US-Iran peace deal news LIVE: US President Donald Trump once again defended the agreement amid criticism in Washington. Some Republican lawmakers, including allies within his own party, have argued that he made excessive concessions to end a conflict that had become increasingly unpopular with American voters ahead of the November midterm elections.
The which began on February 28 with airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, has claimed at least 7,000 lives, with most casualties occurring in Iran and Lebanon. The conflict also drove up global , contributing to inflationary pressures around the world.
Brent crude oil prices edged up on Friday but were still on track for a weekly decline of about 8%, following the ceasefire in Lebanon. Oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz also increased after this week’s agreement was reached.
Before Iran imposed a blockade during the conflict, the handled nearly 20% of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
On Friday, the Iranian authority responsible for overseeing the strait announced that it would suspend planned transit fees while negotiations under the interim agreement continue.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) includes significant sanctions relief for Iran, the release of frozen assets valued at tens of billions of dollars, and immediate US exemptions allowing Iranian oil exports. It also outlines a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, along with additional economic incentives.
Meanwhile, Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon on Friday after a surge in hostilities threatened efforts to turn a temporary arrangement aimed at ending the Iran conflict into a broader and more durable Middle East peace agreement.
Planned US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland were cancelled earlier in the day as the renewed violence in Lebanon raised doubts about when talks could resume. These discussions are considered crucial for securing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global shipping.
While the White House did not provide a specific explanation for the delay, it stated on Thursday evening that arranging such negotiations has “never been simple or predictable.”
Later, Trump told NBC News that he had spoken with Israeli officials and urged them to accept the ceasefire.
Stay tuned with LiveMint for live updates on US-Iran peace deal news
US-Iran peace deal news LIVE: Oil tanker in Persian Gulf resumes voyage to Hormuz after U-turn
An oil supertanker is once again heading from the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz after briefly reversing direction, as per Bloomberg.
The Desh Vibhor, which earlier appeared to be sailing toward a southern route that’s recommended by the US military, is now heading in a more northerly direction toward the Iranian coast. The supertanker made a U-turn earlier before turning again back to resume its journey toward the strait, tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show.
The oil market is watching cargo flows through Hormuz closely after Washington and Tehran signed an interim peace deal on Wednesday. Despite the pact, Iran has declared that ships can’t cross the waterway without its permission.
The ship is run by Shipping Corp. of India. A spokesman for the company didn’t immediately respond to an out-of-hours request for comment.
— Bloomberg
US-Iran peace deal news LIVE: Washington bears full ‘commitment and responsibility’ for ensuring cessation of hostilities across all fronts, says Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday issued a stern warning to the United States, stating that Washington bears full “commitment and responsibility” for ensuring the cessation of hostilities across all fronts, “including Lebanon”.
According to Al Jazeera, Araghchi, during a telephonic conversation with Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, said that the US has the “commitment and responsibility towards ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon”.
Araghchi emphasised that any breach of the digitally signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington would be attributed directly to the United States.
The Iranian Foreign Minister further “warned of the consequences and repercussions of such an action”, according to Al Jazeera.
— ANI
US-Iran peace deal news LIVE: Hormuz ship traffic rises after war deal, say trackers
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose to its busiest in two months after a deal to halt the US-Iran war, maritime trackers said on Friday.
A total of 25 commercial vessels crossed the newly reopened strait on Thursday, the highest number since mid-April, according to data from tracking firm AXSMarine — more than three times the average of just over seven a day since early March.
In a sign of traffic picking up in the region, empty trucks queued for up to three kilometres (two miles) outside the UAE port of Korfakkan just south of the strait, as at least four container ships unloaded there, an eyewitness told AFP.
Other ships could be seen on the hazy horizon, apparently waiting their turn to dock and unload, the eyewitness said, requesting anonymity.
– AFP
US-Iran peace deal news LIVE: IDF vows to continue operations in Southern Lebanon despite ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday that it would continue military operations in southern Lebanon, maintaining that it will act against immediate threats and respond to any violations by Hezbollah, despite the ceasefire agreement currently in effect between the two sides, as per ANI.
In a video statement, IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that recent Hezbollah attacks, which killed four Israeli soldiers, were unacceptable. He stressed that Israel would not tolerate such incidents and affirmed that the IDF would keep operating in southern Lebanon to eliminate threats and prevent further attacks.
“These attacks by Hezbollah are violations of the ceasefire. They prove that Hezbollah’s goals remain the same: to remain on Israel’s borders and to plan and carry out attacks on our civilians. This is not a reality we can accept, and this is exactly why the IDF continues to operate in southern Lebanon. Recent events have made one thing clear: IDF soldiers must stand between Hezbollah and Israeli civilians,” he stated.
US-Iran peace deal news LIVE: Witkoff heads to Switzerland for nuclear talks with Iran
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is traveling to Switzerland to participate in the first round of negotiations with Iran aimed at exploring a potential nuclear agreement, according to Axios, citing a US official.
Axios also reported that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is already in Switzerland ahead of the discussions.
About the Author
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers.
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With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations.
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Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’.
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He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune.
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He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP.
<br><br> He can be reached on <a href=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani”>LinkedIn</a> or on <a href=”https://x.com/GarvitBhirani”>@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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