A ceasefire agreement to pause the war in Iran appeared to be on the verge of collapse after the Islamic Republic once again closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
The White House called for the vital waterway to be reopened and attempted to keep peace negotiations on course. Both the US and Iran declared victory following the agreement, and global leaders voiced relief, even as drones and missiles continued to strike Iran and Gulf Arab states.
Meanwhile, Israel intensified its offensive against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, targeting several commercial and residential areas in Beirut without prior warning.
At least 182 people were killed and hundreds more than 800 injured, marking one of the deadliest days in the current Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
The renewed violence threatened to derail what US Vice President J D Vance described as a fragile agreement. Iranโs Parliament speaker stated that planned talks with the US aimed at securing a permanent end to hostilities were unreasonable, arguing that Washington had violated 3 of Tehranโs 10 conditions for ending the conflict.
In a social media statement, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticised Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire had begun, and the US position that it would not accept any Iranian uranium enrichment in a final deal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintained that ending the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire arrangement with the US. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump said the truce did not extend to Lebanon.
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