Neither side is looking ready to de-escalate. US President Donald Trump threatened more military action if Iranian strikes continue, while the IRGC warned ceasefire violations would “result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes.”
Strait of Hormuz: The interim US-Iran agreement is also not being reflected in the crucial waterway, leaving commercial vessel operators and their crews facing confusion and danger. Three distinct routes for ships have emerged, with different authorities vying to organize the flow of traffic.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today that any interference in Tehran’s management of the Strait of Hormuz will escalate tensions, and US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, said the US will continue to target Iranian military infrastructure if Tehran threatens shipping traffic there.
Both Bahrain and Kuwait have said that they were targeted by Tehran, with a residential building in Bahrain’s Muharraq governorate being heavily damaged overnight.
Several large merchant ships have passed through the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran insists that ships must have its permission to sail through it on designated routes, but a growing number of vessels are using a route that hugs the Omani coast, threatening Iran’s leverage.
Fresh Israeli attacks have been reported in Lebanon today, two days after a US-brokered agreement was signed between Israel, Lebanon and the US.
An Israeli soldier was killed in a firefight with a Hezbollah gunman in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said today.
Iran’s Araghchi said the US “bears direct responsibility” for stopping Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon must be part of a final deal with the US.
CNN’s Aida Karimi, Tim Lister, Logan Schiciano, Brad Lendon, Ibrahim Dahman, Billy Stockwell, Eugenia Yosef and Oren Liebermann contributed to this reporting.