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
Iranian media publishes Strait of Hormuz routes to avoid 'sea mines'
Iranian media issued a chart outlining "alternative" traffic routes in the Strait of Hormuz to protect vessels from what it said were "possible collisions with sea mines."
The chart was widely published on Wednesday along with a statement detailing the alternative routes by Iran's semi-official news agencies, including those close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps such as Fars and Tasnim.
According to the statement, all vessels intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz "must coordinate with the IRGC Navy" and use alternative routes in order "to observe maritime safety principles and avoid potential collisions with sea mines."
The statement and chart were initially attributed to the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization. However, in later reports, news agencies close to the IRGC -- including Fars and Tasnim -- attributed them to the IRGC Navy.
The alternative routes pass close to Iran's coastline in the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz, passing either side of Larak island.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Victoria Beaule
Iran minister condemns Israel's Lebanon strikes, says US must choose war or peace
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh on Thursday condemned Israel's expanding attacks on Lebanon, telling BBC News that Tehran had communicated its anger over Wednesday's intense strikes to the White House.
"You cannot have your cake and eat it at the same time," Khatibzadeh said, adding that the message was sent to Washington following Israel's wave of attacks on Lebanon that began shortly after the announcement of the ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran.
"You cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept terms and conditions, accept all the areas that a ceasefire is applied to and name Lebanon, exactly Lebanon, and then your ally just starts a massacre," Khatibzadeh said, referring to Israel.
The U.S., he added, must choose whether it wants "war or peace." Khatibzadeh continued, "They cannot have it both at the same time. They are mutually exclusive, it is quite clear."
Asked if Iran will pull out of peace talks in Pakistan if Israel continues to strike Lebanon, Khatibzadeh replied, "We are very much focusing on the wellbeing of the Middle East."
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.
Lebanon mourns hundreds killed by Israeli strikes
Flags were lowered to half-mast at the Presidential Palace in Beirut and across the country, as Lebanon marked a day of national mourning following Wednesday's Israeli bombardment in Beirut and other parts of the country.
A meeting of President Joseph Aoun's cabinet began with a minute's silence to mark the killings, the president's office said in a post to X.
Lebanon's Ministry of Health said at least 203 people were killed in the attacks, with more than 1,000 people injured. Many funerals are expected to take place in Lebanon on Thursday.
In statements posted to Telegram on Thursday, Hezbollah claimed to have fired rockets toward northern Israel, targeted an Israeli military vessel with an anti-ship missile and launched several attacks on Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.
-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti
IDF says it killed Hezbollah chief's nephew in Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces said in a post to X on Thursday that it killed the nephew and personal secretary of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem in strikes on Beirut on Wednesday.
Ali Yusuf Kharshi, the IDF said, was a close associate and adviser to Qassem and "played a central role in managing his office and providing his security."
Israeli strikes killed at least 182 people in Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.