War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

A Gulf diplomat has confirmed an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was brokered on by Qatar, the US and Iran, after deadly exchanges put immediate strain on the US-Iran peace deal.

“Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to halt hostilities in a deal mediated by Qatar, the US, and Iran,” the diplomat tells AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

“The ceasefire is expected to go into effect on Friday afternoon local time,” the diplomat adds.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says that “by the grace of Allah, peace became possible amid tensions in the Middle East through Pakistan’s mediation”.

In a statement, the premier adds that the historic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was signed and Allah Almighty “bestowed this honour upon all Pakistanis”.

He has expressed gratitude to Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for his “tireless efforts and professional capabilities, which made this peace agreement possible”.

PM Shehbaz has also paid tribute to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and the federal government, “who worked with sincerity and dedication in these peace efforts”.

Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire beginning at 4pm local time (6pm PKT), a senior US official tells Reuters, after hostilities between them had escalated sharply overnight in Lebanon.

“Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire,” the official says, adding that negotiators for the US and Qataris have worked out the deal with help from Iran.

“We understand that after the exchange of fire earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are now in a ceasefire,” the official adds.

The US-Iran framework deal, agreed this week to end the Middle East war largely fails to address the situation of long-suffering Iranians, United Nations rights experts say, according to AFP.

A group of 18 independent UN rights experts said they welcome the deal, but their statement warns that “any agreement that fails to address the human rights situation in Iran will be fundamentally incomplete”.

“The memorandum focuses almost entirely on military withdrawal, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear commitments, sanctions relief and a $300 billion reconstruction fund,” they point out.

“The Iranian people — who have suffered enormously from both external military aggression and internal repression — are barely visible in this framework.”

The Netherlands says it redirected a frigate towards the Strait of Hormuz, in order to be able to join a possible international mission there, Reuters reports.

The air defence frigate is currently in the Indo-Pacific region, and will take several weeks to arrive in the region of the Strait of Hormuz, Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz says in a letter to parliament.

Oil shipments through the strait have picked up since the US and Iran signed a ceasefire deal this week, despite security concerns by shipping and insurance industry officials who have called for the urgent deployment of mine-clearing vessels to the waterway.

France and Britain have been pushing plans for a multinational naval mission, but diplomats say Iran has signalled strong opposition to any foreign military presence in the waterway.

US President Donald Trump has asserted that Washington did not negotiate with Tehran out of desperation, but rather Iran did.

“They are finished!” he writes on Truth Social.

“We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not 10 cents!” Trump adds, referring to the 60-day negotiation period towards a final deal outlined in the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the two countries.

In another post, Trump has reiterated his claim that the war “diminished Iran”, leaving them without an air force, navy, radar and other military capabilities.

“Yet the Dumocrats [sic] say that Iran is better off now than it was four months ago,” he writes, referring to the Democratic Party.

Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi has lambasted Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his remarks calling for “all of Lebanon” to burn.

“This is not a rant by a random genocidal lunatic. It’s a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime,” Araghchi wrote on X.

“The genocidal death cult headquartered in Tel Aviv is a threat to all of humanity. It threatens all humans. Its only interest is permanent war,” he added.

Iran has condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon and warned of their consequences for regional peace and security, saying the United States bears direct responsibility for the situation, Reuters reports.

Referring to the US-Iran memorandum of understanding reached this week, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says a halt to the war in Lebanon is an integral part of the agreement to end hostilities on all fronts, adding that Iran will take all necessary measures to protect its interests, security and allies.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “show responsibility and rationality”, saying he disagrees with Israeli policies in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and southern Lebanon, Anadolu reports.

In an interview with broadcaster France 2, a day after the G7 summit in Evian, Macron condemned what he called “new settlements and acts that are absolutely unacceptable in the West Bank”.

According to Macron, these policies are “feeding resentment and violence among all the populations of the region”.

Read more here.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned the latest Israeli strikes on his country, saying the “killing and destruction constitutes a dangerous escalation”, AFP reports.

“It effectively targets all ongoing efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and end the war,” a statement from the presidency says, after Israeli attacks in the south and east killed at least 18 people.

Brent crude is set for a 9 per cent weekly decline as traders weigh fading US-Iran truce prospects after talks were called off and Israel escalated attacks in Lebanon, Reuters.

Brent crude futures are down 24 cents, or 0.3pc, to $79.61 a barrel as of 1100 GMT. The contract is heading for a second weekly decline.

The front-month July contract for US West Texas Intermediate crude, which expires on Monday, has risen by 58 cents, or 0.8pc, to $77.18 a barrel. The more actively traded August contract is steady at $75.87 a barrel.

Hezbollah vows to defend Lebanon’s territory and people against Israeli attacks, accusing its foe of violating a ceasefire as fighting flares, AFP reports.

“The Islamic Resistance will remain vigilant against any aggression. Its fighters will defend their land and people,” the group says in a statement, refuting Israeli accusations that it had violated the truce, and instead insisting “the enemy has never complied with any ceasefire agreement”.

US President Donald Trump has said in an interview with Axios that “there are no limits” on his power, CNN reports.

“I haven’t learned that lesson yet, I know there are. But yeah, there are no limits,” Trump responds when asked about what he has learned from the Iran war.

Asked about signing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding after demanding an unconditional surrender earlier in the war, Trump says, “It probably is unconditional surrender. I think so.”

Lebanese Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah tells Reuters that Iran informed the group that talks with the United States cannot continue without the implementation of a comprehensive ceasefire.

He has called on the Lebanese government to reject any direct negotiations with Tel Aviv while Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue, and said Washington bore responsibility for ensuring Israel halted its attacks and implemented the terms of the agreement.

Israeli troops will stay in Lebanon “as long as necessary”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, vowing to make Hezbollah pay a “heavy price” for its attacks, AFP reports.

“Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu says in a statement after the military announced the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in Lebanon.

“Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary for the protection of the communities of the north.”

Three people have been killed by an Israeli air raid in the Lebanese town of Jamaliyah, near the city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, Al Jazeera reports, citing Lebanon’s NNA.

The report comes shortly after Israel’s military claimed it attacked “Hezbollah infrastructure sites” in the Bekaa Valley.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said Israeli troops will remain in a so-called “security zone” in southern Lebanon, extending from “the coastline to the heights of Beaufort”, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on X paying tribute to four Israeli soldiers recently killed in combat in southern Lebanon, Katz said, “We will not allow harm to our soldiers and citizens, and any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah will be met with great force.”

Israel’s military claims that it has struck more than 80 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and eliminated dozens of its members in response to what it described as ceasefire violations, AFP reports.

“Overnight, the IDF (military) struck more than 80 command centres, launch positions, and additional … infrastructure sites in the area of Nabatieh and additional areas in southern Lebanon, within the Security Zone and beyond it,” an army statement said.

“Furthermore, during the strikes, dozens of Hezbollah members operating in the command centres were eliminated.”

A vessel owned by a Japanese company carrying three Japanese crew members safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz today and exited the Gulf, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says, according to Reuters.

The vessel, which had been stuck in the Gulf due to the Iran war, is now sailing toward Japan, Mofa said, adding the government had coordinated with Iran over the passage.

The vessel is a Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker owned by Japan’s Kyoei Tanker, the company said.

All Japan-linked vessels carrying Japanese crew members have now evacuated the Gulf, the ministry said.

The US Defence Department will ask Congress to approve around $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran war and other expenses, AFP reports, citing the Wall Street Journal.

President Donald Trump has faced backlash from Americans who accuse him of pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into the Middle East conflict while oil prices and inflation skyrocket in the US.

Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg shared the request with lawmakers this week, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Pentagon leaders have said they risk running out of money for operations in the coming months unless Congress passes a new wartime spending bill, the newspaper said.

A total of 25 commercial vessels crossed the newly-reopened Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the highest number since mid-April, according to data from maritime tracking firm AXSMarine said, accroding to AFP.

After an agreement was struck to reopen the strait, it saw the highest single-day figure since April 18, when Iran briefly reopened the global trade artery to commercial traffic.

Iraq is preparing to export crude oil and naphtha through ports in Syria, Syrian and Iraqi energy officials and refinery sources said after the Iran war cut off its main Gulf shipping routes, according to Reuters.

The move would broaden an arrangement that has seen Iraq export fuel oil through the Mediterranean port of Baniyas after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which sharply curtailed Gulf export routes for OPEC’s second-largest producer.

Two Iraqi oil officials have said plans to diversify crude and fuel export routes, including through Syria, would continue even after the Iran war ends and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal, as part of a government-approved strategy to reduce Iraq’s reliance on a single export corridor.

“The Iraqi government and the oil ministry attach the highest importance to diversifying crude export routes, particularly through Syrian territory,” Iraqi oil ministry spokesperson Saleem al-Rikabi tells Reuters.

Rikabi has said the oil ministry, through state oil marketer SOMO, was continuing “discussions and cooperation” with Syria to expand exports through its western neighbour.