President Trump says US Navy will begin blockade of Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. and Iran failed to reach a peace deal after 21 hours of negotiations.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.
Trump set a deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure. Hours before the deadline expired, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi then said that "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon -- where intense Israeli strikes continued -- was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.
Key Headlines
- US blockade of Iranian ports to begin Monday, CENTCOM says
- Military vessels approaching Strait of Hormuz 'will be met with severe force,' IRGC says
- DOJ will 'vigorously prosecute' buyers or sellers of sanctioned Iranian oil, Blanche says
- Despite blockade announcement, Trump urges Iran to open Strait of Hormuz
- President Trump says US Navy will begin blockade of Strait of Hormuz
Iran minister says Strait of Hormuz is open to all ships that coordinate with Tehran
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told ITV News on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels that coordinate their movements with Iranian authorities.
Asked if Tehran will allow American vessels to transit the waterway, Khatibzadeh said that so long as there is no "hostile behavior," any ships that receive authorization from Iranian authorities will be able to pass.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
Pakistan, EU officials condemn ceasefire 'violations' in Lebanon
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas both "expressed concern over serious violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon" in a phone conversation on Thursday, according to a readout from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
The two officials emphasized the need for the "full implementation of the temporary ceasefire in the Middle East," the readout said.
In a post to her own X channel, Kallas said that Hezbollah "dragged Lebanon into the war, but Israel's right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction."
"Israeli actions are putting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon. Hezbollah must disarm. The EU supports Lebanon's efforts to disarm Hezbollah," Kallas added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President JD Vance have said Lebanon was not included in the two-week ceasefire agreement announced on Tuesday.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, though, said in his announcement of the truce that Lebanon was covered.
Iranian officials and state media have likewise suggested that Lebanon is part of the ceasefire deal and have warned that continued Israeli action there could prompt Iranian retaliation.
4 Lebanese soldiers killed by Israeli strikes, army says
The Lebanese Armed Forces announced on Thursday that four of its troops were killed by Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday.
Two soldiers were killed in the eastern Baalbek region, one in the southeastern region of Hermel and one in the coastal region of Sidon, the army said in a statement.
Iranians mark 40 days since Khamenei assassination
Thursday marked 40 days since the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on Feb. 28.
Thousands of regime supporters across Tehran and elsewhere in Iran gathered, carrying Iranian flags and some carrying portraits of Khamenei.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, the country's new supreme leader, has not been seen in public since the start of the war.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti