Iranian delegation arrives in Pakistan for talks with US (VIDEOS/PHOTOS)

11 April 2026

According to Fars, the Iranian delegation is due to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday morning, and only if Washington accepts Tehran’s preconditions will indirect negotiations begin later in the day at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed it has “agreed to begin formal peace negotiations” with Lebanon on Tuesday, following a phone call between the two countries’ ambassadors to the US.

However, the ministry said Israel “refused to discuss a ceasefire” with Hezbollah – diverging from the Lebanese presidency’s statement that Tuesday’s meeting would cover “the announcement of a ceasefire.”

10 April 2026

“Iran has goodwill but no trust in the US after previous talks experiences,” Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf said upon arrival in Pakistan, as cited by Press TV.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the talks in Pakistan offer an opportunity for “de-escalation and the prevention of a return to hostilities,” according to spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

Dujarric said Guterres’ personal envoy, Jean Arnault, is currently in Tehran and will remain “in the region to support diplomatic efforts.” Asked if the UN would send representatives to Islamabad, Dujarric replied: “Not specifically for these talks, but we will be kept apprised.”

Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli military positions in the occupied Lebanese border towns of Biyyada and Shamaa, according to Al Jazeera.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf has shared a photo of a makeshift memorial to the victims of the suspected US strike on a girls school in Minab, saying they were his “companions on this flight” that brought Tehran’s delegation to Islamabad for talks with the US.

President Donald Trump has insisted that Washington doesn’t need a “backup plan” if negotiations with Tehran fail, because the Strait of Hormuz will be open “one way or the other.”

“They’re militarily defeated. And now we’re going to open up the Gulf, with or without them… But that will be open. And I think it’s going to go pretty quickly. And if it doesn’t, we’ll be able to finish it off. One way or the other,” the US president told journalists before boarding Air Force One. “

You don’t need a backup plan. Their military is defeated… You know, we’ve degraded just about everything,” he insisted.

The Lebanese Presidency has announced that a phone call took place earlier on Friday between Lebanon’s ambassador in Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israel’s ambassador, Yechiel Leiter, with US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa mediating the talks.

“During the call, agreement was reached to hold the first meeting next Tuesday at the US Department of State headquarters to discuss the announcement of a ceasefire and the date for starting negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under American sponsorship,” the presidency’s statement read.

Iran’s IRNA news agency has published a video showing the country’s delegation arriving in Islamabad on Friday evening for talks with the US.

The Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has arrived in Islamabad, the IRIB news agency has reported. The delegation includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Defense Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, as well as several MPs, according to the report.

Trump considered firing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard but changed his mind after a conversation with his old friend and political adviser, Roger Stone, Axios has reported, citing several government sources.

Trump was reportedly dissatisfied with what he saw as a lack of support for the war on Iran on Gabbard’s part. He allegedly “scolded” the intelligence chief in private following her congressional testimony last month, according to the media outlet.

He then began polling advisers about her performance and whether she should be replaced.

“Roger sealed the deal. He saved Tulsi,” one of the sources told Axios.

Stone later wrote on X that he had “acted in time” to stop Trump from firing Gabbard but maintained that the president had been misled about her alleged plans to resign.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have released details of their large-scale strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, saying around 100 targets were hit simultaneously in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon. In a post on X, the military claimed more than 180 Hezbollah fighters were killed in the operation.

The statement came as Lebanon’s Health Ministry updated the death toll from Wednesday’s Israeli strikes to 357. The figure remains provisional due to ongoing rubble removal and the need for DNA testing to identify victims, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.

Iran holds “almost all the cards” in the conflict with the US and Israel, according to John Mearsheimer, a professor at the University of Chicago and co-author of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy. Tehran is “in a really powerful position” as it could “tank the global economy” by closing the Strait of Hormuz, he said at an event at the Arab Center in Washington, DC.

Trump cannot afford to “go up the escalation ladder,” as Iran retains significant military capabilities and could “wreck” US allies in the Persian Gulf and “do enormous damage to Israel,” Mearsheimer believes.

Earlier, the US president claimed Iran has “no cards” and that its people are only alive to negotiate with Washington.

Talks between the US and Iran will be held in Islamabad on Saturday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has confirmed. He called it a “make-or-break moment” and said Pakistan would be making its “best efforts” to ensure the talks succeed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a new approval protocol for strikes on Lebanon following a phone call with Trump, Israel’s Kan 11 News has reported. “There is a very significant reduction” in the attacks, a source familiar with the matter told the broadcaster, adding that any strike on Beirut now requires the prime minister’s personal sign-off.

The US is preparing to resume attacks on Iran if peace talks fail, Trump has told the New York Post. American warships are being reloaded ahead of a meeting between US and Iranian delegations in Islamabad, he said.

“We’re loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we used to do a complete decimation,” Trump said, adding they would be used “if we don’t have a deal.”

According to the president, Washington would know if a deal can be reached “in about 24 hours.”

Iranians are only alive so they have the opportunity to negotiate with the US, Trump said in a post on Truth Social ahead of upcoming talks with Tehran. The Islamic Republic has “no cards” other than “short-term extortion” of the world by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

Earlier on Friday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Israeli attacks on Lebanon must cease and frozen Iranian assets must be released before talks can begin.

Pope Leo XIV has said, in a post on X, without directly mentioning Israel or Lebanon: “Absurd and inhuman violence is spreading ferociously through the sacred places of the Christian East, profaned by the blasphemy of war and the brutality of business, with no regard for people’s lives, which are considered at most collateral damage of self-interest. But no gain.”

A German court has banned a pro-Palestinian protest within the premises of the memorial to the victims of the Nazi Buchenwald concentration camp. Several pro-Palestinian groups have previously accused the management of the memorial site of spreading “Israeli propaganda” and providing “ideological support for the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

A court in the city of Weimar ruled that the rally would “violate the dignity of victims” of the Nazis. The protest organizers were ordered to move the action to one of the city squares in Weimar.

The EU must not allow “a new Gaza in Lebanon,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said, urging Brussels to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel. West Jerusalem has been violating “many of the articles” of the treaty related to respect for international law, he said, calling on the bloc to avoid “double standards” in international politics.

Two conditions must be met before peace talks between Tehran and Washington can begin, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said. A ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s frozen assets must come first, he wrote on X, adding that both measures were “mutually agreed upon between the parties” but have “yet to be implemented.”

A minority of Israelis believe the US and Israel won the war against Iran, according to several recent surveys. A Channel 13 poll suggests that around a third of Israelis view the outcome as a victory, while 30% say Iran won.

Other polls point to similar skepticism, with surveys by Channel 12 and Kan putting the share of Israelis who see the war as a success at 25-30%. A survey conducted by Walla and Maariv published earlier this week found that 63% of Israelis are dissatisfied with the outcome.

US President Donald Trump has announced what he called the “world’s most powerful reset” ahead of peace talks between Washington and Tehran.

Iran has forced Israel to stop attacks on Beirut by threatening to withdraw from the talks with the US in Pakistan, Press TV has reported, citing a high-ranking security source.

Iranian Muslims and Christians have gathered at St. Circus Church in Tehran to pay respects and honor the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marking the beginning of a 40-day national mourning period.

RT’s Saman Kojouri reports from the scene.

US Vice President J.D. Vance is now heading to Islamabad, Pakistan, for talks with Iran. He briefly spoke to reporters as he was departing, stressing that he expects “positive” negotiations.

“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive,” he said, adding that the delegation will work based on clear guidelines given by Trump.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has urged Iran to hold talks with the US “in good faith,” adding that he personally asked his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to stop “all missile and drone launches.”

Albares was one of the few Western politicians to have a phone call with Araghchi. The EU country was one of the most outspoken critics of the US-Israel war. Araghchi, in turn, praised Spain over its “principled and honorable” stance on the hostilities.

A huge installation mocking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the perceived “total failure” in the Iran war has appeared in Tel Aviv.

Lebanon is facing not only a displacement crisis, but also “a food security crisis” due to continued Israeli strikes, the UN World Food Program has warned. It pointed to rising food costs, with the price of vegetables soaring by more than 20% and bread prices by 17% since March 2.

The warning comes as Beirut’s port, the largest in the country and a key hub for food trade, has not yet fully recovered from the disastrous explosion in 2020, which killed more than 200 people and damaged or destroyed buildings up to 10 km from the epicenter.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says Tehran’s ten-point peace plan has been agreed to as the basis for talks with the US. He stressed that Iran does not want a ceasefire that can be violated, adding that an agreement must include guarantees to prevent a new escalation.

Footage circulating online shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike dangerously close to a media crew’s post.

Israeli airline El Al will begin restoring regular flights across all routes from April 12, the Ministry of Tourism has announced, adding that ticket sales for the Moscow-Tel Aviv route are already open.

An economy class Moscow-Tel Aviv ticket for Sunday evening starts at €857 ($1,004), according to the company’s website.

The US “has made peace with Iran” but has no control over Israel and cannot prevent it from breaking the deal, Dr. Abdolreza Alami, a senior lecturer at MARA University of Technology, has told RT.

“The ceasefire did not collapse. It was never given a real environment to survive,” he said.

At least 257 women, three of whom were pregnant, and 220 minors have been killed in Iran following US-Israeli strikes, the Red Crescent Society has reported.

In total, more than 125,000 civilian buildings have been destroyed or damaged during the war, it added.

The UAE will review its global relations and pursue economic and financial restructuring following “a perfidious assault” by Iran, Anwar Gargash, a senior presidential diplomatic adviser, has said.

Moussa Ibrahim, spokesman for former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has suggested that for the US the ongoing settlement process is “not a diplomacy of peace or conflict resolution but rather escalation control.”

Ibrahim argued that it is beneficial for Washington to keep turmoil in the region going, to make sure rising regional powers remain “under control” and that the region is “never united,” adding that Iran, as a weaker side, is genuine in its “attempt to find a solution.” 

Ibrahim also suggested that Iran is unique because it has what he described as a “genuine alliance” in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere, which he said threatens “the American empire.”

According to Ibrahim, the US is entering the negotiations hoping to keep the conflict going at a lower level, while using “economic, political, diplomatic” means to punish Iran and its regional allies.

In the latest in a series of reports on the consequences for the ‘Pax Americana’ of the US-Israeli war on Iran, RT’s Marina Kosareva looks at the cost of friendship with US – and how many American allies have effectively been abandoned.

Hezbollah says it launched a missile at “a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers east of the Khiam detention center” in southern Lebanon.

Footage on social media shows several buildings heavily damaged in Israeli strikes in the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.

Vladimir Zelensky has claimed that Ukrainian electronic warfare and air defense experts dispatched to the Middle East helped to shoot down Iranian drones in “several” unspecified countries, touting the mission as a “success.”

In exchange for its assistance, Kiev will receive “various things,” including interceptors, oil products, diesel, as well as the opportunity to enter new financial deals, he added.

Iranian media has shared pictures of ceremonies commemorating 40 days since the purported US strike that killed around 170 children in a school in Minab.

The war on Iran has exposed the limits of US power, according to Russian international affairs expert Fyodor Lukyanov, research director of the renowned Valdai Discussion Club.

“Iran, above all, has demonstrated resilience. It has completely undermined the core assumption behind the US-Israeli campaign, namely that a sufficiently powerful blow would be enough to bring down the Islamic Republic or force it into submission,” Lukyanov writes in a piece in Rossiyskaya Gazeta, translated into English by the RT team.

He adds that the larger conclusions drawn from the conflict are about more than just Donald Trump and his policies.

“The US remains immensely powerful. Its military reach, financial leverage and ability to shape events are still formidable. But they are not limitless. America can still influence outcomes but can no longer simply impose its will at any cost,” Lukyanov writes.

You can read the full piece here. 

The IDF remains “in a state of war” and not ceasefire when it comes to Lebanon, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has said, adding that the fight against Hezbollah in the neighboring nation has now become the “primary combat zone.”

“In Iran, we are in a ceasefire, and we can return to fighting there at any moment, and in a very powerful way,” Zamir said.

Israel continued strikes across southern Lebanon on Friday morning, with multiple areas hit in the Tyre and Nabatieh districts, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The agency also reported artillery shelling near Tyre, while warplanes struck the nearby town of Hanawiya, killing one person and wounding another two, the agency said. It also reported heavy drone activity in the area, as well as two air raids on the towns of Jouya and Majdal in the Sidon district further north along the coast.

Further inland along the southern border in Nabatieh district, the Israeli Army demolished residential neighborhoods in the town of Aita al-Shaab, the agency added.

Iranian media have dismissed reports that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf have left the country for talks with the US in Islamabad.

Iran has “no plans to attend peace talks with the American side until a ceasefire is established in Lebanon,” a source told Fars News Agency.

Kerry suggested that by starting the Iran war, Trump was “fulfilling the long-held dream of [Israeli] Prime Minister Netanyahu to do as much damage to Iran as he is permitted to.” He stressed that Iran presented no “imminent threat,” pointing to Trump’s own “bragging” about obliterating Iran’s nuclear program.

“I think there is a strategic gap here that is more significant than any I saw under any presidency while I was in public life,” Kerry said. “I don’t think anywhere in the history of our nation have we seen that kind of rupture with the spirit of our country, with the reality of our country, with our constitution, with everything that we stand for.”

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was one of the principal architects of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has called the current ceasefire “remarkably loosey-goosey.”

“I think it proves more serious and more dangerous as we go on, because the Strait of Hormuz [is] in the control of Iran, which they were not before [the war] started,” he told Boston Public Radio, warning that further escalation could exacerbate the global economic impact.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has deleted a post on X accusing Israel of being “evil and a curse for humanity” and of committing “genocide” in Lebanon while peace talks are underway in Islamabad.

The defense minister, however, did not remove the screenshot of his explosive tweet from his Facebook page.

A group of more than 70 countries has condemned the “persistent attacks” on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, as Israel continues strikes in the region.

While the statement, which was endorsed by countries such as the UK, France, China, and Russia, did not assign blame, it “firmly condemn[ed] the unacceptable aggressive behavior towards UNIFIL personnel and leadership recently observed,” including a recent incident that killed three Indonesian peacekeepers and injured others.

“We recall that peacekeepers must never be the target of attack and that attacks on them are prohibited while they enjoy protection under international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and may constitute a war crime,” the statement read.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has announced that all airlines have been instructed to allow boarding for individuals traveling for the US-Iranian talks in Islamabad even without a visa, with immigration authorities issuing visas on arrival to ensure smooth access for participants.

Kuwait has accused Tehran or its “proxies” of launching drone attacks on “vital facilities” Thursday night.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the heinous attacks launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, including factions, militias, and armed groups loyal to it, via drones that targeted several vital facilities in the State of Kuwait, on the evening of Thursday, 9 April 2026,” the ministry wrote in a statement, without pinning the blame on any specific group.

Iran’s IRGC denied launching any drones or missiles since the ceasefire began, stating that if the attacks occurred, they were “undoubtedly the work of the Zionist enemy or the United States” as false-flag operations.

Saudi Arabia has acknowledged for the first time that attacks on its energy facilities over the past weeks reduced the Kingdom’s oil production capacity by 600,000 barrels per day, in addition to killing one employee and injuring seven others.

An official Energy Ministry source cited by the Saudi Press Agency said strikes targeted oil and gas production, transportation, and refining facilities across Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Yanbu Industrial City. A pumping station on the East-West Pipeline lost 700,000 barrels per day in throughput. The Manifa and Khurais facilities saw combined production cuts of 600,000 barrels per day.

Major refineries – including SATORP, Ras Tanura, SAMREF, and Riyadh – were also hit, affecting refined product exports. Fires at Ju’aymah processing facilities disrupted LPG and natural gas liquids exports. The source warned of increased oil market volatility and depleted global inventories.

President Trump has confirmed that he personally asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back the bombing of Lebanon in a phone call Wednesday.

“I spoke with Bibi and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” Trump told NBC News on Thursday.

South Korea will send senior diplomat Chung Byung-ha to Iran as a special envoy to discuss the safety of South Korean citizens and Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, the Foreign Ministry has said.

Chung plans to push for freedom of navigation for all vessels, including South Korean ships. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed the mission during a phone call with his South Korean counterpart earlier on Thursday.

President Trump’s closed-door meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte turned into a “tirade of insults,” with the president threatening “just about anything” to punish allies who refused to back the Iran war, according to European officials briefed on the talks.

“It went shit,” one official told Politico, claiming that Trump “apparently threatened to do just about anything” – and revived his campaign to annex Greenland

Rutte’s long-scheduled visit quickly became a “life-support mission” as Trump raged against Spain and France for blocking support, the report said. A White House official insisted Trump made no demands, saying: “He has zero expectations for NATO at this point.”

Before casting doubt on Tehran’s compliance with the ceasefire conditions regarding Hormuz, President Trump told NBC News that he was “very optimistic” a peace deal with Tehran was within reach, insisting that Iran’s leaders “talk much differently when you’re at a meeting than they do to the press.”

“They’re much more reasonable,” he said. “They’re agreeing to all the things that they have to agree to. Remember, they’ve been conquered. They have no military.”

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, has warned that the “time is running out” for the US to put an end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. The official reposted part of the document that leaves “no room for denial or backtracking” that Lebanon should be part of a ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran.

UNICEF says that Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon reportedly killed 33 children and injured 153 on Wednesday alone, while estimating the total number of minors killed or wounded in the country since March 2 at at least 600. 

The agency said children were pulled from under the rubble, while others remain missing or separated from their families. An estimated 390,000 children are among more than one million people uprooted, many for the second, third, or fourth time.

UNICEF called for the protection of civilians under international humanitarian law, stating that the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas “must stop.” The agency said it is treating injured children in Beirut through its ACWA programme and scaling up emergency response with medical supplies and mobile units for displaced families.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intentionally sabotaging the ceasefire with attacks on Lebanon, to distract attention from a criminal trial set to resume on Sunday after weeks of emergency restrictions on Israel’s court system.

“A region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon, would hasten his jailing. If the US wishes to crater its economy by letting Netanyahu kill diplomacy, that would ultimately be its choice. We think that would be dumb but are prepared for it,” Araghchi wrote on X.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called US President Donald Trump to discuss a “practical plan” to ensure ships can pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz, a Downing Street spokesperson said. The British PM, currently on a three-day Gulf trip, has previously said there should be no tolls on vessels using the strategic waterway.

Starmer previously said that the British people should not be “at the mercy of events abroad” in an opinion piece published by the Guardian. Separately, he told ITV he was “fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down … because of the actions of Putin or Trump.”

Two Israeli air strikes have targeted the town of Bazouriyeh and areas around the town of Hannaouiyah in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is ready to hold direct talks with Lebanon to discuss disarming Hezbollah and establishing “peaceful relations” – but no ceasefire – a day after Israeli attacks on its northern neighbor killed hundreds of people and undermined a fragile US-Iran ceasefire .

“In light of Lebanon’s repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to start direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. “The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.”

09 April 2026

The US State Department is planning to host a meeting between representatives of Israel and Lebanon sometime next week to discuss a potential ceasefire.

“We can confirm that the department will host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon,” an unnamed official told multiple media outlets.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on Israel to reverse an evacuation order covering an area in Beirut’s Jnah neighbourhood that houses two major hospitals. Rafik Hariri University Hospital and Al Zahraa Hospital, which together care for roughly 450 patients, with no transfer options available, he said, urging Israel to ensure the protection of all health facilities and civilians.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand condemned Israeli strikes across Lebanon and Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel, calling on Israel to “respect Lebanon’s territorial integrity” and for Hezbollah to “immediately disarm.”

“The respect and protection of civilians are non-negotiable and required under international law,” Anand wrote on X.

President Trump has accused Tehran of not honoring the ceasefire “agreement” he had previously claimed would see the “complete, immediate and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!” the US president wrote in another post on Truth Social.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the Iranian Armed Forces have not launched any drones or missiles at any country during the ceasefire, following reports of attacks on facilities in some Persian Gulf states.

“If these reports published by the media are true, it is undoubtedly the work of the Zionist enemy or the United States,” the IRGC said in a statement.

The IDF has said it “struck approximately 10 launchers that fired rockets toward northern Israel” from Lebanon earlier on Thursday, adding that it “continues to locate and dismantle additional launchers.”

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office has furiously condemned Pakistani defense chief Khawaja M. Asif for calling Israel as a “cancerous state on Palestinian land” that is now committing “genocide” in Lebanon.

“Pakistan Defence Minister’s call for Israel’s annihilation is outrageous. This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace,” Benjamin Netanyahu’s office posted on X.

President Trump has lashed out against the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board over an article that suggested his declaration of victory over Tehran was “premature” and the “job is far from finished, despite what he promised.”

“Actually, it is a Victory, and there’s nothing “premature” about it! Because of me, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON and, very quickly, you’ll see Oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran and, to me, it makes no difference, either way,” the US president wrote.

“The Wall Street Journal will, as usual, live to eat their words. They are always quick to criticize, but never to admit when they’re wrong, which is most of the time!” Trump added.

The head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Seyed Kamal Kharazi, has died of injuries sustained in the targeted US-Israeli attack on his home in Tehran earlier this month, according to Tasnim. The prominent Iranian diplomat and academic served as Foreign Minister from 1997 to 2005 and later acted as a key foreign policy advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who was also murdered along with many members of his family in a targeted strike in the first days of the war.

President Donald Trump has demanded that Tehran stop charging fees and selectively choosing which vessels are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” the US president posted on Truth Social.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a standstill, according to NBC News citing data from the ship-tracking websites MarineTraffic and Kpler.

Just five bulk carriers had transited the waterway in the first 24 hours of the deal, according to the website, while S&P Global Market Intelligence said nine vessels had passed through across Wednesday and Thursday.

The US summoned the Iraqi ambassador after a drone struck a major American diplomatic facility in Baghdad, the State Department has said in a statement.

Last week, two drones struck a US diplomatic support facility at Baghdad International Airport, which was the second such attack in two days. Iraqi Shafaq News, citing an unnamed security source, said two drones came down inside the site without being intercepted.

Tasnim News has published footage of a mass prayer gathering in Tehran’s Shahid (Martyrs) Square, held to mark 40 days since the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Israeli Air Force says it has begun striking alleged Hezbollah “launch sites” in Lebanon. In a post on X, the military said the attacks were targeting positions belonging to the “terror organization.”

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed that those who attacked the country “will not go unpunished,” in a message marking 40 days since the death of former leader Ali Khamenei. He said Tehran would demand full reparations, “blood money” for those killed and compensation for the wounded, and pledged to move the management of the Strait of Hormuz “to a new phase.”

Kuwait’s Defense Ministry says its air defenses are “currently dealing with hostile drone attacks that have penetrated the country’s airspace.” In a statement, spokesman Colonel Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan said the drones were targeting a number of vital installations.

Agha Iqrar Haroon, chief editor of Pakistan’s Dispatch Newsdesk news agency, has told RT that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s late-night “draft” post on X about ceasefire efforts appears to have gone online before undergoing the usual vetting process between the Foreign Office and the PM’s office. He said such statements are typically circulated as drafts, amended by the prime minister, and only then released in final form. He added that the talks Sharif is mediating remain “very sensitive” and there is cautious optimism for a breakthrough.

Only three cargo ships over 10,000 tons deadweight (dwt) transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday morning, according to shipping data cited by Lloyd’s List, with a further three Iran-linked vessels – including one sanctioned very large crude carrier – tracked in the afternoon. A chart also shared by the maritime data provider on X shows daily traffic through the key waterway has collapsed since late February, when the US-Israeli campaign against Iran began.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned that Israel could sabotage upcoming US-Iran talks in Pakistan, urging the international community to be ready to respond. He said, as cited by Türkiye Today, that the two-week ceasefire underpinning the negotiations might need to be extended, and accused Israel of spreading “genocide” from Gaza to Lebanon.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has called Israel “evil and a curse for humanity,” accusing it of committing “genocide” in Lebanon while peace talks are under way. In a post on X, he said innocent civilians were being killed. “First Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon,” he said, adding that the “bloodletting continues unabated.”

Netanyahu has insisted “there is no ceasefire in Lebanon,” saying in a video posted on his X account that Israel will continue to “forcefully” target Hezbollah until security is restored in the north. He confirmed he has ordered his cabinet to pursue direct talks with Beirut aimed at disarming the group and achieving a “historic” peace agreement with Lebanon.

Trump has reportedly told NBC News he is “very optimistic” a peace deal with Iran is within reach, as a delegation led by US Vice President J.D. Vance prepares to travel to Pakistan for talks to end the conflict. Trump said he had spoken with Netanyahu and that West Jerusalem was “scaling back” operations in Lebanon. The Jewish state’s intensified attacks on Lebanon had prompted warnings that the agreed two-week US-Iran ceasefire could be derailed.

Israel’s continued military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon risks plunging the entire Middle East “into even further chaos,” Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, has said in a statement on X. West Jerusalem’s actions could also jeopardize the ceasefire between the US and Iran, he warned.

“[US President Donald] Trump needs to stand up to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. He needs to save the deal he negotiated. He has leverage. He should use it!” the congressman said.

Both the US and Israel have claimed that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire. Iran maintains that Lebanon was included in the deal and has declared that the Hormuz Strait will remain closed until Israel stops its attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has instructed his cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” citing its repeated calls to open negotiations on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations. It comes a day after Beirut was pounded by airstrikes in the deadliest day in Lebanon since the launch of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, more than 300 people were killed and around 1,150 wounded.

Washington “must ensure that any ceasefire agreement includes Lebanon,” Robert Garcia, a ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has said. “This regional war must end now,” he stated in a post on X.

Millions of Iranians have taken to the streets for mass rallies marking 40 days since the US-Israeli assassination of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with mourners vowing support for Lebanon and denouncing alleged Israeli ceasefire violations. In a report from Tehran, RT’s Saman Kojouri says crowds are also backing Iran’s new leader and warning of a “crushing response” if attacks continue.

RT correspondent Steve Sweeney, who along with his cameraman Ali Rida was caught up in the Israeli attacks on Beirut on Wednesday, has shared video showing near-empty roads in the city during rush hour, saying they are “normally rammed and you can’t move.” The strikes, launched just hours after the announced US-Iran two-week ceasefire, added to a grim death toll in Lebanon, where more than 1,500 people have been killed and over a million displaced overall, with the Red Cross confirming more than 300 casualties from the latest attacks.

Lebanon is advocating for a separate ceasefire with Israel based on the US-Iran deal, a Lebanese official has told Reuters. Beirut would also need Washington as a mediator and guarantor of any agreement, the source said.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had ordered a start of direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible.”

NATO is willing to contribute to a potential mission in the Strait of Hormuz, the bloc’s chief Mark Rutte has said. “If NATO can help, obviously then there is no reason not to be helpful,” he told journalists in Washington after meeting US President Donald Trump.

A toll the Iranian officials mull imposing on ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz would “set a dangerous precedent,” the UN shipping agency has said. “There is no international agreement where tolls can be introduced for transiting international straits,” the International Maritime Organization stated, adding that, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, nations bordering international straits cannot impede transit.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticized the Israeli attack on Lebanon, calling it a source of major concern. “The severity with which Israel is waging war [in Lebanon] could cause the peace process as a whole to fail. And that must not happen,” the chancellor said, adding that he, together with other leaders, had asked the Israeli government on Wednesday to “put an end” to its attacks in a joint statement.

Moscow “resolutely condemns” the Israeli strike on Lebanon that took place on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. The attack claimed lives of more than 250 people and left 1,100 injured, she added.

“Such aggressive actions jeopardize the emerging negotiation process [between the US and Iran] and drastically increase the risks of the major armed confrontation in the Middle East resuming,” the spokeswoman said in a statement published on the Foreign Ministry’s website. Moscow is calling for a speedy cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and a return to diplomacy, Zakharova added.

Israel has turned into a “rogue state” that believes it can twist US politics and the war in the Middle East to meet its own ends, leading American academic Prof. Jeffrey Sachs has told RT. West Jerusalem has been “fighting wars” with most of the neighboring states, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran, he said, calling it a “pathology.”

According to Sachs, the US and Israeli war on Iran was primarily instigated by West Jerusalem and it was Netanyahu and Mossad that supposedly talked US President Donald Trump into launching the bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic despite very low support for the move “across even Washington, much less the United States.”

Watch the full interview here:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has welcomed the ceasefire deal between Washington and Tehran in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. The Russian minister expressed his hope that talks between the US and Iran would be a success.

Moscow firmly believes that the ceasefire agreement should cover Lebanon, Lavrov said. Araghchi thanked Russia for its principled position on the issue, including during the UN Security Council meetings on the situation in the Persian Gulf.

Both the US and Israel have previously claimed that Lebanon was not part of the deal, with West Jerusalem continuing its attacks against the neighboring state. Tehran has maintained that Lebanon is part of the agreement, warning that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Israel commits to respecting the condition.

In a piece for RT, analyst Sergey Poletaev has outlined three scenarios for what happens next in the Middle East conflict – each of which he says will reshape the region in Iran’s favor.

According to Poletaev, fighting could well flare up again between the US-Israel and Iran, although “for now, it looks like things are moving toward a reality where the Persian Gulf is, in fact, becoming Persian.”

“Iran now effectively controls shipping in the Gulf and holds the Arab oil monarchies at risk – and the US appears to be accepting that.”

In an appearance on RT’s East Meets West show, Irish activist Tadhg Hickey has spoken about how the Trump administration has invoked biblical messaging in statements on the war against Iran, accusing it of “weaponizing Christianity.”

Hickey – who was detained in Israel last year while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of the ‘Freedom Flotilla – also accused “voracious” Christian Zionists in the US of supporting Israeli actions in Gaza and beyond, allowing the Jewish state to act with “impunity.”

For more on that, see here.

The UAE Defense Ministry has confirmed that the country’s air defense systems “did not detect any ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or UAVs launched from Iran” on Thursday.

The total number of fatalities remains two, with 224 people injured, the statement added.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has joined a rally commemorating 40 days since the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas has echoed international criticism of Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon, saying that the country’s “right to defend itself does not justify inflicting such massive destruction.”

“Israeli actions are putting the US-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon,” she said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told some of the bloc’s members and partners that Trump wants concrete commitments “within the next few days” for help in securing the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters has reported, citing unnamed European diplomats.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is dispatching a special envoy to Iran to discuss bilateral relations. The Asian country has been hard hit by the Hormuz crisis, as it typically imports approximately 70% of its crude oil from the Middle East.

Israeli authorities have reopened the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem for the first time since the start of the Iran war, with videos showing Muslims coming through its gates to pray.

In an interview with RT, Yahya Ahmadzadeh recalls the moments he learned of the US-Israeli strike on Minab early in the conflict which killed around 170 children – including his son and daughter.

“When I got there, I saw the school destroyed… I could not go any further to see the bodies they had recovered from the rubble. I swear to God, I couldn’t even look at them.”

The Pakistani authorities have announced two days of local holidays in Islamabad, in what several media outlets see as signs of preparations for US-Iran talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue to strike Hezbollah “wherever required” to ensure Israel’s safety despite calls from the global community to halt hostilities in Lebanon as part of the US-Iran ceasefire.

Apart from Pakistan, China also played a significant role in brokering a US-Iran ceasefire, according to the New York Times. The paper said, citing sources, that Beijing “broke the impasse,” telling Tehran “to agree to the ceasefire now because it might be their only opportunity” and urging it to “show more flexibility and open the Strait of Hormuz.”

RT’s Saman Kojouri has reported on the damage to the prestigious Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, which was hit in one of the US-Israeli strikes on the Iranian capital.

Masoud Shadnam, a university professor, told RT that the attack amounts to a “war crime” and a “cheap act” given that the US and Israel cannot find any military targets to strike.

The IDF claims it has killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, the ⁠personal secretary and nephew of ⁠Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, in a strike on Beirut.

In an analysis piece for RT, Middle East expert Murad Sadygzade has presented the case for why Iran can be considered the victor from the ceasefire with the US – and how the limits of American power have been exposed by its latest Middle East misadventure.

“In the eyes of many outside observers and much of global public opinion, Iran now appears to be the clear winner of the present battle,” Sadygzade writes.

“It absorbed the blow, answered with force and dignity, refused capitulation, and most importantly, gradually shifted control over the very logic of a war imposed upon it.

“The US and Israel had expected to define the rules of the conflict and then present any compelled Iranian retreat as proof of their own victory. What happened in practice was the opposite. Iran not only refused externally imposed terms, but also raised the cost of war to a point where the American military campaign became a political liability for the US itself.”

You can read Sadygzade’s full analysis of the current state of play and his thoughts on how the situation could pan out here.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has announced that his country would reopen its embassy in Iran amid reinvigorated hopes of a peaceful settlement.

“I’ve instructed our ambassador in Tehran to return, to take up his post again and ⁠reopen our embassy, and for us to join in this effort for peace from ⁠every possible quarter, including from the Iranian capital itself,” he said, as cited by Reuters.

US-Israeli strikes on Tehran have damaged not only mosques, but also a synagogue in the central part of the city. The Jewish minority in Iran – which is legally recognized and has parliamentary representation – is estimated to number 8,000-15,000.

RT’s Saman Kojouri reports from the scene.

At least three journalists were killed on Wednesday in Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Gaza, including Al-Manar host Susan Khalil, Sawt al-Farah radio presenter Ghada Al Dayekh, and Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah.

The Israeli military, however, claimed that Wishah was a Hamas operative acting under the guise of a journalist.

None of the Gulf states has reported strikes on its infrastructure since Wednesday, with Thursday morning ushering in a tentative lull in fighting after the declaration of the US-Iran ceasefire.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper believes Lebanon must be included in a US-Iran peace deal, according to a preview of a speech seen by Reuters. She also pushed back against the notion of Iran establishing a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that “freedom of navigation means navigation must be free.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has meanwhile condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon, also stressing that the conflict in the area must be stopped as part of the US-Iran peace deal.

Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets across the country to commemorate 40 days since the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes early in the conflict.

Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, has deleted a post on X in which he said Tehran’s delegation would arrive in Islamabad this evening for “serious talks” on the proposed ten-point peace deal.

Footage from Beirut shows the emergency services searching for survivors and bodies under the debris of a building.

Pakistan, one of the key mediators in US-Iran talks, has also condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

The attacks “undermine international efforts to establish peace and stability in the region and constitute a blatant violation of international law and fundamental humanitarian principles,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has said, urging “concrete steps to end Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”

Only a “trickle” of oil is currently leaving the Strait of Hormuz due to the uncertainty over whether the US ceasefire with Iran will prove stable, Tom Kloza, the chief energy adviser for Gulf Oil company, has told CNN.

“I would emphasize these are really baby steps right now. There’s no indication that the strait is going to reopen, and it seems like a flimsy ceasefire, to say what’s obvious,” he said.

Two fully laden China-linked oil tankers – the Cospearl Lake and the He Rong Hai – are now positioned outside the Strait of Hormuz and could potentially become the first such vessels to leave the region since the declaration of the US ceasefire with Iran, according to Bloomberg.

The Omani Foreign Ministry has issued a “strongest denunciation” of continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon as well as “what they represent in terms of war crimes and flagrant violations” of the nation’s sovereignty.

It also expressed “utmost concern” over the death toll from Israel’s “brutal attacks” while urging the global community to hold the Jewish State “fully accountable.”

Oil industry executives are pressing the White House to oppose Iran’s plan to charge tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Politico.

Industry representatives allegedly met with State Department officials on Wednesday, arguing that tolls would add $2.5 million per shipment and could set a precedent for other strategic chokepoints.

“The president is extremely sensitive to the legacy and judgment on the success of this war so pushing the president right now is seen as a risky proposition,” an unnamed oil industry representative present at the meeting said. “But the White House is hearing from the industry despite the gingerliness of the conversations.”

The White House has not directly commented on the report, but said that “the idea that President Trump would ever accept an Iranian wishlist as a deal is completely absurd.”

Only a couple of oil tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz via IRGC-approved northern routes on the first day of the ceasefire, in addition to around a dozen bulk carriers, according to maritime trackers MarineTraffic, Windward AI, and Hormuz Strait Monitor

Maritime analytics firm Kepler expects “safe transit capacity to recover only to maximum 10–15 passages a day, given the size of the strait and current security conditions,” as cited by Al Jazeera.

All US military personnel and assets “will remain in place in, and around, Iran” until Tehran fully complies with the “real agreement,” President Trump posted on Truth Social.

“If for any reason it is not … then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” Trump wrote, adding that the Strait of Hormuz must be “open and safe.”

“In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!” the US president added.

US Senator Cory Booker said he and other Democrats will “once again force a vote on a War Powers Resolution to finally end this dangerous war in the Middle East.”

“Trump’s unauthorised military actions and reckless war-mongering must stop,” Booker wrote on social media. “The American people do not want and have not authorized it, but nonetheless keep paying the price.”

President Trump has once again lashed out against the “fake news” media covering the 10-point list of Iranian demands, suggesting the points he previously called a “workable basis” for negotiations were different.

“The Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN each reported a totally FAKE TEN-POINT PLAN on the Iran negotiations which was meant to discredit the people involved in the peace process. All ten points were a made-up HOAX - EVIL LOSERS!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Lebanese Red Cross president Antoine Zoghbi called the aftermath of Israel’s latest attack “a nightmare,” saying strikes came without warning and hit multiple regions simultaneously.

“They struck many regions at the same time. And they struck hard to cause harm, to inflict pain. Pain, pain, pain. It’s a war with no rules. It’s a war with no limits,” Zoghbi told Al Jazeera.

The Lebanese Red Cross, the sole supplier of blood banks to hospitals, issued an open call for blood donations after Israel’s strikes killed at least 254 people and injured more than 1,165 in a single day on Wednesday.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has called the massive wave of Israeli strikes across Lebanon appalling, urging a “prompt and independent investigation” into all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and that those responsible be brought to justice.

“The scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is nothing short of horrific,” said the High Commissioner. “Such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief. It places enormous pressure on a fragile peace, which is so desperately needed by civilians.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has admitted that President Trump is “clearly disappointed” with the bloc members’ lack of support for the war with Iran.

“Let me be absolutely clear. He is clearly disappointed, and with many NATO allies. And I can see his point,” Rutte told CNN following their closed-door meeting. “But at the same time, I was also able to point to the fact that the large majority of European nations have been helpful, with basing, with logistics, with overflights, with making sure that they live up to the commitments.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump, telling both that their decision to accept a ceasefire was “the best possible one.”

“I expressed my hope that the ceasefire will be fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon. This is a necessary condition for the ceasefire to be credible and lasting,” Macron wrote in a post on X.

Macron added that any final agreement must  “address the concerns raised by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its regional policy and its actions obstructing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told French President Emmanuel Macron that a ceasefire in Lebanon remains “one of the central conditions” of Iran’s 10-point proposal, following Israeli strikes that killed hundreds in Lebanon despite the US-backed truce. Pezeshkian said Tehran’s acceptance of the ceasefire had shown both “its sense of responsibility” and “its serious will to resolve disputes through diplomacy.”

An Israeli air attack hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, reducing an entire building to rubble in the Chyah area of the Lebanese capital, Al Jazeera reports. Residents and emergency personnel were seen searching for survivors, according to videos circulating online.

Hezbollah said it fired rockets at the Manara settlement in northern Israel at 2:30am Thursday in response to Israel’s ceasefire violations.

“These retaliatory strikes will continue until Israeli-American aggression against our country and people ceases,” the group said in a Telegram statement. Israeli media earlier reported intercepting one rocket fired from Lebanon.

Vice President J.D. Vance said he has seen three different 10-point demands from Iran, a situation that has contributed to “misunderstanding” about the basis of negotiations and the ceasefire.

“The first 10-point proposal was something that was submitted – and we think, frankly, was probably written by ChatGPT – to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and it immediately went in the garbage and was rejected,” Vance told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

When President Trump announced a “double-sided ceasefire” with Iran on Wednesday, he was referring to “a second 10-point proposal that was much more reasonable and that was based on some back and forth between us, the Pakistanis, and the Iranians,” Vance explained.

As for the third 10-point plan – widely circulated by Iranian state media citing a lengthy Farsi-language official statement by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council – Vance dismissed it as “even more maximalist” than the first. Trump accused CNN of spreading “fake news” for picking up that statement, and claimed that the only official response from Tehran was the brief English version posted by Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

Ankara has condemned Israel’s intensifying attacks and “occupation of Lebanon,” which “are further exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the country”.

“Despite the recently achieved ceasefire in the region, the Netanyahu government continues to undermine international efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability,” Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB quoted the Ports and Maritime Organization as saying that vessels wishing to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must coordinate their movement with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and use “designated routes.”

According to the provided map, the vessels entering the Gulf from the Sea of Oman should pass to the north of Larak Island, while those leaving the region should move south of the small Iranian island.

08 April 2026

Israeli forces have carried out another attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Al Jazeera reports, adding that earlier the IDF bombed the southern Lebanese towns of Safad al-Battikh, Majdal Selem, Chaqra and Kherbet Selem.

President Donald Trump has posted an all-caps message on his Truth Social platform, accusing NATO of refusing to help when Washington needed the bloc’s help.

“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” Trump wrote, following his meeting with Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte held a closed-door meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss the war with Iran and the US president’s anger over the bloc’s refusal to provide assistance.

“This was a meeting between friends. Because we like each other. I really admire his leadership,” Rutte told CNN after the meeting.

Asked directly if he believed NATO countries were “tested and failed,” Rutte replied: “Some of them yes, but a large majority of European countries, and that’s what we discussed today, have done what they promised before in a case like this.”

The US-led bloc’s chief also refused to comment on Trump’s threat to destroy the entire Iranian civilization, saying “what I want you to know is that I support the president.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency’s Counterintelligence & Espionage Division in cooperation with its Justice Department partners has arrested a “former employee” of the United States Special Operations Command “who supported our top-level military warfighters“ for “allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.”

“Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. The FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way,” Patel wrote in a post on X, without naming the individual, specifying the classified details leaked, or tying it to the war with Iran or any other specific incident.

US President Donald Trump previously threatened to jail the journalist who first reported the details of a rescue mission for the two crew members of the US F-15E Strike Eagle which was shot down over Iran last week, unless they reveal the source of their information.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot said he was in Beirut to show support for the Lebanese people when Israel launched “one of the most massive strikes” since the hostilities began, hitting just a few hundred meters from the embassy where he was with his delegation.

“This must stop. The ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran must include Lebanon,” Prevot wrote on X. He said the strike caused “hundreds of civilian victims” and came with “no previous warning.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the disregard for life and international law shown by his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu “intolerable” following the deadliest day since the IDF launched attacks on Lebanon.

“It’s time to speak clearly: Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire. The international community must condemn this new violation of international law. The European Union must suspend its Association Agreement with Israel. And there must be no impunity for these criminal acts,” Sanchez wrote in a post on X.

Lebanese Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam declared Thursday a national day of mourning, with government offices closed and flags flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the latest Israeli attacks that left at least 182 civilians dead and 890 injured on Wednesday alone. Health officials said Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,739 people and wounded 5,873 others in Lebanon since March 2.

It would be “dumb” for Tehran to walk away from the temporary ceasefire and negotiations with Washington, Vice President J.D. Vance added.

“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart, in a conflict when they are getting hammered, over Lebanon – which has nothing to do with them and which the United Stated never once said was part of the ceasefire – that’s ultimately their choice. We think that would be dumb, but that's their choice,” he said.

Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran’s frustration over three ceasefire issues “actually means that there’s a lot of agreements.” Speaking to reporters before leaving Hungary, Vance acknowledged that “ceasefires are always messy” with “a little bit of choppiness.”

“I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise, we never indicated that was gonna be the case,” Vance said.

He also questioned the English skills of Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, saying “there are things that he said that just didn’t make sense in the context of the negotiations that we’ve had.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it is “outraged by the devastating death and destruction in densely populated areas across Lebanon” following the latest Israeli strikes on the country.

In a statement that did not explicitly blame any party, the head of the ICRC’s delegation in Lebanon said “people across Lebanon were holding their breath for a ceasefire agreement, but a wave of deadly strikes plunged the country into panic and chaos.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte traveled to Washington on Wednesday to meet with Trump, seeking to deepen ties amid tensions within the bloc over the Iran war and the president’s past threats to leave NATO and annex Greenland.

The Trump administration is considering a plan to punish NATO members deemed unhelpful during the Iran war by relocating US troops out of their countries, according to administration officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The proposal would move American forces from nations that restricted airspace or base access – such as Spain, Germany, and Italy – and reposition them in more supportive countries like Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece. Officials said the plan could also involve closing a US base in Spain or Germany.

The proposals fall short of Trump’s threats to quit NATO entirely. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on the reports, but said Trump plans a “frank and candid conversation” with NATO’s chief.