Main points
Key reads
- ‘Hello, fellow prisoners’: Iran’s internet flickers back to life
- Intensified IDF airstrikes in Lebanon follow surge in Hizbullah drone attacks
- ‘Zero dollars’: Why does Donald Trump’s Board of Peace fund lie empty?
That concludes Thursday’s live coverage.
‘Nothing can justify’ Israel’s bombardment, says Lebanese PM
Lebanon’s prime minister has slammed Israel’s expanded offensive in the south of the country, which he said amounts to “collective punishment condemned by all international norms and laws”.
“Nothing can justify the ongoing assaults on my regions of Tyre and Nabatieh and the destruction of their historical landmarks, nor the continuous threats targeting our peaceful people there, nor the repeated calls for them to leave their homes and abandon their livelihoods,” Nawaf Salam wrote on X.
He said the attacks strengthen “our resolve for the necessity of an immediate ceasefire, working toward a complete Israeli withdrawal from our land”. – The Guardian
Israel continues attacks on Lebanon
While reports continue to circulate on a potential agreement between the US and Iran, an Israeli strike hit a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Thursday, the first strike to hit near Beirut in weeks amid a ceasefire that has failed to halt fighting between Israeli troops and Hizbullah in south Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it had conducted a “precise” strike in Beirut but did not offer additional details. Two Israeli security sources said the target was Ali al-Husseini, whom they described as head of the missile division within the Imam Hussein Division, a militia that Israeli officials say is aligned with Hizbullah and Iran.
There was no immediate comment from Hizbullah or Iran on the attack. A Lebanese security source said it was carried out with two missiles targeting a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The strike dealt another blow to a fraying ceasefire announced by Washington on April 16th that was meant to halt the war raging between Israel and Iran-backed Hizbullah since March 2nd.
[ Israel continues attacks on Lebanon, striking Beirut and country’s southOpens in new window ]
Memorandum text not yet confirmed, says Iranian media
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, said on Thursday the text of a potential memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States had not yet been finalised or confirmed.
The source said Tehran had not informed the Pakistani mediator that the text was complete and would notify both the mediator and the public once finalised, adding that western media reports claiming the agreement had already been finalised were false. – Reuters
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said that Donald Trump “wanted to punctuate freedom of navigation in the strait [of Hormuz]” when he threatened to “blow up” Oman on Wednesday.
Bessent said he spoke with the Omani ambassador, who “assured” him that there are no plans to toll the critical waterway.
The US president made the extraordinary threat to the US’s ally after reports of talks between Iran and Oman about jointly charging a toll for ships passing through the strait, which has been all but closed since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.
A reminder that, in addition to Oman’s decades-long military and economic ties with the US, the Gulf nation of 5.3 million people has played a mediation role in the war and has itself come under attack from Tehran.
Bessent added on Thursday: “Our countries have had 200 years of good relations. [Trump] wants to have another 200 more.” – The Guardian
The White House earlier declined to comment on reports of the memorandum.
The Trump administration has several times said a deal to end the fighting was close, only to have Iran dispute or downplay the claims.
Trump initially said the war would last four to six weeks, but it is now three months old. At times, he has suggested the conflict could end within days, only to later suggest it could go on for some time.
Over the weekend, expectations of a deal soared when Trump cancelled his weekend plans to stay in Washington and skipped his son’s wedding, citing “circumstances pertaining to government”.
On Sunday, a senior Trump administration official downplayed an imminent deal, but said there was agreement in principle over the broad contours of a deal.
Trump has come under growing pressure from within his own party, who have urged him not to make any agreement that fails to immediately address Iran’s nuclear program.
Growing voter disquiet about high prices, especially for gasoline, has added to political pressure on Trump’s Republican Party, which is widely expected to struggle to keep control of the US House of Representatives and possibly the US Senate.
Trump has said his key aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium. Tehran has consistently denied it has plans to do that. – Reuters
UN seeking clarity on US-Iran memorandum
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN chief António Guterres, has said that the United Nations is trying to “get a better understanding of what is official and what is not official”, amid reports that a memorandum of understanding has been reached between the US and Iran.
In comments reported by Al Jazeera, Dujarric told reporters that the UN is “very worried and concerned” about exchanges of fire between the two countries this week.
He said: “We encourage both parties to respect the ceasefire that they had announced.”
US sources have also confirmed to Al Jazeera that US and Iranian negotiators have agreed on a framework for a 60-day ceasefire extension deal but it still needs Trump’s approval.
The sources confirmed the two sides had agreed on a memorandum of understanding to extend the truce and launch negotiations for a final deal to end the war.
This is in line with the report the earlier from Axios, which cited two US officials. – The Guardian
Inflation in US climbs at fastest rate in three years
US inflation increased at its fastest pace in three years in April, driven by higher energy prices amid the war with Iran, and cementing economists’ views that the Federal Reserve could hold interest rates unchanged well into next year.
Surging price pressures are eroding household income and could restrain consumer spending and economic growth this quarter.
Income at the disposal of households after adjusting for inflation dropped for a third straight month in April, other data showed on Thursday.
Given the soaring cost of living, Americans are growing frustrated with Donald Trump’s handling of the economy.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey last week showed the president’s approval rating fell to nearly its lowest level since he returned to the White House, hit by a drop in support among republicans.
Trump won the 2024 presidential election in large part because of his promise to lower inflation.
The government on Thursday also revised down the growth pace in consumer spending in the first quarter to 1.4 per cent from the previously reported 1.6 per cent annualised rate.
Inflation threatens his Republican Party’s congressional majority in the November midterm elections.
“The inflation picture is becoming increasingly uncomfortable for the Fed,” said Olu Sonola, head of US economics at Fitch Ratings. “Price pressures are likely to persist over the next few months, and while the Fed cannot fix a supply shock, it cannot ignore one that is feeding into underlying inflation.” – Guardian/Reuters
Netanyahu orders military to take control of 70% of Gaza
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had ordered the country’s military to take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, in defiance of the terms of a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October.
“We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60 pre cent of the territory in the strip,” he said at a conference in an occupied West Bank settlement, according to a video aired by Israel’s Channel 12 network.
He said the military had controlled 50 per cent of Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire, adding: “My directive is to move to ... 70 per cent”.
“We’re squeezing them from all [sides]. We’ll deal with what’s left afterwards.” – The Guardian
US warns Oman to stay away from Strait tolls
The United States has warned Oman on not to get directly or indirectly involved in any effort to impose a toll in the Strait of Hormuz.
It said it would penalise any partners involved in such a system.
“The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X.
“Oman, in particular, should know that the US Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved – directly or indirectly – in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalised,” Bessent added.
The day so far
US, Iran reach deal but Trump needs to sign up – report
The US and Iran have reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and launch negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, US news agency Axios is reporting.
However, US president Donald Trump still needs to give final approval, it said citing two US officials.
The signing of the understanding would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the war started, but a final agreement that tackles Trump’s nuclear demands would still require further intensive negotiations.
According to Axios the terms of the deal were mostly agreed to on Tuesday but both sides still needed approval from senior leadership
Quoting unnamed US officials it said the Iranians later came back and said they had the necessary approvals and were prepared to sign.
That has not yet been confirmed on the record by either side.
“US negotiators briefed Trump on the details of the final deal, but he did not immediately sign off. ‘The president relayed to the mediators that he wants a couple of days to think about it,’ a US official said,” the Axios report concludes.
‘We are done with this secretary general’
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon has said his country is breaking off contact with the secretary general over what it described as “outrageous” accusations.
He said he was appalled that his country had been blacklisted over accusations of sexual violence in war zones and said, in a post on X that Isreael was “done with this secretary general.
No commercial vessels transit Strait of Hormuz on Thursday
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz appeared all but deserted for much of today as commercial operators remain wary of renewed military escalation.
No commercial vessels were spotted transiting the waterway over the course of the morning as tensions spiked following a second round of US strikes against Iranian military targets this week.
The halt follows a sluggish Wednesday, which saw just six two-way crossings, including a Turkish Suezmax entering to load cargo in the Gulf, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
Iran claimed that several ships attempted unauthorised entry into the Gulf last night, some of which turned back, while two were stopped.
The assertion remains unverified, with heavy signal jamming and disabled navigation systems obscuring actual transits. Tehran also said 26 ships crossed the strait in the past day, which could include smaller, coastal vessels.
US president Donald Trump said no single nation would be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring one of the central obstacles to securing a lasting agreement with Iran. The comments came after American forces intercepted Iranian drones aimed at a commercial vessel and destroyed a nearby launch unit.
The US treasury also announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, accusing the agency of extorting ships to profit from the region’s instability.
US treasury secretary says US will shut down Iranian airlines’ access in X post
In a post on X, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the US will be shutting down both Iranian airlines’ access to landing spots, refuelling and ticket sales.
“Only a satisfactory outcome in negotiations will end the downward spiral,” he added.
Iran threatens ‘firm response’ to US if attacks renewed
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened a “firm response” on Thursday in the event of renewed attacks, after the United States carried out a strike the country’s south.
“If this action is repeated, the US military will face a firm response,” the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website. – The Guardian
Pakistani foreign minister to travel to Washington
Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar will visit Washington on Friday where he will meet with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
The visit comes as Pakistan is attempting to negotiate a peace pact to permanently end the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Dar will meet Rubio “to review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest”, the foreign ministry said in a statement. – Reuters
Apartment building targeted in Israeli strike
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on Beirut targeted an apartment building in the southern Choueifat area.
The Times of Israel reported that the Israel Defense Forces was attempting to assassinate an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked military leader.
Citing a security source, the newspaper reported that the target was Ali al-Husni, described as “the head of the missile force in the Imam Hossein Division, an Iranian militia that operates alongside Hizbullah”.
It is the first time in over three weeks that Israel has attacked the Lebanese capital. – The Guardian
Kuwait says Iranian attacks on its territory a ‘dangerous escalation’
Kuwait has now named Iran as being behind the attempted missile and drone attacks against the Gulf state, describing it as a “dangerous escalation”.
Earlier, the Kuwaiti armed forces said it had intercepted drones and missiles that were launched towards the country, but did not say who was behind the attacks.
The US and UAE placed the blame on Iran.
In a statement, the Kuwaiti foreign ministry said it expressed the country’s “strongest condemnation and denunciation of the criminal Iranian attacks that targeted the territory of the state of Kuwait with missiles and drones, in a dangerous escalation”. – The Guardian
Israeli military carries out strike in Beirut
The Israeli military said, on Thursday, it carried out a strike in Lebanon’s capital Beirut.
A Lebanese security source said the strike hit near Beirut’s southern suburbs, but it was not immediately clear what the target was.
Images from the area showed thick smoke billowing across buildings. – Reuters
UAE condemns Iranian strikes on Kuwait
The UAE has condemned “in the strongest terms” what it described as Iranian drone and missile attacks on Kuwait.
Earlier, the Kuwaiti armed forces said its air defences were intercepting “hostile missile and drone attacks” this morning, but did not say how many and where they were launched from.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted an unnamed American military base in retaliation against US strikes on the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Iranian state broadcaster Irib.
In a statement, the UAE’s foreign ministry said the attacks constituted “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Kuwait and a threat to its security and stability”. – The Guardian
US Central Command says Iran committed ‘egregious ceasefire violation’
US forces intercepted five one-way attack drones that were launched by Iran and prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X on Thursday.
It also said Iran launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait that was intercepted by Kuwaiti forces.
It described the attacks as an “egregious ceasefire violation by the Iranian regime”. – Reuters
Tehran is controlling and managing Strait of Hormuz, according to IRGC
Iran’s State TV said the Iranian navy stopped two vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz for unauthorised passage and forced two others to turn back on Wednesday night.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said 26 vessels have passed through the strait in the past 24 hours.
The IRGC added that Tehran is controlling and managing the strait and any disruption will be met with “decisive response”.
It also said obtaining permission and co-ordinating with the navy are mandatory for passing through the Strait of Hormuz. – Reuters
Israel strikes more than 135 Hizbullah targets in 24 hours
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have struck more than 135 Hizbullah targets in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, including in the city of Tyre and other southern areas and the eastern Bekaa valley.
Among the targets, the IDF said it struck a Hizbullah training camp and rocket launch sites.
Local media in Lebanon have reported massive explosions and widespread damage in Tyre, as the Israeli military continues to expand its operations deeper into the country through a relentless campaign of displacement orders and air strikes. – The Guardian
Hizbullah targets Israeli troops with drone and rocket attacks
Hizbullah claimed dozens of drone and rocket attacks that it said targeted Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
The group said it launched several attacks on Israeli soldiers and tanks that crossed the Litani river into the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah near Nabatieh.
Earlier this week, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, announced he had instructed the IDF to expand its operations in Lebanon with “large forces on the ground” and take control of new areas north of the Israeli-occupied buffer zone. – The Guardian
Israel’s defence minister says large-scale Palestinian migration from Gaza will go ahead
Israel’s defence minister said he is committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza through large-scale migration of Palestinians as part of Israel’s long-term plans for the territory.
Israel Katz said the government would implement a plan for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza “at the right time and in the right manner”, in a statement on Wednesday marking the targeted killing of Mohammed Odeh, Hamas’s most recent military commander.
Pushing for mass departures violates Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, which Israel signed last year. The second point of the plan states: “Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.”
Israel’s government has promoted the prospect of Gaza without Palestinians since Trump suggested early last year that hundreds of thousands of people should leave to “clean out” the strip for reconstruction. – The Guardian
Iran says Trump’s threats against Oman ‘dangerous’ and ‘bullying’
In a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry in which the spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei said, “threats to destroy a United Nations member state that has always played a constructive, effective and responsible role in regional peace and security and has used its noble efforts in the service of regional peace and stability as a mediator in diplomatic processes for many years are not only a violation of the fundamental principle of prohibiting the threat of the use of force, but also another dangerous sign of the normalisation of lawlessness and bullying in international relations.”
On Wednesday, Trump said he would “blow up” Oman if it entered an agreement with Iran to manage shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. – The Guardian
Lebanese and Israeli military officials to hold first security talks
Lebanese and Israeli military officials are set to hold their first security talks on Friday in Washington, with talks at a political level scheduled on June 2nd and 3rd.
The talks have extended a nominal ceasefire that went into effect on April 17th, although the attacks have since intensified. – The Guardian
Dozen people killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon
At least 12 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, according to local media.
Among those killed was a solider in the Lebanese armed forces.
In a post on social media, the army said the soldier was “targeted by a hostile Israeli air strike” while travelling between the villages of Zefta and Deir ez-Zahrani in the Nabatieh area.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported at least six people, including children, were killed in an Israeli drone attack on the Adloun Highway in the Nabi Sari area of southern Lebanon.
The victims – reported to be members of the same family – were killed “as they were trying to flee from the threatened villages to a safe place at dawn”, according to the news agency.
More deaths were reported in the southern Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon where the Israeli military said it is targeting Hizbullah infrastructure. – The Guardian
Iran condemns US attacks
Tehran condemns the US attack on areas in Iran’s Bandar Abbas, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement on Thursday.
Iran also expresses solidarity with Oman after “US officials’ threats”, Baghaei added, following president Donald Trump’s threat to blow up Oman if it did not “behave just like everybody else” in regards to the control of the Strait of Hormuz. – Reuters
Iran’s internet partly restored after 88 days
After 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, long-delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life, reports Deepa Parent.
The first reactions, however, were not celebratory. Many new posts were threaded with scepticism, anxiety and anger.
Ellie* (42), an artist from Tehran, was able to connect for the first time since February 28th, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. “I lit a cigarette, played SoundCloud and listened to our favourite music,” she said. “Ali [her husband] and I held back tears, then cried and convinced ourselves that this was a small taste of a much greater freedom after the fall of this regime ... and we truly believe it.”
For the full article, click here.
Two Lebanese people killed in Israeli strikes
Two people were killed in Tyre in an Israeli drone strike on Thursday morning, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act “with great force” against the Iran-backed Hizbullah in the zone.
The statement on Wednesday appeared to signal a further escalation after more than 120 strikes hit Lebanon’s south and east on Tuesday, despite a ceasefire.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was hitting Hizbullah targets in the ancient coastal city in southern Lebanon, a day after issuing a warning forcing thousands of people to leave Tyre and surrounding areas. – The Guardian
More information on US attack on Iran
The US has targeted a military facility in Iran and downed four attack drones, US officials said, which prompted an apparent Iranian retaliatory attack on an American airbase in Kuwait.
US Central Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz, according to the officials, and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.
Iranian state broadcaster Irib reported later on Thursday the Revolutionary Guards had targeted an American base in Kuwait “that served as the source of the attack”.
Kuwait’s army confirmed its air defences were intercepting missile and drone threats just before 6am in Kuwait City. – The Guardian
One Israeli soldier killed and two injured
The Israeli military said a soldier had been killed and two others injured in northern Israel.
Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman
Donald Trump has threatened to “blow up” Oman if it fails to “behave” in a casual aside during a cabinet meeting, as the US scrambles to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president made the threat after reports of talks between Iran and Oman about jointly charging a toll for ships passing through the crucial waterway, which has been all but closed since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.
“The strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump declared on Tuesday. “Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it. But nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have.” – The Guardian
Oil prices increase
Oil prices have rebounded after reports of the escalation in hostilities, after falling by 5 per cent on Wednesday.
Brent North Sea crude, the main international benchmark, rose by 1.8 per cent in Thursday morning trade to $95.95 (€82.61) a barrel.
Kuwait and Israel responding to hostile activity
Kuwait, which hosts a large US base, said it was responding to missile and drone attacks without saying where the attacks were coming from.
Israel also reported sounding sirens regarding hostile aircraft activity in northern Israel.
The Israeli military also said it had begun striking Hizbullah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. – Reuters
Iran targets US base after US drones attack operation near Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard targeted a US airbase on Thursday after the US military carried out what a Washington official said were strikes on an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after president Donald Trump rejected a report he was close to a compromise deal with Tehran.
The US official told Reuters the military shot down four Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.
“These actions were measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” the official said.
The IRGC said it targeted a US base in response to what it described as an early morning US attack near Bandar Abbas airport, Tasnim news agency reported.
The IRGC said it targeted the US airbase from which the attack on the control station near Bandar Abbas was launched, without identifying the base. – Reuters
