US Iran War Highlights: US to host Israel-Lebanon talks next week on Hezbollah conflict

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with US President Donald Trump about restoring tanker traffic through Strait of Hormuz.

The discussion was confirmed in a statement from Starmer’s office, AP stated.

Starmer was in Qatar at the time of the call.

He has undertaken a regional diplomatic tour over the past two days.

His visits included Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

The aim of the trip is to build momentum for a ceasefire and reopening of the strategic strait.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu in a video statement said:

“Dear residents of the North, I am proud of you. You continue to stand firm. I wish to inform you: There is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.”

And he added, “Israel is stronger than ever, Iran is weaker than ever.”

Netanyahu reiterated in a video address that Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire with Iran. He also said that the Lebanese government had made “repeated requests” to start “peace negotiations.”

Talks between Israel and Lebanon to end hostilities with Hezbollah are set to begin next week.

The negotiations will take place at the US State Department in Washington, AP cited a US official as saying.

The report says US delegation will be led by Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, while Israel’s delegation will be headed by its Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter.

The talks aim to address the ongoing conflict and seek a resolution between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has announced that the country will move the management of the Strait of Hormuz into a “new phase,” signalling a shift in how Tehran intends to control one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said the Islamic Republic does not want conflict with the United States or Israel, even as regional tensions remain high.

“We did not seek war and we do not want it,” Khamenei said in a written message read out on state television.

“But we will not renounce our legitimate rights under any circumstances,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly urged Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

According to NBC News, Trump made the request during a phone call, shortly after Netanyahu publicly vowed to press ahead with attacks. The appeal underscores Washington’s concern that escalating violence in Lebanon could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts with Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X; “Netanyahu’s criminal trial resumes on Sun. A region-wide ceasefire, incl in Lebanon, would hasten his jailing. If the U S. wishes to crater its economy by letting Netanyahu kill diplomacy, that would ultimately be its choice. We think that would be dumb but are prepared for it.”

NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte described his meeting with Donald Trump as “frank” and “candid”

Rutte admitted European allies “were a bit slow” in providing logistical support

He said allies were initially “surprised” by the situation

Rutte noted Trump chose not to inform allies in advance to maintain operational surprise

He said he “understands” the decision to keep initial strikes confidential

He said European countries have since stepped up support to the US military, says assistance includes providing bases and logistical backing

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible.”

Netanyahu said the move follows requests from Lebanon.

Talks will centre on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations.

Netanyahu welcomed Lebanon PM’s call to demilitarise Beirut.

Lebanon has not immediately responded to Israel’s proposal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone conversation with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi, welcomed the Iran–US ceasefire agreement, as per AP,

Russia reportedly said the ceasefire has a broader regional dimension, including Lebanon.

Lavrov expressed hope for successful peace negotiations.

Moscow reiterated its readiness to assist in finding diplomatic solutions.

Araghchi reportedly thanked Russia for its “principled position” at the UN Security Council on the Persian Gulf situation.

Iran will allow no more than 15 vessels a day to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under its ceasefire arrangement with the United States, according to a senior Iranian source cited by Russia’s TASS news agency.

Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany, along with other partners, has urged Israel to halt its intensified military operations.

He added that Berlin’s foreign minister has already held two rounds of talks with Israeli counterparts to press the message.

The German chancellor also confirmed that he spoke with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as diplomatic efforts intensify amid rising tensions.

Merz said Germany plans to reopen dialogue with Iran in coordination with the United States and European allies.

Merz did not specify who Germany would engage with in Iran or provide a timeline for the proposed talks, leaving key aspects of the diplomatic initiative unclear.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned that the intensity of Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon risks undermining broader peace efforts in the region.

“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,” Merz said.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hezbollah is seeking a ceasefire, claims over 200 militants were killed in the past 24 hours, taking the total to more than 1,400.

Katz said Israel is ready to respond forcefully if Iran launches attacks.

Israel will continue targeting locations across Lebanon, including the Litani area.

The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned Israeli attacks across multiple areas in Lebanon, voicing deep concern over the continuing escalation and its potential impact on regional security and stability.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the urgent need for coordinated international efforts to prevent further loss of life.

The ministry underscored the importance of ensuring full protection for civilians in line with international law and treaties. (Al Jazeera)

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas called accusations from the Trump administration and Gulf officials that Europe hasn’t done enough in the Iran war “unfair.”

She said Europe is contributing significantly, including air defense support, Red Sea protection, and backing the Lebanese government.

Kallas noted Gulf countries did not significantly support Europe during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

She stressed Europe also has its own security concerns, particularly Russia’s war in Ukraine.

She said the proposed ceasefire should include Lebanon based on talks with Pakistani officials.

Kallas described the bombardment in Lebanon as “too heavy-handed” and “not acceptable,” citing civilian casualties. (CNN)

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X: “Renewed aggression by the Zionist regime against Lebanon blatantly violates the initial ceasefire. Such actions signal deception and non-compliance, rendering negotiations meaningless. Our hands remain on the trigger. Iran will never forsake its Lebanese brothers and sisters.”

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf emphasized that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington.

Ghalibaf stated that Lebanon and Hezbollah are Iran’s allies and “form an inseparable part of the ceasefire.”

The ceasefire declaration posted by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also stressed Lebanon’s importance in the agreement, he noted.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared a decision on Thursday after Israeli strikes a day earlier that killed over 200 people. Lebanon is set to file complaint at UN, report AP.

He said the increase of attacks was a “blatant violation” of international and humanitarian law and undermines ongoing efforts to pause the war.

He added that the cabinet has also ordered security forces to tighten control over the capital by “enhancing the state’s full authority across Beirut and restricting arms to legitimate forces.”

The Israeli army on Wednesday accused Hezbollah members of moving north of the capital and blending into civilian areas.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu took to X and said, “We continue to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination. In Beirut, we eliminated Ali Youssef Kharshi, the personal secretary of Hezbollah terror organization Secretary-General Naim Qassem and one of the people closest to him.

At the same time, overnight, the IDF struck a series of terror infrastructures in southern Lebanon: crossings used to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets, and launchers, as well as weapons depots, launchers, and Hezbollah headquarters.”

He added, “Our message is clear: Whoever acts against Israeli civilians—will be struck. We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever required, until we restore full security to the residents of the north.”

During Parliament speech on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni cautioned that any extra Iranian duties in the Strait of Hormuz would have “unpredictable economic consequences,” emphasising that a full restoration of freedom of movement is needed in the area, reported AP.

Meloni suggested that as the most critical point of the agreement between the US 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.

Iran’s parliament speaker cautioned on Thursday that incessant Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses.”

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf issued the warning in a message on X. He insisted, like other Iranian officials, the two-week ceasefire extended to Lebanon, something refuted by both Israel and the U.S.

“Ceasefire violations carry explicit and STRONG responses,” he wrote. “Extinguish the fire immediately.”

South Korea will send a special envoy to Iran to discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East, while urging the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as per AP.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun called for the immediate restoration of safe and unrestricted maritime passage for all vessels, including those from South Korea, during a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Thursday. He also urged Tehran to ensure the safety of South Korean citizens currently in Iran, according to the foreign ministry.

The head of Iran’s nuclear agency on Thursday dismissed the possibility of limiting the country’s uranium enrichment programme, stating that demands from the United States and Israel “will not come true”, reported AFP.

“The claims and demands of our enemies to restrict Iran’s enrichment programme are merely wishes that will be buried,” Mohammad Eslami was quoted as saying by Iran’s ISNA news agency.

His comments came with talks scheduled at the end of the week between Iran and the United States under Pakistani mediation.

Lebanon’s health ministry said Thursday that at least 203 people were killed in Israeli strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon on Wednesday. It said more than 1,000 were hurt, as per AP.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is urging for Lebanon to be named in the US-Iran ceasefire deal, indicating global concern that continued fighting on Israel’s northern frontier could unravel the truce.

Iranian officials said the ceasefire had been violated after Israel carried out its largest attack of the current conflict on its northern neighbor, and Cooper used a round of broadcast interviews on Thursday to term the escalation as “wrong” and “damaging”, reported Bloomberg, noting that came after French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the Israeli strikes as “indiscriminate.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said European and other partners are “finalizing” plans to establish a mission to escort ships in the Strait of Hormuz when the conflict finishes.

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, as per AP.

Calls intensified on Thursday to expand the ceasefire between the United States and Iran to also cover Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah, following a large-scale wave of Israeli strikes in Lebanon that left more than 200 people dead, as per AFP.

US President Donald Trump declared success in the Middle East conflict after securing a two-week truce aimed at creating space for negotiations to bring an end to a war that has killed thousands and disrupted the global economy.

China’s Defense Ministry has refuted claims that it provided support to Iran’s military, including alleged intelligence on US force’s location amid the ongoing conflict.

“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, comprising some with links to the People’s Liberation Army, had been marketing intelligence about the movements of U.S. forces during the war, as per AP

Reuters has reported that China’s largest chipmaker had dispatched equipment used to make chips to Iran’s military, citing US 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.”

“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, as per AP.

Spain temporarily closed the embassy at the start of the war and evacuated its personnel.

Israel slammed Spain for the decision, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar calling Spain “an eternal disgrace” on X.

The chief of Iran’s nuclear agency mentioned that safeguarding Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “necessary” for any ceasefire talks with the United States.

Mohammad Eslami, who heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the comments to journalists in Tehran, Iran, during commemorations for the slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“It is a part of the necessary (things) that nobody speaks about,” Eslami said, referring to the U.S.’ dismissal to acknowledge enrichment as one part of Iran’s 10-point plan for a permanent ceasefire, according to AP.

The US and Iran are scheduled meet in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, for talks this weekend.

The nephew of Naim Qassem, the ​leader of the ​Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, was killed in ‌a ⁠strike on Beirut overnight, Israel said, according to Reuters.

“The IDF struck in ​the ​Beirut ⁠area and eliminated Ali ​Yusuf Harshi, ​the ⁠personal secretary and nephew of ⁠Hezbollah ​Secretary-General ​Naim Qassem,” the military ​said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Thursday, reported AP.

An India-flagged LPG vessel ‘Green Asha’ with 15,400 tonnes of LPG has successfully passed the Strait of Hormuz and reached Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), marking a key milestone amid the Middle East conflict.

According to a government statement shared on social media, the vessel has moored at JNPA’s liquid berth operated by BPCL-IOCL on Thursday, as per ANI.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, the Saudi foreign ministry said Thursday, in the first official contact between the countries since Tehran launched strikes against its Gulf neighbours in retaliation for Israeli-American attacks.

“The call focused on reviewing developments in the situation and ways to slow the pace of tensions so as to help restore security and stability in the region,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement, which was issued the day after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

Israel’s military said Thursday it had struck and killed a close adviser to Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in Beirut a day earlier, when Israeli strikes pummelled Lebanon.

“Yesterday, the IDF struck in the Beirut area and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem,” a military statement said.

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.

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.

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.”

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 neighbouring Rawalpindi.

In unusually strong language, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israeli strikes in Lebanon that killed and injured hundreds Wednesday, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.

The statement said Guterres “condemns the loss of civilian lives and is deeply alarmed by the mounting toll on civilians,” and added the ongoing strikes pose “a grave risk to the ceasefire and the efforts toward a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.”

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.

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.”
(With inputs from AP)

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. (AP)

An Iranian delegation will arrive in Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday night for talks to resolve conflict with the U.S. and Israel, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said on Thursday.

“Despite skepticism of Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by Israeli regime … Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran,” ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said in a post on X. (Reuters)

US Iran War Live: UK changes tone with US? London says ‘Lebanon must be included in ceasefire agreement’

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will say on Thursday that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, must be toll-free, countering a push by Iran to control the vital waterway. “The fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual bidders. Nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway. Freedom of navigation means navigation must be free,” Cooper will say in an annual foreign policy speech at Mansion House in London, according to advance extracts. (Reuters)

Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that three separate 10-point proposals have been put forward, creating confusion over which one is serving as the foundation for the negotiations, as reported by CNN.

“The first 10-point proposal was something that was submitted, and we think, frankly, was probably written by ChatGPT, that was submitted to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that immediately went in the garbage and was rejected,” Vance told reporters as he was leaving Hungary.“

There was a second 10-point proposal that was much more reasonable that was based on some back and forth between us, between the Pakistanis and between the Iranians. That is the 10-point proposal that the president was referencing in his Truth yesterday,” Vance added.

The fragile truce between Iran and the United States showed signs of unravelling on Thursday, with Tehran threatening to resume hostilities as Israel pummelled Lebanon.

Washington and Tehran both claimed victory after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and negotiations aimed at ending a war that has killed thousands across the Middle East and sparked global economic upheaval. (AFP)

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority on Thursday said it received an India-flagged vessel carrying 15,400 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia conflict.

JNPA described the development as notable in the backdrop of the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

The rupee depreciated 17 paise to 92.71 against US dollar in early trade on Thursday as the fragile ceasefire and Iran’s threat to step out of the talks if Israel kept bombing Lebanon kept investors wary. (Reuters)