What we're covering
• Status of ceasefire: The two-week ceasefire deal appears to be largely holding, with fewer attacks reported across the region today. A US delegation will go to Pakistan for talks beginning Saturday.
• Strait of Hormuz: Only a handful of vessels have been allowed to pass through the crucial waterway since the ceasefire announcement. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed shipping through the strait stopped following Israel’s attack on Lebanon Wednesday, which Tehran has said was a ceasefire violation.
• International backlash: Condemnation is mounting after hundreds were killed and wounded in Israel’s largest strikes on Lebanon since the war started. Iran and Pakistan insist Lebanon is part of the ceasefire deal, but the US and Israel claim the agreement doesn’t cover Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
• Trump on deal: President Donald Trump said US forces will remain “in place” until a full agreement is reached with Iran. Trump added that if a deal is not reached, “which is highly unlikely,” then the “Shootin’ Starts.”
Lebanon’s prime minister instructs security forces to clear Beirut of non-state weapons
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has instructed the country’s security forces to clear the capital of non-state arms, in a move likely directed at the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The statement, carried in a post on X from the Lebanese presidency, comes a day after Israel launched its deadliest attack on the Lebanese capital in decades. Scores were reported killed, including women and children, in strikes which pounded busy neighborhoods without warning.
The attacks on Beirut were part of what the Israeli military described as its largest wave of strikes across Lebanon since the start of its campaign in Lebanon, bombing over 100 targets – which it said were Hezbollah sites – in the span of 10 minutes.
Israel has made disarming Hezbollah a “top priority” of its war against the group, which escalated in the aftermath of joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Hezbollah, which is a powerful political and military force in Lebanon, has long resisted such moves.
Salam’s comments signal a ramping up of government efforts to disband the group’s militant wing, and may be an attempt to clear the capital from Israel’s line of fire after the devastating strikes on Wednesday.
The Lebanese government had previously banned Hezbollah’s armed activities. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun accused the group of dragging the country into Iran’s war with the US and Israel, after it launched its first attack on Israel in over a year.
But Hezbollah’s militancy has continued unabated. For over a month, it has engaging in heavy exchanges of fire with Israel, including firing at Israeli towns and cities, and is fighting an Israeli ground offensive in south Lebanon.
Seafarer stranded near the Strait of Hormuz tells of dwindling food supplies
A seafarer stranded near the Strait of Hormuz has told CNN that he and others are struggling with dwindling food supplies, as traffic through the key waterway remains slow despite a temporary ceasefire.
Hundreds of vessels are still stuck in the Persian Gulf with thousands of crew on board.
“There’s no bombing over the last two days but now we are facing struggles for food,” the Indian seafarer, whose vessel is moored at Iran’s Khorramshahr Port, said Thursday.
“I understand there is a ceasefire but some guys at Lavan Island are saying there were bombings there,” he said. “Here such bombings are not happening for the last two days but a lot of bombing was happening before.”
Iranian state media reported an attack Wednesday on oil refinery facilities on Iran’s Lavan Island, the day the ceasefire was announced, but since then attacks on Iran and across the region have largely halted.
Despite this, only a handful of vessels have been allowed to pass through the chokepoint since the ceasefire announcement.
Another seafarer stranded at Iran’s Lavan Port contacted the Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI), a major trade union representing Indian seafarers and sailors, pleading for assistance on Thursday. “Help me sir,” they wrote in WhatsApp messages seen by CNN.
The union’s secretary general told CNN that hundreds of Indian seafarers remained at risk.
“Despite the announced ceasefire, fresh explosions have taken place, rendering communication extremely difficult. The so-called ceasefire appears to have no meaning on the ground, as the lives of hundreds of Indian seafarers remain in grave danger,” Manoj Kumar Yadav said.
CNN’s Pallabi Munsi contributed reporting.
US preparing for talks, even amid warnings that Israeli strikes on Lebanon could undermine truce
American officials are moving quickly to prepare for high-stakes negotiations in Pakistan, even as Israel’s assault on Lebanon throws the fragile ceasefire into question, people familiar with the matter said.
There appeared little chance the Trump administration, eager to further cement the truce President Donald Trump has been eagerly touting, would choose to withdraw from the talks.
Vice President JD Vance, who is leading the American delegation to Islamabad, was back in Washington on Thursday after an overnight flight home from Hungary.
He claimed before he departed Budapest that disagreements over Lebanon were a simple “misunderstanding” of the ceasefire’s terms that shouldn’t cause the talks to fall apart.
If Iran chooses to withdraw, “that would be dumb but that’s their choice,” Vance said.
Yet Iran and international mediators are all warning that Israel’s continued bombardment of its neighbor could scuttle the efforts.
In a phone call with US envoy Steve Witkoff Thursday morning, Egypt’s foreign minister cautioned that “the Israeli aggression on Lebanon undermines all regional and international efforts to achieve” regional calm, according to a statement from his office.
Pakistan, which has taken a lead in mediating the ceasefire and says Lebanon is included in it, has worked behind the scenes to smooth over the disagreement, people familiar with the matter said.
But as of Thursday, it was unclear whether Israel’s offer “to check themselves a little bit,” as Vance claimed Wednesday, was in place.
The Israel Defense Forces issued a broad evacuation order for several neighborhoods in southern Beirut, including some areas that had not been previously targeted. Such warnings have often previously been followed by Israeli strikes.
White House discussed Pakistani prime minister’s ceasefire proposal prior to public plea
When Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday proposed a two-week ceasefire via social media, just hours before President Donald Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline for Iran, it appeared to be a desperate, 11th-hour plea to the leaders of Washington and Tehran.
However, Sharif’s calls for a two-week extension of Trump’s deadline, the reopening of the strait and a suspension of the countries’ military operations wasn’t exactly news to the White House, sources familiar with the talks told CNN. The White House had largely signed off on specific elements of Sharif’s post before he went public, the sources said.
Top Trump administration officials had been communicating with the Pakistanis throughout the day and had clarified what the US and Trump specifically needed to agree to a ceasefire, according to those sources. The diplomatic channels included conversations with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s foreign envoy, and Vice President JD Vance.
Sharif tagged leading officials from the US and Iran, including Trump, in his Tuesday afternoon post.
The New York Times first reported that the White House had been made aware of Sharif’s statement before it was posted.
Online speculation about the White House’s role in the post ramped up because it originally appeared online with the words “*Draft - Pakistan’s PM Message on X*” attached.
A White House official acknowledged prior communication about the post, but denied the White House was involved in writing it.
“The Pakistani PM let the President’s team know he was putting out this statement. But the White House did not draft it, nor did President Trump even see it, until it was released,” a White House official told CNN.
Beirut resident vows to remain living in neighborhood damaged by Israeli strikes
Ali Hijazi was among the Beirut residents assessing damage from Israeli strikes on their neighborhood.
He became emotional while discussing the destruction around him, but he remains steadfast to stay in Lebanon’s capital city.
“I’m here in Beirut by choice, and I will remain living in Beirut,” the 40-year-old told Reuters.
Tanzania's president cuts motorcade size to conserve fuel amid oil crisis
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan is cutting back on her motorcade, instructing officials accompanying her to travel in shared buses to conserve fuel amid rising oil prices in the East African nation.
Hassan has faced criticism for her large convoy, which reportedly included dozens of vehicles.
“We are starting to reduce fuel consumption, and I am beginning with my office,” she said on Wednesday, according to quotes translated from Swahili by local media outlet The Citizen Tanzania.
“Whenever I travel, senior officials follow behind me in their own cars. From now on, wherever I go, I will have them all travel together in one bus,” Hassan stated, noting that security measures for her motorcade – including a police escort and an additional backup vehicle – will be maintained.
The decision comes as petrol prices in Tanzania have surged by over 30%, a trend felt across many African nations as they grapple with the ripple effects of the Middle Eastern conflict, which has disrupted trade routes and driven up living costs.
Hassan’s decision to trim her motorcade coincides with a two-week ceasefire agreed by the United States and Iran, which has led to limited shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for approximately 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas.
Global criticism mounts over Israel's attacks in Lebanon
International backlash is mounting over Israel’s massive strikes across Lebanon Wednesday, which killed 182 people and wounded 890 others, and threatened to upend the uneasy ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran.
Pakistan, which condemned the attack, has maintained that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire deal it helped broker between the US, Israel and Iran. However, the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said the truce does not apply to operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he described as “indiscriminate” strikes by Israel on Lebanon, which he said “pose a direct threat to the sustainability of the ceasefire.”
The United Arab Emirates reaffirmed its “solidarity” with the Lebanese government and support of “Lebanon’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.” The country also expressed covern over “continued escalation” and the repercussions for “regional security and stability.”
United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Israel’s attacks on Lebanon were “deeply damaging” and Britain wants to “see Lebanon included in the ceasefire” in an interview with Times Radio on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “contempt for life and international law is intolerable.” He also called for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he called Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun to express solidarity for the “unjustified and unacceptable attacks.” Tajani said he summoned the Israeli ambassador, adding: “We want to avoid there being a second Gaza.”
The Italian embassy in Beirut said “hitting densely populated areas and sowing death among civilians” is a violation of “every principle of international humanitarian law.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the “heinous” strikes and called on the international community to compel Israel to “halt their brutal massacres.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry denounced the strikes “in the strongest terms” and accused Netanyahu’s government of undermining “international efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability.”
Criticism has also poured in from the United Nations and NGOs.
The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres “unequivocally” condemned the strikes and called for an end to the hostilities, which he said “pose a grave risk to the ceasefire,” in a statement from a spokesperson Wednesday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was “outraged” by the death and destruction in densely populated areas across Lebanon.
Mohammed Tawfeeq, Diego Mendoza, Michael Rios, Mostafa Salem and Noemi Cassanelli contributed reporting.
This post has been updated with more reaction.
Iran war means global economic growth will be lower than forecast before, says IMF chief
The conflict in the Middle East has led to a sharp reversal in the International Monetary Fund’s outlook for the global economy, its managing director said today.
“Had it not been for this shock, we would have been upgrading global growth.
But now, even our most hopeful scenario involves a growth downgrade,” Kristalina Georgieva said in prepared remarks. “Why? Because of infrastructure damage, supply disruptions, losses of confidence, and other scarring effects.”
The IMF is due to publish an updated World Economic Outlook report next week. In its previous report, released in January, it forecast global growth of 3.3% this year and 3.2% in 2027.
Speaking of the economic impact of the war, Georgieva said that, even in the best case, “there will be no neat and clean return” to the previous status quo. She gave the example of ship passages through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait on the Red Sea, saying they had not fully recovered from attacks by Houthi militants, which started in late 2023. “They remain stuck at about half their 2023 level,” she noted.
“We don’t truly know what the future holds for transits through the Strait of Hormuz… What we do know is that (economic) growth will be slower – even if the new peace is durable,” Georgieva added, referring to the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
She also said the war’s existing “ripple effects” would last for some time, pointing to diesel and jet fuel shortages, and hunger for at least another 45 million people, with the problem potentially worsening over time because of high fertilizer prices.
Oil surges back to $100 as traffic remains slow through Strait of Hormuz
US oil futures raced back to $100 a barrel today as the ceasefire with Iran has yet to result in a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark for crude oil, surged 5.5% to $99.61 a barrel in recent trading.
Oil traded as high as $100.29 a barrel Thursday morning, returning to triple-digit territory for the first time since the ceasefire was announced.
The jump comes a day after US oil futures crashed by 16%, or $18.54, on Wednesday. It was the biggest one-day dollar decline since futures trading launched in March 1983 and the biggest percentage drop since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The ceasefire holding depends on these 4 flashpoints
In the day since US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, Israel launched its deadliest attack against Lebanon, killing hundreds of people and testing the fragile truce to its limits.
The attacks laid bare a key, and potentially crucial, difference between the two sides’ understanding of the ceasefire: While Iran says Lebanon forms an “inseparable part” of the agreement, Israel and the US insist it does not.
So where does that leave the ceasefire, and the US’ demands for Iran to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz?
- Lebanon: Several fresh strikes hit Lebanon this morning, one of which killed more than 10 people including women and children, the country’s National News Agency reported. The IDF also issued an evacuation for huge swathes of Beirut’s southern suburbs today, another indication that its operations remain deadly. That came after least 182 people were yesterday killed in Israeli strikes which drew international condemnation, particularly as Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator, originally stated Lebanon was part of the deal. US Vice President JD Vance claimed there had been a “legitimate misunderstanding” regarding Lebanon’s inclusion in the ceasefire. Nonetheless, Iran halted oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in response to those strikes, semi-official news agency Fars reported yesterday. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf today doubled down on that posture, saying that “ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and STRONG responses.”
- Strait of Hormuz: Only very few vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire began, according to ship tracking data, contrary to Trump’s initial insistence the truce was contingent on the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING” of the crucial chokepoint. Yesterday, Vance reiterated that if Iran doesn’t reopen the waterway, the ceasefire will end.
- Gulf states and Iran: Meanwhile, the ceasefire appears to have come into effect in the Gulf region and Iran. For the first time since this war began, no Gulf countries have reported overnight attacks aside from Bahrain, which said it had intercepted seven drones in the last 24 hours, not necessarily overnight. The UAE even said explicitly it had not been targeted overnight.
- Talks: Still, preparations are underway for talks in Islamabad this weekend. Vance, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to attend.
Hassett predicts economic growth despite "temporary distraction" of Iran war
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said today he is expecting robust economic growth in the United States despite the “temporary distraction” of the war in Iran.
Hassett said in an interview with Fox Business that despite the economic impact the war has had, he is still predicting economic growth up to 5%. He said deregulation and tax cuts would help achieve economic growth.
The latest reading of US gross domestic product, released Thursday morning, showed that the economy grew at an annualized rate of just 0.5% in the October-through-December period.
When asked about the US negotiations to end the war with Iran, Hassett added, “I can’t get ahead of the negotiations, but the original set of demands that the Iranians had were just silly.”
For context: Vice President JD Vance said yesterday there have been some three different 10-point proposals to end the war, which has contributed to confusion about what’s forming the basis of negotiations. Vance said the first plan was rejected but another plan was more reasonable.
“We are working forward with the Iranians on something that could be a really great deal, and we’ve got the best people in the business there negotiating,” Hassett told Fox Business.
Israeli military issues broad evacuation order for southern Beirut
In the past hour, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a broad evacuation order for several neighborhoods in southern Beirut, Lebanon, including some areas that had not been previously targeted.
Such warnings have often previously been followed by Israeli strikes.
It comes after Israel carried out its largest strikes on the country since the war started on Wednesday, in attacks which killed at least 182 people and injured an additional 890 people.
Israel insists the two-week ceasefire with Iran does not include its war against Hezbollah, something Tehran and key mediator Pakistan dispute.
We’ll bring you more on this as we get it.
Iran’s top officials stress Lebanon’s inclusion in ceasefire deal despite US and Israeli denials
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf reiterated that they see Lebanon as part of the ceasefire agreement reached between Tehran and Washington amid uncertainty over the truce.
Positioned as a potential lead negotiator for Iran in upcoming talks with the US, Ghalibaf said in a post on X that Lebanon and Hezbollah are Iran’s allies and “form an inseparable part of the ceasefire.”
He added that the ceasefire declaration posted by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the importance of Lebanon as part of the agreement.
Pezeshkian echoed Ghalibaf’s warning that the continuation of Israeli “aggressions” against Lebanon “will render negotiations meaningless.”
“The repeated aggression by the Zionist entity against Lebanon is a flagrant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement and a dangerous indicator of deceit and lack of commitment to potential accords,” Pezeshkian said.
Ceasefire doubts: The comments come a day after huge Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s capital Beirut left hundreds killed or wounded and triggered widespread condemnation.
Israel and the US deny that Lebanon is part of the truce that ended weeks of fighting with Iran and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said the military would “continue to strike Hezbollah wherever necessary.”
Handful of vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid fragile ceasefire
Only a handful of vessels, including a tanker and several dry bulk carriers, have been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Iran late on Tuesday.
The ship tracking service MarineTraffic said that two vessels, one Greek-flagged and one that is sailing under the flag of Liberia, passed through on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, shipping analysts at Lloyd’s List said later on Wednesday that three vessels had passed through – “all with current or past links to Iran” – and added that a further three were either positioned to cross or heading for the Iran-approved detour around Larak Island.
Reuters reported on Thursday that six vessels sailed through over the past 24 hours, citing shipping data.
However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed on Thursday that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz stopped following Israel’s attack on Lebanon Wednesday, which Iran said was a ceasefire violation.
Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology, urged Iran to open the Strait “fully, unconditionally and without restriction.”
“Energy security and global economic stability depend on it,” he added.
He said in a statement on LinkedIn that an “estimated 230 vessels sit loaded with oil and ready to sail.”
“Unfair” to accuse Europe of not doing enough in war, EU foreign affairs chief tells CNN
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has told CNN that the criticisms by the Trump administration and some Gulf officials that Europe has not done enough to support them throughout the war with Iran are “unfair.”
She argued Europe did not create the situation the region, and yet still it is doing “a lot,” including providing air defenses to the region, protecting the Red Sea and supporting the Lebanese government.
Kallas pointed out that Gulf nations largely failed to come to Europe’s side when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, saying it cannot be a “one-way street.”
Kallas also said that based on her conversations with Pakistani officials, the brokered ceasefire agreement should include Lebanon and called for Israel’s heavy bombardment there to stop.
“The response has been too heavy handed. I mean the civilians killed. This is really not acceptable. So if it is not covering yet, then it should be covered now,” she said. “It is clear the ceasefire is fragile, and we have to do everything that it holds so that actually the parties can sit down and negotiate.”
Iran-linked hackers claim breach of former Israeli military chief’s phone
Hackers believed to be linked to the Iranian government claim to have breached devices and accounts of former Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, publishing dozens of photos and identification documents they say prove the intrusion.
In a statement posted on its website, the hacker group “Handala” said it had extracted “more than 19,000 confidential images and videos from the most secret meetings” of Helevi, who served as the IDF chief of staff between 2023 and 2025.
“All your top-secret facilities, crisis rooms, maps, and even the tiniest details of your command centers have long been like an open book to us,” the statement said.
Dozens of examples of photos and videos were posted on Handala’s social accounts, showing Halevi during tours of military bases, high-level meetings and personal settings with his family. The leak also appears to include photos of the ID cards of Halevi and his wife, as well as images of him engaged in physical activities. An Israeli source familiar with the matter confirmed the authenticity of the photos to CNN, while Halevi’s representative declined to comment.
Handala is the hacking group behind the breach into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal emails last month. It claims to have also targeted several senior Israeli figures such as former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, and Tzachi Braverman, former chief of staff to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – all of whom had access to classified materials.
US gas prices inch up despite earlier plunge in oil prices
The average price of gasoline in the United States edged up ever so slightly to $4.17 for a gallon of regular gas, according to Thursday’s reading from AAA, despite a plunge in oil prices Wednesday caused by the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war in Iran and plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic.
WTI, the US crude benchmark, tumbled 16.4% Wednesday, while Brent crude, the global benchmark, slid 13.3%. But it could take a while for retail gas prices to get back to anywhere near pre-war levels. And on Thursday, oil prices rose, paring some of their losses, with vessel traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz still negligible.
Analysts say that, while retail gas prices could soon start to fall by one or two cents a day, it is likely to take one or two weeks for the national average to get back below $4 a gallon, and likely months to get below $3 where it stood before the war.
The latest increase in the average gas price amounted only to 0.2 cents but it was enough to raise the average price to $4.17 when rounded to the nearest penny. Since the start of the war, prices are up by $1.18 a gallon, or 40%.
Region remains on edge amid fragile ceasefire. Here's the latest
The Middle East remains tense two days after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, with Israeli strikes on Lebanon straining the fragile truce.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a look at what’s happening across the Middle East:
- In Lebanon: Israeli strikes bombarded Lebanon yesterday, killing at least 182 people and wounding 890 more, sparking a massive international backlash. In one of those airstrikes, Israel said today it had killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem in an airstrike near Beirut.
- In Iran: Large crowds of Iranians gathered in the streets of Tehran today to mark the 40th day since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes.
- US military: All US ships, aircraft, weapons and military personnel will remain “in place” until a full agreement with Iran is reached, Trump said in a social media post. If an agreement isn’t reached, “then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” he wrote.
- Strait of Hormuz: Vessel traffic through the critical chokepoint remained negligible Thursday morning, according to MarineTraffic data. Trump said the strait would be “OPEN & SAFE” late Wednesday but earlier yesterday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed traffic had stopped following Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon, which Tehran said violated the ceasefire.
- The markets: Oil prices rose slightly today as most vessels remain anchored in the Persian Gulf. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed 3.1% to $97.80 a barrel while WTI, the US benchmark, increased by a similar margin to $97.5 a barrel.
- In the Gulf: The intensity of attacks on Persian Gulf states seems to have abated for now. Aside from Bahrain’s defense force saying it intercepted seven drones in the last 24 hours, other countries have not reported attacks overnight for the first time since the start of the war. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, which has borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks, stopped short of welcoming the ceasefire, saying it is “seeking further clarification” to ensure Tehran’s “full commitment” as well as the “unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.”
- In Israel: Sirens sounded in northern Israel today as Hezbollah said it fired “rocket barrages” targeting several towns near the border in response to yesterday’s strikes. The IDF said there have been dozens of launches from Lebanon since midnight.
CNN’s Sophie Tanno, Olesya Dmitracova, Tal Shalev, Eugenia Yosef, Mostafa Salem, Isaac Yee, Lex Harvey, Ibrahim Dahman and Laura Sherman contributed reporting.
US military to remain "in place" until full agreement is reached with Iran, Trump says
All US ships, aircraft, weapons, military personnel will remain “in place, in and around, Iran” until a full agreement is reached, US President Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social late Wednesday.
“If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the “Shootin’ Starts,” bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” Trump wrote.
Iran must have “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE,” Trump added.
Negotiations between the US and Iran are set to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday.
Trump finished his post by writing: “In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK”
Iranians mark 40 days since killing of supreme leader
Iranians have been taking to the streets of Tehran today to mark the 40th day since the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In Shia Islam, the 40th day following a death signifies the maturation of the deceased person’s soul and marks the end of the mourning period.
Images show large crowds of mourners gathered in Iran’s capital, waving Iranian flags and holding pictures of the late supreme leader, with a banner bearing a portrait of Khamenei also on display.
Khamenei, who ruled the country for almost four decades, was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been named as his successor, but has not appeared in public. Several purported statements in the new leader’s name have been read out on state television.
No burial ceremony for the late supreme leader has yet been held in Iran, CNN understands.
