25 five ships tracked transiting Strait of Hormuz Thursday as Iran and U.S. lifted restrictions
The increase came after President Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed an initial agreement that calls for the crucial shipping route to reopen amid an extended ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran – and an end to hostilities in Lebanon.
The memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday also calls for 60 days of direct bilateral negotiations aimed at a much wider peace deal to begin, but that next step – which had been expected to start Friday in Switzerland – has been delayed amid increased fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On June 18 “we observed 25 verified commercial vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz — the highest single-day count since 18 April and more than five times the average daily level recorded during the first ten days of June,” AXSMarine said in a news release.
Israeli military says it attacked 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Israeli military said Friday that it had struck at least 80 Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon as fighting between the two sides reignited in the first major test of the fragile U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending the war.
“Overnight, the IDF struck more than 80 command centers, terrorists, launch positions, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement
The statement said “dozens” of Hezbollah fighters were killed in the strikes, which the IDF called a response to “repeated, ongoing, and blatant violations of the ceasefire” by the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group based in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said at least 18 people were killed in the attacks on the country.
Iran’s top negotiator says Tehran will not waver from its “red lines” in new talks with U.S.
“As we have shown in the past path of negotiations, we are steadfast in fulfilling the conditions and red lines set, and in achieving the interests of the Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said in remarks published by Iran’s official IRNA state news agency. “If the enemy seeks to be excessive, we have proven that our fingers are on the trigger and we have no hesitation in giving a crushing response to the enemy.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei says Trump signed agreement “out of desperation”
“In the course of reaching this stage, the officials in charge, out of sincere concern and goodwill, made extensive efforts — and of course, it was the American president who, out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage to bring this about,” Khamenei said in the statement.
Khamenei – who has not been seen or heard from directly since he inherited his position from his father, who was killed on the first day of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, said Iran had accepted the terms of the agreement and that there would be “in-person negotiations in the future,” but that Tehran would not necessarily accept the Trump administration’s demands for a broader peace deal.
Iran pulled out of talks with U.S. over Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, official tells AP
One of the officials said Iran had suspended plans to begin direct talks with U.S. officials in Switzerland on Friday specifically over the fighting and comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which they described as violating the interim deal between Iran and the U.S.
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday put off his trip to Switzerland, where he had been set to lead the next-phase talks with Iran provisioned by the memorandum of understanding signed by both countries on Wednesday. The White House blamed logistical issues for the delay in beginning the talks, which are expected to last 60 days.
Trump calls on Hezbollah and Israel to stop fighting
“The United States is committed to PEACE, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post. “We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.”
Israel said it attacked Hezbollah in the early hours of Friday morning in response to “repeated violations of the ceasefire.”
In a brief statement the Israel Defense Forces said it had “struck throughout the night and continues to strike Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure sites in several areas across southern Lebanon.”
Lebanese officials said at least 18 civilians were killed, making it the deadliest attack since the U.S. and Iran reached an agreement early this week on the memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday by Mr. Trump and Iranian President Masound Pezeshkian.
Israeli strikes kill 18 in Lebanon as fighting with Hezbollah flares up, health ministry says
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli military said were ongoing. Israel, meantime, said four of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, including a lieutenant colonel. An explosive drone attack hurt another five, it added.
Continued fighting in Lebanon could unravel the newly signed deal, which calls for an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” where Israel has been battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, and for ensuring Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
Vance no longer traveling to Switzerland for talks with Iran tonight, White House says
“As the Vice President said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity. But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the White House press pool. “As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps.”
The spokesperson added: “We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
Under the memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the U.S. this week, the two sides are planning to hold 60 days of technical talks on the fate of Iran’s nuclear program.
Earlier in the day, Vance told reporters the plan was for those talks to begin this weekend, and he intended to travel to Switzerland for the start of negotiations, but “that could change” because Iran is “not an easy country … to get out of.”
“It just depends on exactly when the Iranians can get there,” he said. “We’re trying to figure that out as we speak, but again, I suspect it will happen this weekend.”
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