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Summary of developments so far
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. The ships identified as the Epaminondas and MSC Francesca were transferred to Iran’s coast, with the IRGC warning that “disrupting order and safety in the strait of Hormuz is considered a red line”.
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It came after reports of two ships and a third vessel coming under attack in the strategic waterway this morning, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the BBC. Iranian media named the third ship as the Euphoria, which is said to be “stranded off the coast of Iran”.
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Donald Trump said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request while awaiting a “unified proposal” from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.
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Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, acknowledged the ceasefire extension in comments reported by Iranian media, but did not specifically say Tehran was ready to attend a new round of talks with the US in Islamabad.
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Lebanon will request a one-month truce extension when Lebanese and Israeli envoys meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington tomorrow, according to reports. The 10-day ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday.
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Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, has urged Lebanon to make joint efforts with his country to counter Hezbollah. “I call on the government of Lebanon – let’s work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built in your territory,” he said.
Key events
Trump has not set a timeline for extension of Iran ceasefire, source says
US president Donald Trump has not set a timeline for the extension of a ceasefire with Iran, a source briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.
Trump unilaterally announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday amid frantic efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.
Hours after announcing that he “expected to be bombing”, the US president said he would extend the ceasefire until Iranian negotiators submitted a proposal for peace.
The IRGC has named the two ships seized as the MSC-Francesca and the Epaminondas, Iranian broadcaster IRIB said on Telegram.
It alleged the Francesca was linked to Israel while the Epaminodes lacked “the necessary permits” and had been “tampering with navigation systems”.
Ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic showed the two vessels – both container ships – stopped near the Iranian coast on Wednesday.
Here is an image of the Epaminodes, in Naples last year:
US-Iran talks could be held in next three days – Trump
A second round of US-Iran talks could take place within the next three days, the New York Post reported Wednesday, citing unnamed Pakistani sources and president Donald Trump.
“It’s possible!” Trump reportedly told the Post by text message, when asked about sources in Pakistan – which mediated the first round of talks – saying that a second round was “expected in Islamabad within the next 36 to 72 hours.”
Trump on Tuesday extended a two-week truce in the war just as it was about to expire. A digital news outlet in Pakistan, News Post, reported the three-day time frame for more talks without a source or further details.
Second French peacekeeper dies after southern Lebanon attack blamed on Hezbollah
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, said a second French peacekeeper who was “seriously wounded by Hezbollah fighters” in Lebanon has died of his injuries.
Anicet Girardin was wounded in the attack on Saturday which killed another French peacekeeper, identified as Florian Montorio.
In a post on X, Macron said: “Corporal Anicet Girardin of the 132nd Cynotechnical Infantry Regiment of Suippes, repatriated yesterday from Lebanon where he had been seriously wounded by Hezbollah fighters, died this morning from his injuries.
“He died for France.”
The French soldiers were killed when a patrol came under attack from “non-state actors”, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said.
Two people killed by Israeli strike in southern Lebanon – report
Two people have been killed after an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Tyre in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA).
NNA said its correspondent also reported Israeli forces carried out “a violent bombing” in the southern Lebanese town of Qantara.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports.
Tehran’s embattled Jewish community endures despite Israeli bombing of synagogue
On the evening of 6 April, Asef, 65, and other members of Tehran’s Jewish community braved the US-Israeli bombing campaign to celebrate an evening Passover service at the Rafi’ Nia synagogue in the centre of the Iranian capital.
Inside the dim hall, lined with Persian carpets and mint green curtains, Torah verses were recited and prayers murmured under the breath. Asef, his shirt neatly tucked into his trousers and a kippah on his head, sat among the men, while the women sat separately on the other side. The atmosphere was reverent but subdued.
“We didn’t let the conflict stop us from celebrating,” he said, adding that the community had made an effort to hold on to their Passover traditions even amid the difficulties of war.
It was already dark when he headed home that night; the streets were quiet, with only a few people out.
By the time he got up the next morning to get ready for work, an Israeli airstrike had completely destroyed the synagogue.
In this feature, Mohammad Mohsenifar and Stefanie Glinski report on Tehran’s Jewish community as it finds itself caught in the crossfire of Israel-Iran tensions:
The United States must end its blockade on Iran as a prerequisite for any further ceasefire talks in Islamabad, an Iranian diplomat said Wednesday.
Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian mission in Egypt, told the Associated Press that communications with Pakistani mediators are underway “to implement Iran’s conditions.”
“We won’t negotiate under threat,” he said. “We won’t go to Islamabad before the lifting of the blockade.”
He accused the US of using the ceasefire to build up more forces for a possible resumption of military action against the Islamic Republic.
“Behind the scenes, they say something, but in public, they say and do something else,” he said.
China said after the announcement of an extension of the ceasefire that it is “imperative” to keep the conflict from reigniting.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Wednesday that the current situation in the Middle East is at “a critical stage.”
He said China “is ready” to work with the international community to maintain peace, following four principles president Xi Jinping proposed a few days earlier, including peaceful coexistence and adherence to international law.
“It’s imperative to prevent the recurrence of the conflict with utmost efforts,” he said.
Summary of developments so far
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. The ships identified as the Epaminondas and MSC Francesca were transferred to Iran’s coast, with the IRGC warning that “disrupting order and safety in the strait of Hormuz is considered a red line”.
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It came after reports of two ships and a third vessel coming under attack in the strategic waterway this morning, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the BBC. Iranian media named the third ship as the Euphoria, which is said to be “stranded off the coast of Iran”.
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Donald Trump said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request while awaiting a “unified proposal” from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.
-
Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, acknowledged the ceasefire extension in comments reported by Iranian media, but did not specifically say Tehran was ready to attend a new round of talks with the US in Islamabad.
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Lebanon will request a one-month truce extension when Lebanese and Israeli envoys meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington tomorrow, according to reports. The 10-day ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday.
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Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, has urged Lebanon to make joint efforts with his country to counter Hezbollah. “I call on the government of Lebanon – let’s work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built in your territory,” he said.
AFP news agency, citing an official, has reported that Lebanon will request a one-month truce extension when Lebanese and Israeli envoys meet for the second time in two weeks in Washington tomorrow. The 10-day ceasefire is set to expire on Sunday.
Reuters also reported a Lebanese official saying tomorrow’s talks will explore a date for expanded negotiations, in which Lebanon would push for a withdrawal of Israeli troops, the return of Lebanese detainees being held in Israel and a delineation of the land border.
Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said his country’s armed forces stood ready to defend the nation while suggesting Tehran was still open to further negotiations with the US.
Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency reported remarks by Baghaei in response to Pakistan’s request for a ceasefire extension, in which he said:
Iran, while closely monitoring developments in the field and political arena, will take necessary and appropriate measures to protect Iran’s interests and national security, and the armed forces are also fully alert and ready to comprehensively and decisively defend the Iranian nation against any threat and evil.
When asked about the possibility of a second round of talks with the US, he said Iran will negotiate “whenever we reach the conclusion that the necessary and logical grounds are available to use this tool to achieve our national interests”.
Here is a summary of the attacks reported in the strait of Hormuz and the statement by the IRGC of the seizure of two of the ships.
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The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of a container ship coming under fire off the coast of Oman by a gun boat linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper reported that the ship was identified as the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas, owned by Greece’s Technomar Shipping and operated by MSC.
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The UKMTO said it received a second report of a ship coming under attack in the strait of Hormuz, near the coast of Iran. It did not say who launched the attack against the cargo ship, which had stopped in the water. Iranian reports suggest the vessel was called Euphoria.
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The maritime intelligence company Vanguard told the BBC that a third ship was attacked in the strait of Hormuz, identifying it as the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca.
Iranian media reported that the IRGC has seized the Epaminondas and MSC Francesca and transferred them to the Iranian coast. The ships were reportedly seized for “operating without the required authorisation and for manipulating navigation systems”, adding that this “jeopardised maritime security”.
Iran seizes two ships in strait of Hormuz – report
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The ships were identified as MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, which were reportedly directed to Iranian shores after they were “operating without the required authorisation and for manipulating navigation systems”.
The IRGC was quoted as saying: “Disrupting order and safety in the strait of Hormuz is our red line.”
Earlier the UKMTO reported two ships were fired at near the strait, while the BBC reported a third vessel was attacked near the Iranian coast.
Third ship attacked in strait of Hormuz – report
A third ship has been attacked in the strait of Hormuz, the BBC has reported.
Maritime intelligence company Vanguard told BBC Verify that the ship was targeted about 6 nautical miles off the coast of Iran. Vanguard said the vessel was hailed by the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and “instructed to drop anchor”.
The ship has reported “damage to the hull and accommodation”.
It follows attacks on two ships earlier this morning, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). A container ship was fired at by an IRGC gunboat off the coast of Oman, UKMTO reported, and a cargo vessel came under attack near Iran shortly after.
We have some images on the newswires from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, which is still locked in gear to host US-Iran talks that were pushed back at the last minute.
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