Israel-Lebanon talks resume; Iran strike on vessel pauses UN Hormuz evacuation
Ship strike in Hormuz disrupts UN plan amid fragile Israel-Lebanon ceasefire talks
Highlights
'Iran having hard time with food': Trump claims
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) claimed that the US will take money from Iran as it is having a hard time with food.
Trump, while addressing Rose Garden Club Dinner with American Farmers, said that Iran will be a new market for the US.
"We have another one a new market coming up and that's called the lovely country of Iran. It's a beautiful place. Would anybody like to go there? The Islamic Republic of Iran is having a hard time with food and we're going to be taking some of their money and we'll spend it and we're going to be buying wheat, soybeans and corn a lot of it. And that process is going to be starting pretty soon. It's going to be pretty big too. I think it's going to be very big," he said.
Israel-Lebanon talks extended another day
US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon that were slated to end Thursday will go on for another day, the State Department said.
It said this fifth round discussions that began this week will resume Friday morning. "Israel and Lebanon talks remain ongoing as we continue to facilitate," the department said in a statement.
These talks come amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, an offshoot of the Mideast war that the United States and Iran are negotiating to bring to a definitive end.
US says wants deal with Iran, but not 'at any price'
Washington's top diplomat said there are limits to what it would accept in any Iran deal, as an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz led the UN to suspend an effort to evacuate trapped mariners.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio - in Bahrain as part of a regional tour to reassure Gulf partners hit hard by the Middle East war - also dismissed the idea of allowing Tehran to charge fees in the strait, saying it would open the door to "total chaos".
The United States and Iran have signed a preliminary deal to end the conflict launched by the United States and Israel in late February, embarking on negotiations expected to address Tehran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and global energy flows through the strait, where Iran has repeatedly targeted civilian vessels.
But Gulf countries and Israel also have longstanding concerns about Iran's support for proxies in the region and its missile programme, and it remains unclear whether those topics will be handled in the talks.
After meeting with Rubio on Thursday, foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council emphasised that "lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran's threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones and support of proxies".
Hezbollah says Israel killed 3 civilians in Lebanon
Iran-backed Hezbollah on Thursday accused Israel of a "flagrant" ceasefire breach, saying it launched a drone and killed three civilians in southern Lebanon.
The group said the strike was a "direct attack" on "civilians," while Israel had earlier said it had killed fighters from Hezbollah ranks.
Hezbollah said it was the third "flagrant violation" by Israel "of the ceasefire to which it has committed itself so far".
US‑Israel war on Iran: Recent developments
Day 118: Oil price spikes after IRGC strike on ship in Hormuz
Day 117: Iran-Gulf reconciliation talks expected in Saudi Arabia
Day 116: Rubio lands in UAE on first leg of Gulf tour
Day 115: Iran will agree to allow weapons inspection: Vance
Day 114: Iranian military says halting offensive vs Israel
Day 113: Trump threatens US tolls on Hormuz strait if Iran talks fail
Day 112: Israeli strike hits south Lebanon despite truce deal
Day 111: Iran leader approves US deal despite 'different view'
Day 110: Trump signs surprise interim deal with Iran to pause war
