The two-week ceasefire is in doubt as the U.S. and Iran offered conflicting views on whether Lebanon was part of the initial terms to end the war.
Iran claims the ceasefire has been breached and continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel insists the agreement does not apply to their war against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and has escalated deadly strikes there. The White House has sided with Israel.
Pakistan, which helped broker the ceasefire, claims that Lebanon was part of the deal.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has said in a social media post Wednesday night that all U.S. ships, aircraft and military personnel “will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with.”
In northern Israel, sirens sounded early Thursday as Hezbollah claimed it was attacking with rocket fire.
Here’s the latest in the Iran war on Thursday:
Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire with Lebanon
In a video statement, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel.
He said there is no ceasefire with Lebanon and that he’s opening direct negotiations with the country, the aim or which are Hezbollah’s disarmament and a sustainable peace agreement.
Iran’s president says ceasefire was approved at the highest levels
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the decision to accept a ceasefire was made unanimously by top officials and approved by the supreme leader.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Pezeshkian said the ceasefire “is not a sign of weakness but a way to solidify Iran’s proud victories,” adding that the pause in fighting followed more than a month of Iranian public resilience and support.
Oil prices rise
The uncertainty seems to have fuelled global oil prices as a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil climbed back close to $100 per barrel on Thursday.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has kept oil and natural gas stuck in the Persian Gulf.
As the main route for about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies, the waterway has been at the centre of U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands of Iran.
At least 200 killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, health officials say
Lebanon’s health ministry said Thursday that at least 203 people were killed and over 1,000 were wounded in widespread Israeli strikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon.
The death toll Wednesday was the highest for a single day in Lebanon during more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah sites. However, several of the buildings that were struck without warning during the afternoon rush hour were in densely packed commercial and residential areas, leading to widespread civilian casualties. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the strikes “barbaric.”
Israel said it killed an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem in Wednesday’s airstrikes in the Lebanese capital.
The Lebanese government has declared Thursday a national day of mourning.
Iran PM warns: ‘Our hands remain on the trigger’
Iranian Prime Minister Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel’s strikes on Lebanon are a “blatant violation” of the initial ceasefire agreement.
“Such actions signal deception and non-compliance, rendering negotiations meaningless,” Pezeshkian said in a post on X Thursday morning. “Our hands remain on the trigger. Iran will never forsake its Lebanese brothers and sisters.”
Iran’s parliamentary speaker also reiterated the warning, stating that continued strikes in Lebanon would bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses.”
“Lebanon and the entire Resistance Axis, as Iran’s allies, form an inseparable part of the ceasefire,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote in a p ost on X Thursday, adding “there is no room for denial and backtracking.
“Ceasefire violations carry explicit and STRONG responses. Extinguish the fire immediately,” he wrote.
Qalibaf has been discussed as a possible negotiator who could meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance this weekend for talks in Islamabad.
Iran says opening Strait of Hormuz depends on end to U.S. ‘aggression’
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said his country will allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with “international norms and international law” once the U.S. ends its “aggression” in the Middle East and Israel stops attacking Lebanon.
Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC on Thursday that Iran had closed the strait after U.S. ally Israel committed an “intentional grave violation of the ceasefire.”
He said, “You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. That was the message that Iran sent quite clearly, crystal-clearly, to Washington and to the Oval Office last night.”
Khatibzadeh added: “Definitely we are going to provide security for safe passage and it is going to happen after the United States actually withdraws this aggression. Does it mean that Iran is going to control the Strait of Hormuz in terms of letting ship by ship to go through that?
“I think that we have shown to everybody that energy security is pivotal for Iran, is pivotal for this body of water in the Persian Gulf, and we are going to be abided by the international norms and international law.”
Netanyahu: Israel will continue to strike Hezbollah
In a post on X Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will continue to strike Hezbollah “wherever required.”
Israel has previously stated that the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, however Iran says Israel’s continued strikes against Lebanon equate to a “grave violation” of the agreement.
Netanyahu said the overnight strikes targeted “a series of terror infrastructures in southern Lebanon.”
He added, “Our message is clear: Whoever acts against Israeli civilians — will be struck. We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever required, until we restore full security to the residents of the north.”
His comments came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the killing of Ali Yusuf Harshi, the secretary and nephew of the Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Qassem.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan deletes post about U.S.-Iran peace talks
According to a BBC report, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan has deleted a post on X in which he said an Iranian delegation was heading to Islamabad Thursday to begin peace talks with the U.S.
It’s unclear why the post had been deleted.
The first round of negotiations was set for Saturday.
The White House has said the U.S. delegation is being led by Vice President JD Vance, and includes U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
— with files from The Associated Press
