US-Iran War LIVE: Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps escorted two seized ships into Iranian territory, further escalating tensions in the region. But the White House insists the seizure does not constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
US-Iran War LIVE: What happened in the last few hours?
- Ahead of the talks, Israel said it had no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon and called for cooperation against Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is not participating in the talks and opposes the talks. After this initial meeting, the United States announced a 10-day ceasefire, which is due to end on Sunday.
- Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and seized two of them, escalating its attacks on shipping in the strategic waterway.
- The conflict has already driven up gas prices in the regions and raised the prices of food and many other goods. Brent crude, the global benchmark, has surged above $100 a barrel, up about 35% from pre-war levels. Despite this surge, equity markets remained largely unaffected.
- Still, Iran’s seizure of the ships did not violate the terms of the cease-fire because “these were not American or Israeli ships, they were two international vessels,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Channel.
- Since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28 with a surprise attack on Iran, there have been more than 30 attacks on ships in the Middle East. Until then, the strait was open to all traffic.
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