Iran live updates: Trump says no 'time pressure' to secure deal, Americans should expect higher gas prices 'for a little while'
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire,initial U.S.-Iran talksin Pakistan earlier this month failed to reach a peace deal. On Tuesday, Trump announced he was extending the ceasefire and continuing the blockade until Iran's proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded "one way or the other."
'We hope' no firing during Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, Trump says
Moments after announcing an extended ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, President Donald Trump said "we hope" there's three weeks of "no firing" between the two countries.
"But they do have Hezbollah to think about, and we're going to be working with Lebanon to get things straightened out in that country," he said during surprise remarks from the Oval Office while flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump also said he expects the president of Lebanon and the prime minister of Israel to come to the White House "over the next couple of weeks" while the ceasefire is in place, though he did not provide any specifics of such potential travel.
Trump expressed his hope that the Israel-Lebanon conflict will get "worked out simultaneously with what we're doing in Iran."
Trump says Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended by 3 weeks
Israel and Lebanon will extend their ceasefire by three weeks, President Donald Trump announced on social media.
"I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun,” Trump wrote.
This comes after a second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon took place at the White House on Thursday.
Exactly one week ago, Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Trump says he has no 'time pressure' on deal
President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he is not facing any "time pressure" to secure a deal with Iran.
When asked how long he was willing to wait, Trump responded, "Don't rush me."
"I don't want to rush myself, you know, because every story says, 'Oh, Trump is under time pressure.' I'm not. No, no," Trump said. "You know who’s under time pressure? They are. Because if they don't get their oil moving, their whole oil infrastructure is going to explode. You know what that means, because they have no place to store it."
As for how long Americans should expect to pay higher gas prices, Trump said, "For a little while."
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart and Emily Chang
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3:06 AM +08 Talks between Israel, Lebanon to be held at the White House
Direct peace talks between Israel and Lebanon at the ambassador level will now be held at the White House, according to a U.S. official.
"President Trump will greet both representatives upon their arrival," according to a U.S. official.
Israel waiting for 'green light' from US to resume the war with Iran, Katz says
Israel is waiting for the "green light" from the U.S. to resume the war with Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday, after meeting with Israeli military officials.
"Israel is prepared to renew the war against Iran," Katz said. "The IDF is prepared for defense and attack, and the targets are marked."
"Waiting for the green light from the U.S. -- first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty," Katz said.
Katz also threatened to target Iran's energy infrastructure along with its "national economic infrastructure."
"The attack this time will be different and deadly and will add devastating blows in the most painful places - following the enormous blows that the Iranian terrorist regime has suffered so far -- that will shake and collapse its foundations," Katz said.
CENTCOM says 33 ships have been turned around in blockade
U.S. Central Command said that 33 vessels have been turned back as part of its blockade on ships leaving from or heading to Iranian ports. Most of those ships have been oil tankers.
Trump says Iran having a 'hard time' figuring out who is in charge
President Donald Trump indicated Thursday morning that there is no centralized leader in Iran right now, claiming that the government has been fractured between moderates and hardliners as the U.S. indefinitely extends its ceasefire with the country.
“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!” Trump said in a social media post.
“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!” he added.
Trump’s post comes days after the U.S. extended its ceasefire indefinitely, citing divisions within the Iranian government that are hindering negotiations on a peace deal.
Trump also again claimed that the U.S. has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz even as Iranian attacks on merchant ships have continued this week and traffic through the region remains severely limited.
Trump says he ordered Navy to 'shoot,' 'kill' boats putting mines in strait
President Donald Trump said in a Thursday social media post that he ordered the Navy to "shoot and kill" any boats putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
"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," Trump wrote.
"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!" Trump added.
There are currently no U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz , but there are 17 U.S. Navy ships east of the strait in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. So far, all of the previous attacks on Iranian mine-laying ships have been from the air.
The president’s post comes a day after the Washington Post reported that a Pentagon assessment found that clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz could take as long as six months.
It is currently unclear if Iranian mine-laying operations remain underway in the Strait amid the ceasefire. The regime previously declared that it had mined a wide swath of the strait off of the coast of Oman.
Iranian oil passing through US blockade, maritime tracking groups say
Cargo tracking group Vortexa told ABC News it identified 34 sanctioned or Iranian-linked ships moving in and out of the Gulf of Oman through the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports which came into effect on April 13.
Fifteen of those were inbound toward Iran, while 19 were outbound away from Iran.
Of the observed outbound movements, six of the ships were confirmed to be laden with approximately 10.7 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.
However, after Vortexa shared its data and media outlets named three of those ships, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) publicly refuted that the three named ships had evaded the blockade.
CENTCOM said two of those ships -- the Hero II and Hedy -- had returned to an Iranian port, and that the third -- the Dorena -- was "under the escort of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after previously attempting to violate the blockade."
It was not immediately clear whether the M/T Majestic X, which the U.S. announced Thursday it had interdicted in the Indian Ocean for carrying oil from Iran, was also one of the ships tracked as having moved through the blockade.
Vortexa said that the blockade is having some effect but, "based on observed vessel activity, flows have continued, although in a more constrained and selective environment."
TankerTrackers.com, a maritime intelligence company that tracks crude oil shipments, told ABC News that they observed nine shipments of Iranian oil pass through the U.S. blockade between April 13 and 20, one of which has been sent back to Iran.
Of the nine shipments, eight were tankers belonging to Iran's National Iranian Tanker Company and one was independently-owned.
US boards Iran-linked tanker in the Indian Ocean
The Pentagon said in a post to X on Thursday that U.S. forces interdicted and boarded the M/T Majestic X tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight, a vessel it said was "transporting oil from Iran" as part of Tehran's illicit oil fleet.
The seizure is the second this week in the Indian Ocean. "We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate," the Pentagon said.
1st Strait of Hormuz toll revenues banked, Iran lawmaker says
Hamidreza Hajibabaei, the deputy speaker of Iran's parliament, said Thursday that the first revenues from Iran's new tolls on shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz have been deposited into the state's central bank account, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
"We have control over this Strait," Hajibabaei said, speaking at a public gathering in the western city of Kuhdasht.
"If the United States continues on its current course, no vessels will pass through the Strait of Hormuz," Hajibabaei said. He added, "We are not engaged in negotiations -- rather, we are making demands."
Alireza Salimi, another member of the Iranian parliament, confirmed the deposit of the revenues in an interview with the semi-official Tasnim News Agency on Thursday.
"The amount collected from each ship depends on its cargo and level of risk they pose," Salimi said, as quoted by Tasnim.
"Iran determines how much and how these fees are collected, in other words, we determine the rules," Salimi said.
IDF to retain positions in south Lebanon amid ceasefire, spokesperson says
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post to X on Thursday that Israeli forces will maintain their positions in southern Lebanon amid the current ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Adraee warned displaced people "not to move south" of the front line dictated by the IDF, nor to approach the Litani River area, Wadi Salhani or Saluki.
Adraee listed 57 villages to which people will not be allowed to return.
Lebanon-Israel talks expected in Washington on Thursday
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors are expected to convene again at the State Department on Thursday for a second round of meetings amid the latest conflagration in the Middle East.
The first direct negotiations between the two states since 1993 are intended as preparatory meetings to shape future talks on a deal to normalize ties between the countries.
Thursday's meeting is expected to focus on extending a shaky ceasefire that has halted fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
The technocratic government in Beirut, which came to power in 2025, is juggling dual pressure campaigns -- sustained Israeli attacks and seizure of Lebanese territory on one hand and the internal threat of Hezbollah and its Iranian backers on the other.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday that the goal of the negotiations was to "stop hostilities, end the Israeli occupation of southern regions and deploy the [Lebanese] army all the way to the internationally recognized southern borders."
Paul Salem, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank, told ABC news that Thursday's talks are "historically significant in what they might eventually lead to," but framed the meetings as the first steps on a long and difficult road.
The government in Beirut is facing "a prolonged conundrum," Salem said. "Iran is insisting on maintaining its presence and backing Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah seems to be happy to continue to play their role with Iran."
And in southern Lebanon, Israel seems intent on a devastating campaign and seizure of land which its Defense Minister Israel Katz has repeatedly said will be modeled on the destruction of Gaza.
"The Lebanese state needs to be able to bolster its credibility by not allowing a long-term Israeli occupation," Salem said.
Lebanon's Aoun says Israel targets journalists to hide 'aggressive acts'
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office published a statement to X on Thursday alleging that Israel's "deliberate and consistent targeting of journalists" is aimed at "concealing the truth of its aggressive acts against Lebanon."
The president's statement came after Israeli forces killed journalist Amal Khalil, who worked for Lebanon's Al Akhbar newspaper, in an attack in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
Lebanese authorities said Khalil was directly targeted and accused Israeli forces of firing on rescue workers trying to reach her. Journalist Zainab Faraj was also injured in the attack, authorities said.
Such attacks constitute "crimes against humanity," Aoun's office said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the killing in a post to X, in which he described Israeli actions as "war crimes."
CENTCOM says 31 vessels turned back during blockade
U.S. Central Command said in a post to X on Wednesday night that it had directed 31 vessels "to turn around or return to port" as part of the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping.
Lebanese journalist killed in 'targeted' strike, officials say
A Lebanese journalist was among those killed in strikes on a town in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanese officials said, while accusing Israel of targeting journalists.
Amal Khalil and her colleague, Zeinab Faraj, had taken shelter in a nearby house following a strike on Al-Tayri, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said in a statement published by the country's official National News Agency (NNA). The health ministry said the house was targeted in a second strike.
Rescuers arrived on scene and transported Faraj, who was injured, and the bodies of two others to a hospital, the health ministry said. The first responders were unable to rescue Khalil because Israeli forces "obstructed the humanitarian mission, firing a stun grenade at the ambulance and targeting it with gunfire," according to the health ministry.
The Lebanese Red Cross later announced that it had found Khalil's body beneath the rubble, according to NNA. Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos also confirmed Khalil's death, saying in a social media post: "Targeting journalists is a heinous crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which we will not tolerate."
When asked for comment, the Israel Defense Forces referred ABC News to an earlier statement that said it carried out airstrikes targeting individuals who had violated the ceasefire and approached Israeli troops "in a manner that posed an immediate threat to their safety."
The IDF noted in the statement: "Reports were received that two journalists were injured as a result of the strikes. The IDF is not preventing rescue teams from reaching the area. The details of the incident are under review."
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Khalil was a reporter for Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar and Faraj is a freelance photojournalist. Both were on assignment at the time of the attack, it said.
Video shows gunmen seizing commercial ships, Iran says
Dramatic video broadcast on Iranian state TV purportedly shows Iranian forces seizing two commercial ships.
In the footage, speed boats are seen racing toward the massive vessels, MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy accused of "attempting to secretly exit the Strait of Hormuz."
Masked soldiers are seen climbing up to the deck of one of the ships while brandishing long guns.
Both vessels were transferred to Iranian territorial waters "in order to examine the cargo and documents," the IRGC Navy said.
ABC News verified with satellite imagery that the two vessels were near one another early Wednesday morning off the coast of Iran.
Senate fails to advance Iran war powers resolution for 5th time
The Senate rejected an Iran war powers resolution for the fifth time on Wednesday.
The resolution, which needed 51 votes to advance, failed by a vote of 46-51. As with previous votes, Sen. Rand Paul was the lone Republican to vote for the resolution and Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against it.
Democrats have vowed to continually bring up war power resolutions that direct the "removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress" as long as the conflict continues.
Trump has 'not set a deadline' for Iran talks, proposal, White House says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there is no set deadline for the ceasefire with Iran that was extended by President Donald Trump on Tuesday and that any reports that Trump had set a three to five day timeline for a unified peace proposal from Iran are "not true."
"I'm not going to set a timetable for the president. He has not done that, and I won't. I know there's been some anonymous, sourced reporting that there was maybe a three to five day deadline. That is not true. The president has not set a deadline himself," Leavitt told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
Leavitt placed blame on Iran over the fact that a peace deal has not been finalized but also suggested that Trump has given Iranian leaders flexibility on coming up with a proposal.
"The president chose to extend the ceasefire because it's Iran who needs to get their acts together," she said.
CENTOM says 29 vessels turned back, denies ships have evaded blockade
U.S. Central Command said 29 ships have been turned back or returned to Iranian ports as part of the U.S. blockade.
CENTCOM also pushed back on reports that other ships were able to evade the blockade and called those reports inaccurate. But, acknowledge that one ship, the Dorena, is currently under escort by a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean "after previously attempting to violate the blockade."
That ship is included among the 29 turned around ships.
Iran has 'thousands' of missiles and drones left
The Defense Intelligence Agency chief told lawmakers that Iran still has an enormous stockpile of munitions, even after the constant bombardment throughout the war until the ceasefire.
“Iran retains thousands of missiles and one-way attack UAVs that can threaten U.S. and partner forces throughout the region, despite degradations to its capabilities from both attrition and expenditure,” Marine Lt. Gen. James Adams, told lawmakers last week.
He added that Iran’s conventional military remains hampered by aging equipment and limited training, likely pushing Tehran to lean even harder into asymmetric tactics. That includes the kind of low-cost drone threats now looming over the Strait of Hormuz, a reminder that Iran can still create outsized disruption through cheap tools.
Those tactics also include cyberattacks.
“Before the current conflict, Iran largely refrained from cyberattacks against the United States, except for a handful of low level disruptive attacks,” Adams said. “However, on 11 March, we observed Iran’s first destructive cyberattack against a U.S. company since 2014, when Iranian cyberattacks conducted a data-deletion attack against a U.S. medical company. Iran almost certainly will continue using cyberattack.”
Adams was likely referring to when an Iranian-linked group hacked Stryker, a Michigan-based medical company. The day after the cyber-attack, Stryker pushed out a statement urging its tools were safe, including the Mako Surgical Robot, a robotic arm that assists in joint replacement surgeries and the LIFEPAK 35, a life support monitor/defibrillator.
Earlier this month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned that Iran-linked cyber groups had targeted systems tied to local municipalities, as well as water and energy networks. In an advisory, the agency said organizations across multiple critical infrastructure sectors had suffered disruptions through “malicious interactions with the project files” and the manipulation of data.
Iran’s defense budget last year was $16.8 billion, which is about 4.2% of its GDP, according to Adams.
Iranian official calls blockade 'breach of the ceasefire'
Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized the U.S. blockade on Iran calling it "hostage-taking of the world's economy" and said a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is "impossible," in a post on X Wednesday.
"A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy, and if the Zionist warmongering across all fronts is halted; reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire," Ghalibaf said.
"They did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying. The only way forward is to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation," Ghalibaf said.
Graham says blockade will stay in place, even expand globally
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Wednesday morning about the “way forward” in Iran.
Graham said that he expects the blockade of Iranian ports to stay in place and even expand, saying "it could become global soon” unless Iran “shows a commitment to change their ways."
Graham was not clear about where this blockade would expand and what the U.S. is specifically asking the Iranians to commit to in terms of "changing their ways."
"I had a very good call this morning with @POTUS and @SecWar Pete Hegseth about the way forward regarding the Iran conflict," Graham said in a post on X Wednesday.
"I not only expect this blockade to stay in place until Iran shows a commitment to change their ways, I expect the blockade will be growing and that it could become global soon,” he said.
Graham also issued a warning to other countries amid threats of a global blockade, saying that any nation "assisting or thinking about assisting the Iranian regime in distributing its oil," will do so "at your own peril."
Trump says that new round of talks as soon as Friday is 'possible'
President Donald Trump said that a renewed round of peace talks in the next 36 to 72 hours is "possible" in a text exchange with the New York Post Wednesday morning. The Post article cited sources saying that a new round of talks is possible as soon as Friday.
"It’s possible! President DJT," Trump said in a text message when asked about the possibility of those talks, according to the New York Post.
Iran spokesperson says 'logical grounds' needed for diplomacy
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Wednesday that the U.S.-Israeli war was imposed on Tehran and that all subsequent Iranian actions have been "in line with Iran's inherent right to legitimate defense against the military aggression," as quoted by Iranian state television.
Regarding Iran's non-attendance of a second round of peace talks in Islamabad this week, Baghaei said, "Diplomacy is a tool for securing national interests and security," adding that Iran will act only when it reaches the conclusion that "the necessary and logical grounds for using this tool to realize national interests" have been established.
Iran, Baghaei said, "will use every opportunity and capacity to hold the aggressors accountable and to realize Iran's rights, including administering justice to the perpetrators and founders of war crimes and demanding compensation."
IRGC says it seized 2 vessels in Strait of Hormuz
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy confirmed its interdiction and seizure of two vessels on Wednesday which it said were "attempting to secretly exit the Strait of Hormuz."
The IRGC Navy named the two vessels as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas. Both were transferred to Iranian territorial waters "in order to examine the cargo and documents," the navy said.
IRGC says it is at 'peak readiness' for confrontation
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement Wednesday saying that its forces are "at the peak of readiness and determination to continue fighting the enemies," as quoted by Iranian state television.
The IRGC said it is ready to present "surprises beyond the enemy's comprehension on the battlefield." The statement also marked the anniversary of the IRGC's establishment.
"The Revolutionary Guard Corps is ready to confront decisively and immediately against any threat or repeated aggression by the enemies, and in the new round of possible military battle, it will inflict crushing blows beyond the enemy's imagination on their remaining assets in the region," the statement said.
On Tuesday evening, Iranian forces displayed a ballistic missile in an orchestrated gathering in Tehran.
Chinese spokesperson responds to Trump cargo ship remarks
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a Wednesday press briefing that Beijing is fulfilling its "due international obligations" after President Donald Trump said U.S. forces enforcing the blockade of Iran in the Persian Gulf intercepted a vessel carrying what he described as a "gift from China."
Trump told CNBC on Tuesday, "We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn't very nice, a gift from China, perhaps, I don't know, but I was a little surprised, but because I have a very good relationship, and I thought I had an understanding with President Xi [Jinping], but that's all right, that's the way war goes, right?"
Guo said Wednesday, "China has stated its position many times. We would like to reiterate that, as a responsible major power, China has consistently and exemplary fulfilled its due international obligations."
Nikki Haley, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during Trump's first term, alleged on Tuesday that a tanker disabled and intercepted by U.S. forces over the weekend was en route to Iran from China and carrying chemicals used to produce missile fuel.
Guo said on Tuesday that the vessel was "a foreign container ship" and that Beijing "rejects any false association and speculation."
UKMTO reports 2nd Strait of Hormuz incident as vessel 'fired upon'
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported a second incident involving an unnamed cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred around 8 nautical miles off the Iranian coast. A crewmember reported "having been fired upon" with the vessel then stopping. There was no reported damage to the vessel and no reported casualties, the UKMTO said.
IRGC attacked container ship in Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO says
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The unnamed vessel was approached by an IRGC gunboat and fired upon without any preceding challenge, UKMTO said. The IRGC fire "caused heavy damage to the bridge" but there were no casualties or environmental impacts reported, the alert said.
The incident occurred around 15 nautical miles northeast of the Omani coast in the eastern portion of the Strait of Hormuz, the UKMTO said.
Trump says Iran is 'starving for cash' amid Strait of Hormuz disruption
President Donald Trump doubled down on his claim that Iran wants the Strait of Hormuz opened in a post to social media on Tuesday, shortly after he announced an open-ended extension of the ceasefire with Tehran.
"Iran is collapsing financially!" Trump wrote. "They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately -- Starving for cash!"
In an earlier social media post, Trump insisted that Iran is "losing" because of the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The president also claimed that Iran only wants to close the Strait in order to "save face."
Without specifying who, Trump also claimed that "people" told him "four days ago" that Iran wants to reopen the Strait, but he declined to lift the blockade because he says this is the U.S.' leverage point to secure a deal.
"But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!" Trump wrote.
The president also again extolled recent American military achievements in Iran. "Their entire Navy is at the bottom of the Sea, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft and Radar is wiped out, their Nuclear Labs and Storage Areas were OBLITERATED late one dark June evening by our Great B-2 Bombers, their leaders are DEAD," Trump wrote.
Pakistan commends continued ceasefire
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked President Donald Trump for extending the ceasefire "to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course."
He called on both sides to continue to observe the ceasefire and said Pakistan will "continue its earnest efforts for negotiated settlement of conflict."
White House confirms Vance not traveling to Pakistan
According to a White House official, Vice President JD Vance won't be traveling to Pakistan on Tuesday.
"In light of President Trump's TRUTH Social post confirming the United States is awaiting a unified proposal from the Iranians, the trip to Pakistan will not be happening today," the official said. "Any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House."
Hezbollah and Israel accuse the other of violating ceasefire
The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it fired rockets and drones at Israeli forces on Tuesday for the first time since a 10-day truce took effect Friday "in response to the blatant and documented violations" by Israel.
The alleged violations included "attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages in southern Lebanon," Hezbollah said in a statement.
The Israel Defense Forces said it responded by striking Hezbollah's rocket launcher.
"The launches constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement," the IDF said.
Trump announces he's extending ceasefire with Iran
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will indefinitely extend the current ceasefire with Iran and continue a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as talks continue.
Trump said in a social media post that Pakistani mediators have asked the U.S. to "hold our Attack" until Iranian officials "can come up with a unified proposal."
"I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," Trump continued.
This comes hours after Trump told CNBC he did not want to extend the ceasefire and threatened continued bombing. He also said Iran had no choice but to accept a deal.
Trump administration hits some suppliers of Iranian missiles, drones with fresh sanctions
The Trump administration is upping its efforts to target Iran's missile and drone program by slapping new sanctions on people and companies that it says are involved in supplying Iran with the key weapons.
The Treasury Department said it is “sanctioning 14 individuals, entities, and aircraft based in Iran, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their involvement in procuring or transporting weapons or weapons components on behalf of the Iranian regime."
The administration’s targeting of Iranian weapons supplies comes as the U.S. has said that Iran's military capabilities have been severely diminished following Operation Epic Fury. This effort by the U.S. is to prevent Iran from rebuilding those military programs. The Treasury Department said in a statement that Iran is "seeking to reconstitute its production capacity" for drones and missiles.
"Iran is increasingly relying on Shahed-series one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to target the United States and its allies, including energy infrastructure in the region. These designations support Economic Fury in response to the Iranian regime’s continued threats to global security," the press release said.
The department said this new round of sanctions is authorized by a presidential memorandum signed by President Donald Trump last year, which aims to curtail Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities.
“The Iranian regime must be held accountable for its extortion of global energy markets and indiscriminate targeting of civilians with missiles and drones,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
