear that they would want to keep a UN presence”.
An Israeli drone strike killed three men inside a car Thursday in central Gaza Strip, health officials said. Those killed were taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
Israeli troops killed a 15-year-old boy during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday, the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry said. In a short statement, the ministry announced that “15-year-old Youssef Sameh Shtayyeh was killed by the [Israeli] occupation’s gunfire in Nablus”, in the north of the West Bank.
The US military stopped and boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian ocean which the Pentagon said was carrying oil from Iran, in the second such action this week. The US defence department said its forces carried out “a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding” of the M/T Majestic X overnight.
Italy is ready to deploy up to four vessels, including two minesweepers, to the strait of Hormuz to clear it of mines, the Italian navy’s chief of staff, Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, said. Speaking to Italy’s Rai network, Bergotto said the mission is being planned with the UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The son of the former Shah appealed to Western countries to join the war against Iran and criticised the decision of the German government not to meet him during his visit to Berlin on Thursday. Reza Pahlavi, whose father was deposed in the revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power in 1979, accused Europe of standing by and allowing the Tehran government to continue the bloody repression of protests that killed thousands at the end of last year.
The deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, said Iran has received its first revenue from tolls levied on ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. The fees have been deposited into the central bank of Iran, the news agency reported, without disclosing the amount.
Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said the world is facing “the biggest energy security threat in history”. In an interview with CNBC, Birol cited the loss of around 13 million barrels per day of oil supply due to the Iran war and the closure of the strait of Hormuz.
An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday, the Lebanese health ministry said, the latest attack despite a 10-day truce in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
In a statement, the ministry said that “an Israeli airstrike on the Shoukine road in the Nabatieh district”, more than 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Israel, killed three people while a strike on the village of Yater wounded two people, including a child.
The attacks come hours ahead of the second meeting between Lebanon and Israel’s US ambassadors in Washington, where Beirut is expected to ask for a ceasefire extension.
Israel awaiting US green light to 'return Iran to Stone Age', says defence minister
Israel is awaiting the green light from the US to “return Iran to the Stone Age”, defence minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.
“Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran. The IDF is ready in defense and offense, and the targets are marked,” Katz said.
He told The Times of Israel that Israel is “awaiting a green light from the United States, first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty, the initiator of the extermination plan against Israel, and the successors of the successors of the leadership of the Iranian terror regime, and in addition to return Iran to the age of darkness and stone by blowing up central energy and electricity facilities and crushing national economic infrastructure.”
Katz added:
This time the attack will be different and deadly and will add devastating blows in the most painful places, following the enormous blows the Iranian terror regime has already suffered so far, that will shake and collapse its foundations.
Threats to bomb power stations or attack civilian targets, if enacted, would constitute a war crime. Article 52 of a 1977 protocol to the Geneva conventions states clearly that “civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals”.
US president Donald Trump was criticised for declaring that “a whole civilization will die, never to be brought back again” in a threat against Iran.
Updated
An American-Kuwaiti journalist held for weeks in Kuwait during a crackdown on sharing footage of the US-Iran war has been cleared of all charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday.
Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has contributed to the New York Times, PBS, and Al Jazeera English, was arrested on 3 March for allegedly spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone.
One of his last social media posts included a geolocated video, verified by CNN, that showed a US fighter jet crash near an American air base in Kuwait, according to the CPJ.
“We are relieved that Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been found innocent after 52 days in detention,” Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the press watchdog, said in a statement.
“Ahmed’s freedom and safety remain our topmost priority and we will continue to closely monitor his case.”
The office of Caoilfhionn Gallagher, a lawyer representing two of the journalist’s sisters, said he was expected to be released “imminently.”
An Israeli drone strike killed three men inside a car Thursday in central Gaza Strip, health officials said.
Those killed were taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
Two of them were inside the vehicle targeted on Salah al-Din Street near Maghazi camp, while a third was nearby, hospital director Raed Hussein told the Associated Press.
Three others were injured.
Italian UN peacekeepers have replaced the statue of Jesus Christ vandalised by Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, prime minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday.
The sculpture of a crucified Jesus was located in the Christian village of Debl in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel.
A photo shared online showed an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of the statue, sparking international condemnation.
Meloni in a statement thanked the Italian contingent of the UN’s Unifil peacekeeping force “for deciding to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Debl”.
She said the instalment of the new statue was “a powerful message of hope, dialogue and peace”.
The United Nations said Thursday it was “working on” maintaining a presence in Lebanon once the mandate for its Unifil peacekeeping force expires at the end of the year, AFP reported.
“In terms of the post-Unifil, we’re currently in the process of working on these options,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, with the Lebanese government “very clear that they would want to keep a UN presence”.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has served as a peacekeeping force between Israel and Lebanon since 1978 but finds itself caught in the crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
Unifil comprises nearly 8,200 troops from 47 countries. It has lost five troops in recent days: three Indonesian and two French.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on 2 March when Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli airstrikes.
Lacroix told a press conference in Geneva that any future uniformed UN presence in southern Lebanon would have to be decided upon by the Security Council in New York.
The Security Council has requested options for a possible post-Unifil United Nations presence, and “we must present these recommendations... before June 1”, he said.
Israeli troops killed a 15-year-old boy during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday, the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry said.
In a short statement, the ministry announced that “15-year-old Youssef Sameh Shtayyeh was killed by the [Israeli] occupation’s gunfire in Nablus”, in the north of the West Bank.
Contacted by AFP about the incident, the Israeli military said it was looking into it.
Lebanese journalist killed in Israeli attack had spoken of death threat
The Lebanese journalist killed in an Israeli attack on Wednesday had previously spoken of receiving a threat via an unidentified Israeli phone number that she would be killed if she did not leave southern Lebanon, where she had long been based and worked.
Amal Khalil, 43, who worked for al-Akhbar newspaper and had described herself as supporting the resistance against Israel “whether communist or Islamist”, was killed yesterday in a sustained attack by Israeli forces in which a colleague was also wounded.
In 2024, Khalil told local media she had received an Israeli death threat warning her to leave the south and threatening to destroy her home and decapitate her.
Khalil said she had “received a message from an Israeli enemy” urging her to leave the south. “I have informed the relevant authorities about this, as the enemy has recently used this tactic with many others there,” she said.
According to Khalil, the warning – allegedly sent from an Israeli phone number – included details of her recent movements and said: “We know where you are and we will reach you when the time comes.” It was not clear who had sent the message.
Khalil was the ninth journalist killed in Lebanon this year. Last month three journalists were killed in a double-tap attack.
Read the full report here:
The US military stopped and boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian ocean which the Pentagon said was carrying oil from Iran, in the second such action this week.
The US defence department said its forces carried out “a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding” of the M/T Majestic X overnight.
“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” it said in a post on social media.
The seizure came after a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the strait of Hormuz, capturing two of them.
On Tuesday, the US navy boarded another sanctioned tanker in the Asia Pacific region, the M/T Tifani, after the Pentagon said it was “providing material support to Iran”.
Updated
Trump claims US controls strait of Hormuz and Iran 'doesn't know who its leader is'
Donald Trump has claimed the US has “total control” of the strait of Hormuz, as he berated Iran for “not knowing” who its leader is.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, he said:
Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the “Hardliners,” who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the “Moderates,” who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY! We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is “Sealed up Tight,” until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
His latest remarks followed an earlier post saying he ordered the US Navy “to shoot and kill” any boat “that is putting mines in the waters of the strait of Hormuz.”
He also said that US minesweepers were working “at a tripled up level” to clear any mines from the waters.
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Italy is ready to deploy up to four vessels, including two minesweepers, to the strait of Hormuz to clear it of mines, the Italian navy’s chief of staff, Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, said.
Speaking to Italy’s Rai network, Bergotto said the mission is being planned with the UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
“We are part of an international coalition, and other nations will also send minesweepers,” he said.
Trump orders US to attack any boats laying mines in strait of Hormuz
US president Donald Trump said he has ordered the US Navy “to shoot and kill any boat” that is laying mines in the strait of Hormuz.
He also said that US minesweepers were working “at a tripled up level” to clear any mines from the waters.
In a post on Truth Social, he wrote:
I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation.
Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
The son of the former Shah appealed to Western countries to join the war against Iran and criticised the decision of the German government not to meet him during his visit to Berlin on Thursday.
Reza Pahlavi, whose father was deposed in the revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power in 1979, accused Europe of standing by and allowing the Tehran government to continue the bloody repression of protests that killed thousands at the end of last year.
“The question is not whether change will come. Change is on the way,” he told a press conference in Berlin.
“The real question is how many Iranians will lose their lives while the community of Western democracies continue to merely watch.”
US forces board vessel in Indian Ocean
The US defense department said Thursday its forces boarded a vessel in the Indian Ocean that was providing material support to Iran, the second time it had done so in three days.
“Overnight, US forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean,” it said on X.
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Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said the world is facing “the biggest energy security threat in history”.
In an interview with CNBC, Birol cited the loss of around 13 million barrels per day of oil supply due to the Iran war and the closure of the strait of Hormuz.
The IEA has warned that the strait closure will impact global growth, drive inflation and could lead to shortages, including an imminent jet fuel crunch in Europe.
Here are some images on the newswires from across the Middle East:
The crew members of the container ship Epaminondas are safe following an Iranian attack in the strait of Hormuz, its operator, Technomar Shipping, said, according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.
The vessel was sailing approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Oman yesterday when it was approached by a manned speedboat that opened fire, striking the ship and causing damage, Technomar said.
The Greek shipping company confirmed Iranian forces had boarded the vessel, but added that all crew members were safe and accounted for, with no injuries reported. The Epaminondas had 21 Ukrainian and Filipino officers and crew on board, Kathimerini reported.
“Technomar remains in close communication with the relevant authorities in the region,” Technomar said in a statement. “Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our crew as we work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure their continued safety and urgently resolve the matter.”
The Epaminondas was one of three ships attacked by Iranian forces in the strait of Hormuz yesterday. A second of those ships, the MSC Francesca, was escorted to Iranian shores along with the Epaminondas.
A third ship, the Liberia-flagged container ship Euphoria, was fired upon in the area but was not damaged.
In its 10-point document for negotiating a peace deal with the US, Iran has demanded that its “control” over the strait of Hormuz be guaranteed.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Iran is planning a fixed payment of $2m per ship or a system based on each ship’s cargo, similar to that of the Suez Canal.
The plan was trialled by Iran earlier this month. According to reports, Tehran required tankers hoping to pass through to the strait to give details of the ship’s cargo, destination and ultimate owner before paying a toll of at least $1 a barrel.
This system stands in direct opposition to the UN convention on the law of the sea, sometimes known as Unclos, which provides vessels a right of unimpeded transit passage through more than 100 straits around the world, including the strait of Hormuz.
About 170 countries and the EU have ratified Unclos, which is generally considered customary international law. But Iran and the US have not. Still, the US has made clear that it disputes Iran’s right to control the strait.
To learn more about Iran’s demands for tolls on the strait of Hormuz, and whether it can legally impose them, you can read this explainer by the Guardian’s energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose and business reporter Tom Knowles:
Iran claims to have received first revenues from toll collection at Hormuz strait
The deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, said Iran has received its first revenue from tolls levied on ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The fees have been deposited into the central bank of Iran, the news agency reported, without disclosing the amount.
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Clearing mines in strait of Hormuz could take six months - report
A Pentagon assessment has estimated it could take six months to completely clear the strait of Hormuz of mines deployed by the Iranian army, the Washington Post reported.
Carrying out the task would unlikely begin until after the war ends, according to the Pentagon assessment, shared in a classified briefing for members of the House armed services committee earlier this week.
Speaking to the Washington Post about that assessment, three officials close to the discussion said the six-month estimate frustrated both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. They were reportedly told that Iran may have placed 20 or more mines in and around the strait, with some floated remotely using GPS technology which makes them more difficult to detect.
The narrow waterway, which carried a fifth of global oil and gas supplies before the war, has been effectively shut since the start of the conflict on 28 February despite a ceasefire largely halting the fighting between the US, Israel and Iran.
Commenting on the Washington Post’s report, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell acknowledged the assessment was made in a classified briefing and described the information as “inaccurate”.
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The second round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon is scheduled to take place today in Washington, while the US-Iran talks that were slated to resume this week in Pakistan have been thrown into doubt.
Lebanon plans to request a one-month extension of a ceasefire that is due to expire on Sunday, according to reports. Despite a 10-day truce, Israeli forces killed at least five people in southern Lebanon yesterday, including Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil.
Reacting to Khalil’s death, the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, said Israel’s “deliberate and consistent targeting of journalists” was aimed at “concealing the truth of its aggressive acts against Lebanon”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan remains prepared for potential talks between US and Iranian negotiators.
Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, said he hoped for “positive progress” from Iran after a meeting with the US ambassador to Pakistan, Natalie Baker, in Islamabad today.
In statement, the Pakistani interior ministry said the officials discussed diplomatic efforts related to reconvene the US-Iran ceasefire talks, which was delayed after Tehran did not confirm when it would send its delegation.
Naqvi said the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and army chief Asim Munir were making efforts “at every level” to support a peaceful settlement and hoped all sides would give diplomacy a chance.
The Pentagon abruptly announced that the secretary of the US navy, John Phelan, would be leaving his job yesterday. No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the navy’s top civilian official, who had addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the navy’s annual conference in Washington just a day before the announcement.
People familiar with the dynamics at the Pentagon told the Guardian Phelan was fired. Phelan had an increasingly rocky relationship with the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and other senior staff.
Phelan’s departure is the latest in a series of shakeups of top leadership at the Pentagon, coming just weeks after Hegseth fired the army’s top uniformed officer, Gen Randy George.
Phelan is leaving just as the US navy has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war.
You can read more on this story here:
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops have captured a member of Hezbollah’s Radwan force, the most elite unit of the pro-Iran armed group, in southern Lebanon.
The IDF claimed the Hezbollah fighter was planning to carry out an attack on Israeli troops before he surrendered and was detained yesterday.
The Israeli military said it would continue to operate in what it called the “forward defence line” (or “yellow line”), an area deep inside southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.
The 10-day ceasefire that began on Friday has largely paused the war between Israel and Hezbollah that, since 2 March, has killed more than 2,400 people and injured more than 7,500 others, according to Lebanese health officials.
The Israeli defence ministry said it has bought $200m (£148m) worth of aerial munitions from arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
The ministry said the deal for missiles and other weaponry for strikes and interceptions was part of “improving readiness for immediate combat scenarios and preparing for a decade of strong defences”.
A similar deal was signed between the ministry and Elbit for aerial munitions in January for $183m (£136m).
Interim summary
If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of the latest developments in the Middle East to bring you up to speed.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized two vessels in the strait of Hormuz for what it called maritime violations and escorted them to Iranian shores, according to the shipping companies and Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Wednesday’s move was the first time Iran has seized ships since the war began in late February.
Donald Trump announced earlier that the US would extend the ceasefire with Iran until the country’s leaders came up with a “unified proposal” to US negotiating positions amid Tehran’s “seriously fractured” government. He had earlier threatened to renew bombing.
Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline for Iran to submit a peace proposal, she said.
Iranian officials said they had not agreed to any extension of the truce, and criticised Trump’s decision to maintain the US naval blockade. Lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a full ceasefire only made sense if the blockade was lifted.
The status of a two-week ceasefire – due to expire earlier this week – remained unclear and there was no sign of peace talks restarting.
The Pentagon said the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office “effective immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit amid the naval blockade.
The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart.
Lebanon is reportedly planing to ask for a month-long extension of the soon-expiring ceasefire with Israel at a fresh round of talks between the countries in Washington on Thursday.
Iran has executed a man convicted of links to the exiled opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq and to Israel’s intelligence service, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan said on Thursday.
Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since the 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief efforts constituted war crimes. Israel’s military earlier denied it prevented rescue teams from reaching the area.
Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. The benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.
Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.
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EU needs playbook on helping members under attack, says Cypriot president
EU leaders meeting in Cyprus on Thursday need to start preparing a playbook on what should happen if a member country facing attack puts out a call for help from bloc partners, the president of Cyprus said.
Nikos Christodoulides said EU leaders would discuss “giving substance” to article 42.7 of the bloc’s treaties, which oblige all 27 member states to assist each other in such times of crisis.
“We have article 42.7 and we don’t know what is going to happen if a member state triggers this article,” he told the Associated Press ahead of an EU-Middle East summit he is hosting later this week which is expected to focus on the Iran war and its fallout.
The issue resonates particularly with Christodoulides, who appealed for help from fellow EU countries last month when a Shahed drone struck the British air base RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus early in the Middle East war. Cypriot officials said the drone was launched from Lebanon.
Greece, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal dispatched ships with anti-drone capabilities to help defend the island.
Christodoulides said he was pleased to see that fellow EU leaders now “understand the importance” of bringing the bloc closer to the Middle East with such initiatives as the Mediterranean Pact that implements specific projects on a range of issues including health, education and energy in Middle Eastern countries.
Attending the informal EU leaders’ summit later this week will be the leaders of Egypt, Lebanon Syria and Jordan, affording the opportunity “not just to exchange ideas but to see in action how we elevate our cooperation in a strategic level”, Christodoulides said.
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Iran has executed a man convicted of links to the exiled opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq and to Israel’s intelligence service, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan said on Thursday.
Mizan identified the man as Soltanali Shirzadi Fakhr, saying he had been a long-time member of the opposition group and was found guilty of cooperating with Israeli intelligence.
His death sentence was upheld by the supreme court and carried out after legal procedures were completed, Mizan added, quoted by Reuters.
Lebanon to request ceasefire extension at Israel talks
Lebanon is reportedly planing to ask for a month-long extension of the soon-expiring ceasefire with Israel at a fresh round of talks between the countries in Washington on Thursday.
Israel said ahead of the negotiations that it had no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon, calling on it to “work together” against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, which opposes the talks and is not taking part.
The two countries’ direct talks on 14 April were their first in decades and the US soon after announced the 10-day truce, which is set to expire on Sunday.
As in the last round, US secretary of state Marco Rubio will bring together Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, in the presence of the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is now also expected to join the meeting, a state department official told AFP.
An unnamed Lebanese official told the news agency that Lebanon would request a month-long extension of the truce, as well as “an end of Israel’s bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire”.
Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that “contacts are underway to extend the ceasefire period”.
Most stockmarkets in Asia have fallen in response to the latest Iran war developments.
Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Wellington are all down. But Seoul rallied more than 1% to a new record due to a fresh rally in the tech sector that has been the backbone of a surge in the Kospi index this year.
Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also up.
Oil prices remain elevated, with Brent holding above $100 after a surge on Wednesday, although they pared Thursday’s initial gains.
Brent crude briefly jumped above $105 earlier today, before dropping to hover around $103.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released video footage earlier today purportedly showing their forces seizing two vessels in the strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it seized the vessels for what it called maritime violations, and escorted them to Iranian shores, according to statements by the shipping companies and Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
It is the first time Iran has seized ships since the war began at the end of February.
Tasnim said the IRGC had accused the two ships – the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas – of “attempting to exit the strait of Hormuz covertly”.
At the White House, spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Donald Trump did not consider the capture of the two container ships to be a violation of the US-Iran ceasefire because the vessels were not American or Israeli.
Leavitt said:
No, because these were not US ships, these were not Israeli ships. These were two international vessels.”
Opening summary
Welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz a day after Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off US attacks, while there is no sign of peace talks restarting.
The status of a two-week-old ceasefire – due to expire earlier this week – remained unclear. In an about-face hours after threatening renewed violence, Trump made what appeared to be a unilateral announcement on Tuesday that the US would extend the ceasefire with Tehran until it had discussed an Iranian proposal in peace talks to end the two-month war.
But Iranian officials did not say they had agreed to any extension of the truce, and criticised Trump’s decision to maintain the US navy blockade of Iranian ports. Lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a full ceasefire only made sense if the blockade was lifted.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two vessels on Wednesday for what it called maritime violations and escorted them to Iranian shores, according to the shipping companies and Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency – the first time Iran has seized ships since the war began in late Februar.
In other key developments:
Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, she said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the US’s negotiating positions or until talks were concluded “one way or the other”.
The Pentagon announced that the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office “effective immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit amid the naval blockade.
The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart. Erdoğan said: “If we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”
Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil’s death.
Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters reported. They ran into a nearby house that was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanon’s health ministry. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief effort constituted war crimes.
Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.
Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.
United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%.
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