The peace deal in place between Iran and the United States is seemingly hanging on by a thread as Donald Trump launched airstrikes
The strikes came shortly after Trump was asked about whether the United States would respond after a drone attack a day earlier on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. “You’ll find out,” he said.
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them,” Trump said at the White House.
When asked why there would be strikes when Trump has insisted talks with Tehran are going well, Trump said of Iran: “They’re a little bit different.”
Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, argued that “the Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules”. He urged the US to “not mistake control for escalation.”
Vice President JD Vance said that Iran should “pick up the phone” if there are disagreements about the ceasefire agreement.
“But violence will be met with violence,” Vance said.
New UpdatesToday06:20 BST
About 115 ships were able to move out of the strait in recent days, leaving about 500 still in the area, said Arsenio Dominguez, the agency’s secretary-general.
The U.S. and Iran are still negotiating terms of the deal, including issues such as getting ships through the key strait and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details.
(Image: AP Photo/Amirhosein Khorgooi)
Ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon announced an agreement Friday described as a step toward peace following months of conflict between Israeli troops and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S., called the framework a move toward “enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security, and prosperity.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the plan was a “great achievement” for Israel.
“The most important thing, first and foremost, is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon,” he said, adding that they will stay until Hezbollah is disarmed and no longer poses a threat to Israel.
Peter HennessyToday05:44 BST
The British military said on Thursday that a container ship was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, coming hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using the route.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said no injuries were reported.