Middle East crisis live: Trump casts doubt on Iran war ceasefire over continued closure of strait of Hormuz | US-Israel war on Iran
Summary
Welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran grew more tense on Friday, a day before delegations from both countries met in Pakistan, as Donald Trump accused Tehran of violating its promises regarding the Strait of Hormuz and Israel struck Lebanon with attacks that Iran claimed violated the ceasefire.
Trump said in a social media post late Thursday that Iran was doing a “very bad job” of allowing oil to pass through the strait. “This is not the agreement between us!”
There is no sign that Iran is lifting the near-total embargo on the strait that has caused the worst-ever disruption to global energy supplies. Tehran has cited Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon, which included the heaviest strikes of the war on Wednesday, as a key sticking point.
In the first 24 hours of the ceasefire announced by Trump on Tuesday, only a single oil products tanker and five dry cargo ships passed through the strait, which carried a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows and 140 ships a day the day before the war.
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Donald Trump has He said he was “very optimistic” that a peace deal with Iran was achievable as a diplomatic mission led by vice president J.D. Vance prepares to travel to Pakistan this weekend for high-stakes talks aimed at ending the war. In line with his administration’s narrative that there is a disconnect between what Tehran says publicly and privately, the US president said Iran’s leaders “talk a lot differently when they’re in meetings than they talk to the press. They’re a lot more reasonable.”
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Embers Moreover On Wednesday, he confirmed that he had asked Benjamin Netanyahu to be “simpler.” Lebanon Helping ensure the success of the upcoming US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad. Speaking to NBC News, Trump said, “I talked to Bibi and he will simplify it. I think we need to be a little simpler,” adding that he believes Israel is “downsizing” its operations in Lebanon.
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Netanyahu said he had instructed his cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah. – meanwhile insisting that “there is no ceasefire” in Lebanon and that Israel “will continue to attack Hezbollah with force.”
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Israel has since launched a new wave of attacks on what it calls “Hezbollah’s launch sites” in Lebanon.After the IDF had previously ordered people to flee Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs. Later in the day, Hezbollah said it had fired a salvo of rockets at northern Israeli settlements.
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While Israel insists that the war will continue and “talks will be held under fire”, Lebanon demands a ceasefire before direct negotiations begin. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said: This was the “only solution”. Lebanon also insists it needs the United States as a mediator and guarantor of any deal. These talks will take place next week, hosted by the US State Department in Washington.
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Iranian president Massoud Pezeshkian said Israel’s attack on Lebanon violated the ceasefire agreement He added that Iran would not abandon the Lebanese people, making the negotiations pointless.
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Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Galibaf, said Lebanon was “an integral part of the ceasefire agreement.” In a post about X, he said, “There is no room for denial and stepping back.”
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Keir Starmer also said: Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon “should not happen.” The British prime minister also rejected a claim made by US vice-president JD Vance on Wednesday that there was a “legitimate misunderstanding”, saying the issue was “not a technical question of whether there has been a breach of the treaty”. Starmer said it was “a matter of principle in my opinion”.
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A statement attributed to him Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Iran Will Take A new phase has been entered in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, but did not provide detailed information about what this would be. In his statement read on state television, he also stated that Iran remains determined to “take revenge” for his father, who was assassinated on the first day of the war, and for everyone killed in the war. “We will definitely demand compensation for every damage caused, the blood price of the martyrs in this war, and compensation for those injured,” he said.
important events
A Botswana-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker named Nidi attempted to leave the Persian Gulf on the instructions of the Revolutionary Guard, but suddenly turned around and returned early Friday, ship tracking data showed, indicating that Iran maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Four tankers and three bulk carriers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, bringing the total number of ships that have passed since the ceasefire to at least 12, according to data firm Kpler.
However, other ships that did not transmit their positions may have passed through there. The strait typically carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows, and in peacetime about 140 ships pass through it a day.
Japan plans to release 20 days of oil reserves from May, ensuring domestic supplies are stable as conflicts in the region continue to disrupt global supply, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at a cabinet meeting on Friday.
Japan depends on the Middle East for approximately 95% of its oil. On March 16, it unilaterally and in coordination with other countries began releasing reserves as part of a plan to provide enough oil for 50 days. The new version is an addition worth 20 days.
As of April 6, Japan had enough oil in its reserves to last 230 days, 143 of which were in public stock.
By May, Japan could secure more than half of its oil imports from routes outside the Strait of Hormuz, Takaichi said, without naming the sources.
Japan also contacted suppliers in Central Asia, such as the United States, Malaysia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, in Latin America, including Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico, and in Africa, such as Nigeria and Angola.
Takaichi said the government is asking suppliers to sell fuel directly to sectors such as healthcare, transportation and agriculture, including green tea producers, livestock and fisheries.
Summary
Welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran grew more tense on Friday, a day before delegations from both countries met in Pakistan, as Donald Trump accused Tehran of violating its promises regarding the Strait of Hormuz and Israel struck Lebanon with attacks that Iran claimed violated the ceasefire.
Trump said in a social media post late Thursday that Iran was doing a “very bad job” of allowing oil to pass through the strait. “This is not the agreement between us!”
There is no sign that Iran is lifting the near-total embargo on the strait that has caused the worst-ever disruption to global energy supplies. Tehran has cited Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon, which included the heaviest strikes of the war on Wednesday, as a key sticking point.
In the first 24 hours of the ceasefire announced by Trump on Tuesday, only a single oil products tanker and five dry cargo ships passed through the strait, which carried a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows and 140 ships a day the day before the war.
-
Donald Trump has He said he was “very optimistic” that a peace deal with Iran was achievable as a diplomatic mission led by vice president J.D. Vance prepares to travel to Pakistan this weekend for high-stakes talks aimed at ending the war. In keeping with his administration’s narrative that there is a disconnect between what Tehran says publicly and privately, Iran’s leaders “talk a lot differently when they’re in meetings than they talk to the press. They’re a lot more reasonable,” the US president said.
-
Embers Moreover On Wednesday, he confirmed that he had asked Benjamin Netanyahu to be “simpler.” Lebanon Helping ensure the success of the upcoming US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad. Speaking to NBC News, Trump said, “I talked to Bibi and he will simplify it. I think we need to be a little simpler,” adding that he believes Israel is “downsizing” its operations in Lebanon.
-
Netanyahu said he had instructed his cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah. – meanwhile insisting that “there is no ceasefire” in Lebanon and that Israel “will continue to attack Hezbollah with force.”
-
Israel has since launched a new wave of attacks on what it calls “Hezbollah launch sites” in Lebanon.After the IDF had previously ordered people to flee Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs. Later in the day, Hezbollah said it had fired a salvo of rockets at northern Israeli settlements.
-
While Israel insists that the war will continue and “talks will be held under fire”, Lebanon demands a ceasefire before direct negotiations begin. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said: This was the “only solution”. Lebanon also insists it needs the United States as a mediator and guarantor of any deal. These talks will take place next week, hosted by the US State Department in Washington.
-
Iranian president Massoud Pezeshkian said Israel’s attack on Lebanon violated the ceasefire agreement He added that Iran would not abandon the Lebanese people, making the negotiations pointless.
-
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Galibaf, said Lebanon was “an integral part of the ceasefire agreement.” In a post about X, he said, “There is no room for denial and stepping back.”
-
Keir Starmer also said: Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon “should not happen.” The British prime minister also rejected a claim made by US vice-president JD Vance on Wednesday that there was a “legitimate misunderstanding”, saying the issue was “not a technical question of whether there has been a breach of the treaty”. Starmer said it was “a matter of principle in my opinion”.
-
A statement attributed to him Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Iran Will Take A new phase has been entered in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, but did not provide detailed information about what this would be. In his statement read on state television, he also stated that Iran remains determined to “take revenge” for his father, who was assassinated on the first day of the war, and for everyone killed in the war. “We will definitely demand compensation for every damage caused, the blood price of the martyrs in this war, and compensation for those injured,” he said.
