Ceasefire agreed though some attacks continue

Even before the new attacks, much about the agreement was unclear, as the parties presented completely different views on its terms.

Iran said the deal would allow the country to formalize its new practice of charging for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil transit route, but the terms were not clear nor was it clear whether ships would feel safe using it. It was also unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition.

Pakistan, which helped broker the deal, and others said it would stop fighting in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Israel said this would not be the case, and attacks hit Beirut on Wednesday.

The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs – the elimination of which was a major goal for the US and Israel in their war effort – also remained unclear. Trump said the US would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, although Iran did not confirm that.

In the streets of Tehran, pro-government demonstrators shouted: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromise!” after the ceasefire announcement and burned American and Israeli flags.

The chants underscored the anger animating hardliners, who have been preparing for what many say would be an apocalyptic battle with the United States. Trump warned on Tuesday that “an entire civilization will die tonight” if no deal is reached.

Varying reports on the terms of the ceasefire

Trump initially said Iran had proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the US launched with Israel on February 28. But when a Farsi version emerged indicating that 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 misrepresented inside Iran, though he gave no details.

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

“There will be no uranium enrichment, and the United States, working with Iran, will excavate and remove all deeply buried (B-2 bomber) nuclear ‘dust,’” Trump said in his post on Wednesday.

‘It is now, and still is, under very demanding satellite surveillance (Space Force!). Nothing has changed since the date of the attack.

“We are and will continue to discuss tariff and sanctions relief with Iran.”

It’s not clear if other Western countries agree – and the other points are probably non-starters.

Pakistan said talks to broker a final end to the war in Islamabad could start as early as Friday.

Israel supported the US ceasefire with Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday that the deal does not cover the fight against Hezbollah. The Israeli military later said fighting and ground operations were continuing.

Loud bangs were heard throughout Beirut on Wednesday and smoke rose from several points. It was not immediately clear what the target was.

Hezbollah has not confirmed whether it will adhere to the ceasefire, although the group has said it is open to giving mediators a chance to reach an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop shooting at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same.

Iran and Oman collect shipping costs in the Strait of Hormuz

Although Iran could not match the sophistication of American and Israeli weaponry or their dominance in the air, its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war proved a huge strategic advantage: Iranian attacks and threats prevented many commercial ships from transiting the waterway, through which 20 percent of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime.

That has roiled the global economy and increased pressure on Trump at home and abroad to find a way out of the impasse.

The ceasefire could formalize a system of cross-strait fee charging that Iran has established – and give it a new source of revenue.

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

That would end decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway free for navigation and unlikely to be acceptable to Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks on 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 pass through the waterway.

Trump, meanwhile, suggested that US warships would “hang” in the strait. That could be a potential flashpoint in the coming days.

News of the ceasefire pushed oil prices lower on Wednesday, but they were still higher than before the start of the war with Iran, a sign that uncertainty remains about the conflict.

Airstrikes reported in the hours after the deal was 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 ceased for a while, but then hostilities seemed to resume.

According to Iranian state television, an oil refinery on the Iranian island of Lavan was attacked. The report said firefighters were working to get the fire under control, but no one was injured. It was not said 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 attacks in Iran. The US military’s Central Command did not respond to questions about the attack.

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

By the end of March, more than 1,900 people had been killed in Iran, but the government has not updated the war toll for days.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. and a million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers were killed.

More than 20 people have been killed in the Arab Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, while 23 deaths have been reported in Israel and 13 US service members have been killed.

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