Iran-US war latest: Trump hopes to put war in ‘rearview mirror’ and says Strait of Hormuz will stay toll-free – The Independent
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Swipe for next article
Trump said he has a “great relationship” with Netanyahu but in the same breath added that he should be “more responsible” with Lebanon
Removed from bookmarks
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Israel reportedly struck targets in southern Lebanon again on Wednesday, brushing off warnings from Donald Trump and threatening to derail the US peace process with Iran.
Israeli forces were said to have carried out an airstrike in the Nabatieh district and raids on the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, according to Lebanese media and Al Jazeera Arabic.
There was no immediate comment from Israel. Iran has warned of a “hard response” if Israel does not stop its attacks on Lebanon, and Hezbollah says Tehran promised it would not sign the final nuclear deal with the US unless Israel stops.
The issue has forced a rift between Donald Trump and Israel in recent days, with the US president on Tuesday saying that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be more responsible with respect to Lebanon.
Trump said Israel has been fighting with Hezbollah for “too long” and issued rare rebuke of its military tactics, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment blocks to hunt militants.
Trump’s biggest backers on the neoconservative right were thrilled by his decision to go to war. But now they’re coming to terms with just how far short of their goals he’s come, writes John Bowden:
Al Jazeera Arabic is now corroborating reports carried by Lebanese media of strikes in southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces are claimed to have carried out an air strike on the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit in the Nabatieh district.
Israeli forces also reportedly launched raids on the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa and hit the Ali al-Taher heights.
Israel is yet to comment on the reported strikes, amid growing pressure from Donald Trump and Iran to end the parallel war with Hezbollah.
Israel’s request to access the text of the interim Iran agreement was rejected by the U.S., according to reports, as tensions between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump have become more prominent since the ceasefire in hostilities with Iran.
The original text of the memorandum of understanding reached between the U.S. and Iran to end the war in the Middle East has remained elusive, as Trump said the final version would be made public in a formal setting in a few days.
The interim deal reached Sunday would extend a tenuous ceasefire announced in April by another 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked since the U.S. and Israel attacked the country in February.
The Israeli military reportedly struck targets in southern Lebanon again on Wednesday morning, despite warnings from Donald Trump and Iran over the parallel war with Hezbollah.
Israeli fighter jets struck Nabatieh al-Fawqa, while a drone strike hit Ansariyeh on the coast, the National News Agency reported.
The Israeli military is yet to comment on the report.
Israel’s request to access the text of the interim Iran agreement was rejected by the US, according to reports, as tensions between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump have become more prominent since the ceasefire in hostilities with Iran.
The original text of the memorandum of understanding reached between the U.S. and Iran to end the war in the Middle East has remained elusive, as Trump said the final version would be made public in a formal setting in a few days.
The interim deal reached Sunday would extend a tenuous ceasefire announced in April by another 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked since the U.S. and Israel attacked the country in February.
More here.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has argued that a peace deal with the US would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon.
“Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end,” said Iran’s top diplomat.
His statement comes after Donald Trump berated Benjamin Netanyahu for his incessant bombing of Lebanon and urged the Israeli leader to behave “more responsibly”. Trump said Israel’s attack on Beirut was “vicious”.
The Group of Seven leaders have issued a joint statement welcoming the peace deal between Iran and the US.
The G7 leaders said they “reaffirm that the right of transit passage without restrictions or tolls is the backbone of international trade”.
“We support and are ready to contribute to the US-Iran deal implementation.”
The Trump administration has promised to withdraw its forces from areas surrounding Iran, Bloomberg reported, citing a clause in the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran to end their war.
The clause states that the US will withdraw its forces within 30 days of a final peace agreement. The MOU is due to be formally signed in Geneva on Friday.
US president Donald Trump hopes that the Iran war would be in the “rearview mirror” after the official signing of the peace deal, details of which remain unknown to US lawmakers.
When asked if the president would now focus on the Ukraine war, Trump responded: “We were focused on Iran. That’s going to be in the back, in the rearview mirror…. I want to do whatever I can.”
Few details have been publicly released about the initial deal, but it is believed to include reopening the Strait of Hormuz to global oil shipments, financial incentives for Iran if it meets certain benchmarks, and a 60-day period for talks on ending the country’s nuclear programme.
The deal will be formally signed on Friday in Geneva.
A $300bn private fund designed to kickstart investment into Iran is outlined in the US-Iran framework agreement and more than half that sum has already been committed, Reuters reported.
The fund is designed to give both sides an economic incentive to conclude a final deal to end the war, the agency reported, citing sources.
More than half of the amount has already been committed and it will be comprised entirely of private-sector funds, according to the report.
US and Iranian officials said on Sunday they had agreed on a framework to end their war, which began when US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on 28 February, halt the US blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key supply route for global oil and gas.
The new fund is a private investment vehicle, not a reconstruction or reparations programme and will not include any government money or grants, the source said, adding that companies based in the US, the Gulf Arab states, Asia, South America and Africa have agreed to commit financing.
Investments pledged span energy, logistics, manufacturing and transport, the source said.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran had originally sought $400bn as compensation for war damages from the US but Washington had said it would not provide it.
The idea for the fund, which is to be named the Reconstruction and Development Fund, then emerged.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
