The United States and Iran both claimed victory after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, but conflicting statements raised questions about whether the temporary truce would hold up. Iran reportedly took steps to close the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday afternoon, a response to Israel’s continued attacks against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, in Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry says that Israeli strikes during the day killed at least 182 people. In a briefing on Wednesday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was aware of those reports and was monitoring the situation closely. “That is completely unacceptable, and again, this is a case of what they’re saying publicly is different privately. We have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today, and I will reiterate the President’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly, and safely,” Leavitt said. Iran accused the United States of violating parts of the deal’s framework and insisted that an end to Israel’s bombing campaign in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media, “The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both.” President Donald Trump told PBS in an interview that Lebanon was “not included” in the ceasefire deal, contradicting a prior statement from Pakistan, which mediated the talks. There are other open questions about the terms of the ceasefire and whether a lasting peace is possible. Iran claimed that the deal would allow it to formalize fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait has historically been treated as an international waterway that was free to transit.”That’s not something we’ve said that we’ve definitively accepted,” Leavitt said when asked about Iran charging tolls long-term, while noting that the president has floated a potential “joint venture” with Iran to manage shipping through the Strait. While Iran’s military capabilities have been set back significantly, the future of its nuclear program remains unclear. “There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear ‘Dust,'” Trump wrote on social media. Iran has insisted on its right to enrichment publicly, but Leavitt told reporters that Tehran has privately indicated a willingness to turn over its uranium. “This is on the top of the priority list for the president and his negotiating team as they head into the next round of discussion,” Leavitt said. “That is a red line that the President is not going to back away from, and he’s committed to ensuring that takes place. We hope it will be through diplomacy.”Leavitt said the first round of talks with Iran is slated for Saturday morning local time in Islamabad.
WASHINGTON —
The United States and Iran both claimed victory after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, but conflicting statements raised questions about whether the temporary truce would hold up.
Iran reportedly took steps to close the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday afternoon, a response to Israel’s continued attacks against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health ministry says that Israeli strikes during the day killed at least 182 people.
In a briefing on Wednesday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was aware of those reports and was monitoring the situation closely.
“That is completely unacceptable, and again, this is a case of what they’re saying publicly is different privately. We have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today, and I will reiterate the President’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly, and safely,” Leavitt said.
Iran accused the United States of violating parts of the deal’s framework and insisted that an end to Israel’s bombing campaign in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media, “The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both.”
President Donald Trump told PBS in an interview that Lebanon was “not included” in the ceasefire deal, contradicting a prior statement from Pakistan, which mediated the talks.
There are other open questions about the terms of the ceasefire and whether a lasting peace is possible.
Iran claimed that the deal would allow it to formalize fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait has historically been treated as an international waterway that was free to transit.
“That’s not something we’ve said that we’ve definitively accepted,” Leavitt said when asked about Iran charging tolls long-term, while noting that the president has floated a potential “joint venture” with Iran to manage shipping through the Strait.
While Iran’s military capabilities have been set back significantly, the future of its nuclear program remains unclear.
“There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear ‘Dust,'” Trump wrote on social media.
Iran has insisted on its right to enrichment publicly, but Leavitt told reporters that Tehran has privately indicated a willingness to turn over its uranium.
“This is on the top of the priority list for the president and his negotiating team as they head into the next round of discussion,” Leavitt said. “That is a red line that the President is not going to back away from, and he’s committed to ensuring that takes place. We hope it will be through diplomacy.”
Leavitt said the first round of talks with Iran is slated for Saturday morning local time in Islamabad.