Di ceasefire wey dem announce between Iran and U.S. dey hang for thread as Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire for Lebanon border. Na so di situation dey even as negotiators from both Iran and U.S. prepare for talks wey go hold for Pakistan dis weekend. But di whole matter don turn to serious wahala because of many issues wey fit scatter di truce.
Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, wey dey close to di Revolutionary Guard, don talk say di talks wey dem plan for Saturday no go happen if Israel no stop im attacks for Lebanon. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump don complain say Iran dey do “very poor job” because dem no dey allow ships pass freely through di Strait of Hormuz. Dis strait na where 20% of world oil dey pass before di war start.
Kuwait don talk say dem face drone attack for Thursday night wey dem blame on Iran and im militia allies for di region. Even though Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard deny say dem launch any attack, dem don carry out attacks across Middle East for past wey dem no claim.
Preparations for di talks between Iran and U.S. dey move forward, with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance set to take off from Washington. Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon sef dey expected to begin next week for Washington, according to U.S. officials.
Israel’s insistence say di ceasefire with Iran no include pause for im fighting with Hezbollah don threaten to scatter di deal. Hezbollah join di war to support Iran, wey be im backer. Di day dem announce di truce, Israel pound Beirut with airstrikes, kill more than 300 people according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Na di deadliest day for di country since di war begin for February.
Trump talk for Thursday say im don ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce di strikes. Early Friday, Israel’s military talk say dem hit about 10 launchers for Lebanon wey don fire rockets toward northern Israel one day before.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warn for Thursday say continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah go bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses.” Netanyahu, for im own side, talk say im authorize di negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” wey aim to disarm Hezbollah militants and establish relations between di neighbors. Dem two countries don technically dey at war since Israel establish for 1948.
Di Lebanese government no respond as of Friday morning. Di timing and location of di talks first reported by Axios.
Iran’s closure of di Strait of Hormuz don make oil prices skyrocket, drive stocks down and scatter world economy. Tehran’s control over di waterway don prove to be im biggest strategic advantage for di war. Di spot price of Brent crude, di international standard, dey around US$97 for Friday, up more than 30% since di war start.
Before di conflict, over 100 ships dey pass through di strait each day—many carry oil to Asia. With di ceasefire for place, only 12 don record pass through. To show how di situation dey precarious, one Botswana-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker try to travel out of Persian Gulf via route wey di Revolutionary Guard order, but suddenly turn around early Friday according to ship-tracking data.
Di head of United Arab Emirates’ major oil company, Sultan al-Jaber, talk say about 230 ships wey load with oil dey wait to get through di strait and dem must allow dem “to navigate this corridor without condition.” Trump complain about dat situation, write for im social media platform: “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!” Trump write about di trickle of ships Iran don allow to pass.
Questions still remain about di fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs—wey di U.S. and Israel seek to eliminate by going to war. Di U.S. insist say Iran must never fit build nuclear weapons and want remove Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, wey dem fit use make weapons. Iran insist say im program na peaceful.
Trump don talk say di U.S. want Iran remove di uranium, though Tehran no confirm dat. Di chief of Iran’s nuclear agency, Mohammad Eslami, talk for Thursday say protecting Tehran’s right to enrich uranium na “necessary” for any ceasefire talks.
Former Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi don die from injuries wey im sustain for airstrike, Iranian state media report early Friday. Kharrazi, wey serve as head of di Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, don wound days earlier for Israeli-U.S. strike. Di state news agency IRNA confirm im death, talk say im “was martyred a few hours ago.” Im serve as foreign minister of Islamic Republic from 1997 to 2005.
For recent years, Kharrazi don dey act as adviser to Iran’s long-time Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to media reports. Khamenei don kill at di start of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Di April 1 airstrike wey leave Kharrazi critically injured kill im wife during di attack.
Di tenuous Iran ceasefire fit easily break down over Hezbollah. Even though Iran and Pakistan, wey put together di ceasefire, don claim say di pact cover all of Tehran’s allies including Hezbollah, di United States and Israel disagree. Di development come as Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and other parts of Lebanon don leave hundreds dead and thousands injured, to wey Hezbollah don respond by launching attacks across di border.
Israel for March launch operation wey dem intend to take over about one-tenth of Lebanon. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam for Thursday order security forces to ensure say only state agencies hold arms for Beirut. “Di army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing di full imposition of state authority over Beirut Governorate and to monopolise weapons in di hands of legitimate authorities alone,” Salam talk during cabinet meeting.
Salam also talk say Lebanon go file complaint against Israel’s airstrikes at di United Nations Security Council. Dis come as Benjamin Netanyahu don direct Israeli cabinet to hold peace talks with Lebanon, reportedly after pressure from US President Donald Trump. “Following repeated requests from di Lebanese government to open peace negotiations with us, last night I instructed di Cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon to achieve two goals: First, di disarming of Hezbollah. Second, a historic, sustainable peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” Netanyahu talk.
Netanyahu make di statement even as im vow to keep up di attacks on Hezbollah. Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad talk for Thursday say di group reject direct negotiations with Israel and say Lebanese government should demand ceasefire as precondition before any further steps take. Fayyad add say Beirut’s position should also prioritise di withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory and di return of displaced people to dia homes.
David Hale, Distinguished Fellow at di Wilson Center and former US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, offer stark assessment of di group’s role. “Hezbollah answers to Iran. It has maintained, with some success, a big lie for decades that it was really there to cherish and protect Lebanon, when in fact it does what its paymaster asks, and that paymaster is Iran,” Hale talk for interview for March.
Strikes between Israel and Lebanon continue overnight and U.S. President Donald Trump don criticize Iran’s handling of di Strait of Hormuz. Fresh fighting don happen overnight between Israel and Hezbollah, with airstrikes by Israel for Lebanon and rockets fired by di armed group wey trigger alerts for Tel Aviv and elsewhere.
Di disputed status of Lebanon being part of di fragile Iran ceasefire deal dey create tension ahead of scheduled peace talks for Pakistan dis weekend. Israel talk say dem don strike Hezbollah rocket launchers for Lebanon overnight, with di Iran-backed group talk say dem don fire rockets at several places for Israel.
Di fighting come after U.S. President Trump talk say Israel go be more “low key” for Lebanon—comments many see as im ask Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be more restrained. Israel’s assault on Lebanon for Wednesday kill more than 300 people according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
For statement wey dem read for Iranian State TV, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei talk say im reserve di right to retribution for U.S.-Israeli attacks on im country and im allies—implying Hezbollah for Lebanon wey Israel and U.S. claim no cover by di ceasefire.
World leaders dey seek to shore up oil and fuel supplies as di clock tick down on di two-week ceasefire for Middle East. Japan confirm say dem go release 20 days worth of oil reserves as early as next month with eye to traffic through di Strait of Hormuz, media reports indicate.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dey visit Singapore to secure im own country’s fuel supplies amid fears of shortages. U.S. Vice-President JD Vance sef set to head to Islamabad, Pakistan to lead peace talks with Iran wey begin for Saturday.
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