Status of ceasefire uncertain after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over strikes on Lebanon

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Christopher Stokes, Doctors Without Borders' co-ordinator in Lebanon, says the people in the country woke up today with a sense of hope after the U.S. And Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire.

Then more bombs started falling.

Stokes says he could hear the blasts and see the smoke from his office in Beirut. Soon after, he and his teams were deployed to hospitals around the city, and he saw the bloody aftermath of the explosions.

"We had a large number of injured arriving, patients with dismembered limbs. We even had a seven-year-old child this morning who'd lost six members of her family," he said.

Israel says its strikes targeted Hezbollah command centres. But Stokes says they are hitting densely populated areas.

"People are just going in the street in their ordinary business and then the building behind them is blown up, and they're taken out," he said.

Trump told PBS the strikes are a "separate skirmish" from the U.S. War in Iran. 

It's not a word Stokes would use. 

"There's no way that we could call this a skirmish. It's really a war with the Lebanese civilians at its centre," he said.

Hegseth on Iran’s enriched uranium: ‘We’ll take it’

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the U.S. Will take Iran’s supply of enriched uranium if Iran does not hand it over voluntarily, calling the country having nuclear capabilities a “non-negotiable.” His comments come as Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that would see a pause in fighting between countries and the Strait of Hormuz reopen to commercial shipping.

While the terms of the ceasefire continue to be unclear and tenuous, Hegseth earlier said Washington is prepared to take control of Iran's enriched uranium "by any means necessary" if Tehran does not hand it over voluntarily, underscoring that preventing Iran from maintaining nuclear capabilities is "non-negotiable."

"We know what they have and they will give it up, and we'll get it and we'll take it if we have to," Hegseth said. 

In a separate statement this morning, Trump said the U.S. Would work with Iran to eliminate uranium enrichment and remove what he described as "deeply buried … nuclear 'dust,'" adding that some sanctions and tariff relief could be on the table. He also claimed multiple points of a broader agreement have already been reached.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on X today, casting doubt on U.S. Claims that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire.

Araghchi posted a screenshot of a post by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif celebrating the ceasefire last night, saying it applied "everywhere including Lebanon."

"The U.S. Must choose — ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both," Araghchi wrote, adding that global attention is focused on violence in Lebanon and whether the U.S. Will follow through on its commitments.

"The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. Court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.

Leavitt was asked if the U.S.'s 38-day incursion on Iran had resulted in more freedoms for the Iranian people — one of the stated goals of the operation. 

"I think it's a little early to be asking that," Leavitt said, but conceded, "it is something we have yet to see."

Leavitt said she had a direct quote from the president to share on NATO: "They were tested and they failed."

"And I would add, it's quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it's the American people who have been funding their defence," she said. 

Trump is expected to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who met with Mark Rubio earlier. 

"I know he looks forward to having a very frank and candid conversation with him," Leavitt said. 

A couple reporters have already asked Leavitt about Trump's comments last night, when he threatened that "a whole civilization will die."

The press secretary echoed Hegseth's earlier statement that the threat led to Iran agreeing to a ceasefire.

"I think it was a very, very strong threat from the president of the United States that led the Iranian regime to cave to their knees and ask for a ceasefire and agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz," Leavitt said.

"It was not an empty threat by any means. The Pentagon had a target list that they were ready to hit … at 8 p.m. Last night."

She said "we should all be grateful for" Iran agreeing to open the strait.

"Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire," Leavitt said. "That has been relayed to all parties involved in the ceasefire."

She said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the ceasefire, but "also assured the president he'll continue to be a helpful partner throughout the course of the next two weeks."

Leavitt was asked whether Lebanon could be added to the terms of the ceasefire. She said the ceasefire wouldn't change, but that "this will continue to be discussed."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif previously said the ceasefire included Lebanon, and Iran has said that Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon must end as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Leavitt confirmed that U.S. Negotiators, including Vice-President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will be dispatched for peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, arriving Saturday morning. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says Trump was recently told about Iranian state media reports that the Strait of Hormuz is closed in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. 

"That is completely unacceptable," Leavitt said, who also called the reports "false."

She said that what was "relayed to [Trump] privately" is that the strait is open and that "we have seen an uptick in activity."

Leavitt added that the president had called for the strait to be open "immediately, quickly and safely" and that his understanding is "that is what's taking place."

Major shipping companies are holding back on returning to the Strait of Hormuz, as uncertainty persists around the ceasefire.

Iran said earlier warned any ship entering without permission could be "targeted and destroyed." 

Since then, though, the IRGC has said the strait is closed altogether because of Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

While at least one vessel reportedly crossed earlier today with authorization, most companies held back.

The six-week conflict had nearly halted traffic through the vital chokepoint, which carries about 20 per cent of global oil and gas shipments, driving global energy prices higher. 

Even if the ceasefire holds or resumes, industry leaders say it could take weeks for flows to normalize.

Nearly 200 loaded tankers remain in the Gulf waiting to pass, as demand for fuel is picking up among Asian buyers.

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