Ceasefire in Peril as Attacks Persist

Even before the recent hostilities erupted, there were significant uncertainties surrounding the agreement, as both parties offered starkly different interpretations of its terms.

Iran claimed that the deal would enable it to officially implement its new policy of levying charges on ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for global oil transportation. However, the specifics of these terms were ambiguous, and it was unclear if ships would perceive the route as safe. Furthermore, it remained uncertain whether any other nations had consented to this stipulation.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, which played a mediating role in the negotiations, along with other nations, asserted that hostilities would cease in Lebanon, where Israel has initiated a ground assault against the Hezbollah militant group, backed by Iran. Contradicting this, Israel stated otherwise, and on Wednesday, airstrikes targeted Beirut.

The future of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs—key targets for the United States and Israel in their wartime efforts—also remained in question. Former President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would collaborate with Iran to dispose of buried enriched uranium, but Iran did not confirm this claim.

In Tehran, pro-government demonstrators vociferously chanted, “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!” following the ceasefire announcement. They also set fire to American and Israeli flags in a display of defiance.

The chants underscored the anger animating hard-liners, who have been preparing for what many assumed would be an apocalyptic battle with the United States. Trump warned Tuesday that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if a deal wasn’t reached.

Varying reports of ceasefire’s terms

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the US launched with Israel on February 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — which is key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent without elaborating.

Vance later said the deal was being misrepresented within Iran, though he didn’t offer details.

Iran’s demands for ending the war, meanwhile, include a withdrawal of US combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of its frozen assets.

“There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear ‘Dust’,” Trump said, in his post on Wednesday.

“It is now, and has been, under very exacting Satellite Surveillance (Space Force!). Nothing has been touched from the date of attack.

“We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran.”

It’s not clear if other Western nations would agree to that — and the other points are likely nonstarters.

Pakistan said that talks to hammer out a permanent end to the war could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday.

Israel backed the US ceasefire with Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday that the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah. Israel’s military said later that fighting and ground operations continue.

Loud booms could be heard throughout Beirut on Wednesday, and smoke rose from several points. It was not immediately clear what was targeted.

Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same.

Iran and Oman will collect shipping fees in Strait of Hormuz

While Iran could not match the sophistication of US and Israeli weaponry or their dominance in the air, its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz since the war began proved a tremendous strategic advantage: Iranian attacks and threats deterred many commercial ships from passing through the waterway, through which 20 per cent of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime.

That has roiled the world economy and raised the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff.

The ceasefire may formalise a system of charging fees in the strait that Iran instituted — and give it a new source of revenue.

The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge ships, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.

That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit and will likely not be acceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the strait would be allowed under Iranian military management — further clouding the picture of who would be allowed to transit the waterway.

Trump, meanwhile, suggested American warships would be “hangin’ around” the strait. That could be a potential flashpoint in days to come.

News of the ceasefire drove oil prices down on Wednesday, but they were still higher than before the start of the Iran war, a sign that uncertainty still persists about the conflict.

Airstrikes reported in the hours after the deal is announced

Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart.

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television. Its report said that firefighters were working to contain the blaze but no one had been hurt. It did not say who launched the attack.

The island is home to one of the terminals that Iran uses to export oil and gas.

The Israeli military said it had halted its strikes in Iran. The US military’s Central Command did not respond to questions about the strike.

A short time later, the United Arab Emirates’ air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military forces, meanwhile, responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks.

More than 1900 people had been killed in Iran as of late March, but the government has not updated the war’s toll for days.

In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1500 people have been killed. and one million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 US service members have been killed.

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