LIVE | Mojtaba Khamenei signals ‘new phase’ in Iran’s Strait of Hormuz strategy

Netanyahu authorises direct talks with Lebanon ‘as soon as possible’ in boost to ceasefire efforts

In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours.

The two countries have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them.

In a video statement, he said Israel will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel.

There was no immediate response from Lebanese authorities. But Israel-Lebanon negotiations were expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington, according to a US official and a person familiar with the plans who both spoke on condition of anonymity.

The prospect of talks appeared to bolster the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war that has staggered under the weight of Israel's bombardment of Beirut, Tehran's continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty over whether planned peace talks can find common ground.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was “very optimistic” about the prospects of reaching a peace deal, saying Iranian leaders are more amenable in private conversations than in their public statements.

Netanyahu's announcement came amid disagreement over whether the ceasefire deal included a pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and a day after Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes that resulted in the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began on February 28.

Trump says Iran doing ‘very poor job’ of allowing oil through Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump appears to be casting doubt on the effectiveness of the ceasefire that has halted the Iran war.

“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote on his social media site Thursday evening.

“That is not the agreement we have!” The post came after Trump posted earlier that “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait – They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” The White House supports reopening the strait as part of the ceasefire deal, but says that Trump opposes Iran's military, which continues to control the waterway, from seeking to raise revenue by charging tolls on passing ships.

Earlier, in a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours.

The two countries have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them.

In a video statement, he said Israel will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel.

Israel denounces Pak Defence Minister Khwaja Asif for 'outrageous' comments

In a strong denouncement of “outrageous” remarks made by Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Israel has raised doubts about his country’s role as a “neutral arbiter”.

“Pakistan Defence Minister’s call for Israel’s annihilation is outrageous,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X. “This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace,” the PMO said Thursday evening.

Pakistan has been credited with mediating a temporary two-week ceasefire between US and Iran and is preparing to host peace talks over the weekend.

However, Asif, in a social media post, called Israel “evil” and a “curse for humanity”, giving a call “to get rid of European Jews”. He also claimed that as “peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon”. “Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated,” he said.

“I hope and pray that the people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European Jews [sic] burn in hell,” he added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned Asif’s comments, saying, “These blatant antisemitic blood libels from a government claiming to mediate peace.” “Israel will defend itself against terrorists who vow its destruction,” Sa’ar said.

Kuwait claims attack by Iran, its proxies; Saudi Arabia says vital pipeline damaged

Kuwait has accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks targeting it on Thursday despite the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, as Saudi Arabia said recent attacks damaged a key pipeline in the kingdom.

The statement from Kuwait's foreign ministry, carried by the state-run KUNA news agency, put new pressure on the ceasefire ahead of planned talks on Saturday between the United States and Iran in Islamabad.

Kuwait's foreign ministry said the drone attacks “targeted some vital Kuwaiti facilities" Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official, acknowledged a recent attack in the war that damaged its crucial East-West pipeline.

That pipeline carries oil out to the Red Sea and avoids the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran maintains a chokehold on despite the pause in the fighting.

Mojtaba Khamenei flags potential change in Iran’s management of key shipping route

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday said that Iran would be entering what he described as a “new phase” in its approach to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which nearly a fifth of global oil trade passes, according to Iranian state media. 

In a statement read out on state television, he said Iran would “take management of the Strait of Hormuz into a new phase,” suggesting a more structured, and potentially more restrictive, approach in the days ahead.

He also warned that Iran would respond to recent attacks, hold those responsible accountable, and seek compensation for damages and casualties, including what he described as reparations for the wounded and the families of those killed. He said Iran would not relinquish its rights, even as it sought to avoid a broader war.

Mojtaba Khamenei was also quoted using strong rhetoric about retaliation against Iran’s adversaries. However, there has been no independent confirmation of any immediate operational changes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, reports of limited maritime traffic disruptions in the region have continued amid heightened tensions, although the situation remains fluid and unverified in parts.