A wave of Israeli air strikes across Lebanon threatened a ceasefire between the US and Iran less than a day after the agreement was announced.
The two-week truce, announced late on Tuesday by US president Donald Trump, was placed in jeopardy after the Israel Defense Forces launched the largest wave of strikes across Lebanon since the current conflict began. It said it hit 100 Hizbullah command centres and military structures in a 10-minute attack.
Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of killing unarmed civilians. According to the Lebanese civil defence, at least 254 people were killed and more than 1,100 injured. Casualties were expected to rise.
Iran ceasefire: Did Trump run out of road?
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington must choose between the temporary ceasefire and allowing Israel to continue its strikes in Lebanon.
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The current conflict between Israel and Hizbullah began after the militant group responded to the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by firing missiles into Israel from Lebanon. The ayatollah was killed by an air strike when the US-Israel attack on Iran began at the end of February.
Trump told reporters the temporary ceasefire does not cover Lebanon, while Iran and Pakistani mediators insisted otherwise.
Iran reportedly informed mediators it will only participate in ceasefire talks with the US in Pakistan if the truce includes Lebanon.
Iran agreed to allow vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route, for two weeks as part of the conditional ceasefire brokered by Pakistan while negotiations take place to reach a permanent peace agreement. But according to the Fars news agency in Iran, the passage of oil tankers through the strait was halted on Wednesday because of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
The White House said US vice-president JD Vance would lead Washington’s negotiating team at the talks in Pakistan, which are due to begin on Saturday. Tehran’s delegation is expected to be led by parliament speaker and former Revolutionary Guards cdr Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and foreign minister Araghchi.
Both sides were quick to claim that the deal marked a significant victory.
Trump, less than a day after threatening Iran with the death of a “whole civilisation”, wrote that the truce marked “a big day for World Peace!” adding that “Iran wants it, they’ve had enough, and so has everyone else. Big money will be made ... This could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!!”
Addressing US-Israeli concerns over Iran’s nuclear capabilities, he said there will be no uranium enrichment and the US will work with Iran to dig up the buried “nuclear dust”, adding that sanctions relief and tariffs on ships sailing in through the strait will also be discussed in the negotiations.
Vance expressed confidence that an agreement can be reached “if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith”.
Iranian state media claimed the ceasefire marked a victory, saying Washington has agreed to uranium enrichment in Iran.
[ Israel carries out ‘largest strikes’ in Lebanon since war beganOpens in new window ]
Iranians came on to the streets in Tehran and other cities to celebrate the ceasefire, carrying flags and portraits of new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
World leaders welcomed the ceasefire agreement and oil prices fell sharply, although they remain significantly higher than before the start of the war. Stock markets worldwide also advanced.
Israel accepted the ceasefire, confirming it was also stopping its attacks on Iran. But it said military actions against Hizbullah in Lebanon would continue.
There was criticism in Israel that the ceasefire left the regime in Iran in power, the enriched uranium in place and left Tehran with the ability to fire ballistic missiles at Israel with the support of its regional proxies.
