U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran鈥檚 foreign minister said Friday that the . Iran鈥檚 top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said the strategic waterway 鈥渋s declared completely open,鈥� in line with the new ceasefire in Lebanon, and Trump said the strait is 鈥渞eady for full passage.鈥�
However, Trump added that the U.S. on Iranian ships and ports 鈥渨ill remain in full force鈥� until Iran reaches a deal with Washington to end the war.
after Iran said the strait is open, allowing tankers to resume shipments from the Persian Gulf. Stocks are heading for a third straight weekly gain, up 12% since late March on hopes the U.S. and Iran can avoid a worst-case economic scenario.
A 10-day began at midnight and appears to be holding after more than a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah, although the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group is not a party to the deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is with Hezbollah. The militant group said its response will depend on how events unfold.
The fragile calm has prompted thousands of to head home, with vehicles piled high with mattresses and salvaged belongings backed up for kilometers on a route leading to southern Lebanon. The war displaced in the tiny country.
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.
Here is the latest:
First cruise ship transits the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war began
The vessel-tracker MarineTraffic said the Malta-flagged passenger vessel, reportedly sailing without passengers and bound for Oman, departed Dubai on Friday after remaining docked for 47 days.
It said the Celestial Discovery ship is expected to arrive in Oman on Saturday.
Hours earlier, Iran and the U.S. said the strategic waterway, which has been effectively closed since the beginning of the conflict, will be fully open to commercial traffic.
UN chief says opening the Strait of Hormuz is 鈥榓 step in the right direction鈥�
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated the United Nations鈥� position: 鈥淲e need the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz to be respected by all parties,鈥� his spokesman said.
Guterres supports diplomatic efforts 鈥渢o find a peaceful path forward out of the current conflict in the Middle East,鈥� U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
鈥淗e also hopes that, together with the ceasefire, this measure will contribute to creating confidence between the parties and strengthen the ongoing dialogue facilitated by Pakistan,鈥� the spokesman said.
What exactly did Trump 鈥榩rohibit鈥� Israel from striking in Lebanon?
The State Department said Trump鈥檚 announced prohibition on Israeli strikes inside Lebanon applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defense, and referred to the third point of Wednesday鈥檚 agreement by Israel and Lebanon.
That point says 鈥淚srael shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.鈥� It adds that Israel 鈥渨ill not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets, in the territory of Lebanon by land, air, and sea.鈥�
With the ceasefire only a few hours old, Israel has already launched at least one deadly drone strike in southern Lebanon, according to the health ministry there. During the previous ceasefire, Israel struck what it said were Hezbollah targets almost daily.
Trump suggests a second round of direct US-Iran talks could happen this weekend
鈥淭he Iranians want to meet,鈥� Trump said in a brief telephone interview with the news outlet Axios. 鈥淭hey want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend.鈥�
Despite the ceasefire, an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon kills 1 person
An Israeli strike in the area of Kounine hit a car and a motorcycle, killing one person and wounding three, including a Syrian citizen, Lebanon鈥檚 health ministry said Friday. It was the first airstrike and first fatality reported since a 10-day truce between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah took effect overnight.
The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon had reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of the south in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.
The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has maintained that it still has the right to strike in Lebanon in response to perceived threats despite the ceasefire. There was no immediate response from Hezbollah.
Thousands head home as US-brokered truce holds in Lebanon
A fragile calm settled over parts of Lebanon on Friday as a brokered by the United States took hold between Israel and Hezbollah, prompting thousands of displaced families to begin the journey home 鈥� even as uncertainty, destruction and Israeli warnings against going back to parts of southern Lebanon clouded their return.
By early morning, cars were backed up for kilometers on the route leading south to the damaged Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River, a key crossing linking the southern coastal city of Tyre to the north. Vehicles piled high with mattresses, suitcases and salvaged belongings crept forward through a single reopened lane, hastily repaired after an Israeli airstrike just a day earlier.
Drivers heading back to their villages along coastal highways cheered each other, flashed victory signs and exchanged blessings.
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Iranian media reports a challenge to the FM鈥檚 post declaring Strait of Hormuz open
Two semiofficial news agencies in Iran are casting doubt on an earlier announcement from Iran鈥檚 top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, that the Strait of Hormuz was being opened to global traffic.
Considered close with the powerful Revolutionary Guard, Fars news agency appeared to challenge Iran鈥檚 reported decision to open the strait in a series of posts on its X account.
The posts condemned a 鈥渟trange silence from the Supreme National Security Council and the negotiating team.鈥�
Iran鈥檚 Supreme National Security Council has recently acted as the de facto top decision-making body in the country, as doubts swirl over the status of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured early in the war.
Mehr news agency also has said that the reported decision to reopen the strategic waterway needed 鈥渃larification鈥� and 鈥渞equires the (Supreme) Leader鈥檚 approval.鈥�
Netanyahu says Israel is 鈥榥ot yet finished鈥� with Hezbollah
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon 鈥渁t the request of my friend President Trump,鈥� but said the campaign against Hezbollah is not yet complete.
Netanyahu claimed Israel had destroyed about 鈥�90%鈥� of Hezbollah鈥檚 missile and rocket stockpiles, but added 鈥渨e have not yet finished鈥� dismantling the group.
His statement came shortly before Trump said, in a social media post, that Israel was prohibited by the U.S. from bombing Lebanon any longer, adding: 鈥淓nough is enough!!!鈥�
Trump claims Iran agrees to 鈥榥ever close the Strait of Hormuz again鈥�
Iran has not made any public comment suggesting it has offered such assurances.
The blocking of most tankers that use the critical waterway, through which about 20% of the world鈥檚 crude flows on a typical day, has led to a global surge in fuel prices and has impacted other facets of the global economy.
The U.S. is far less reliant than Asia and Europe on Persian Gulf energy.
Still, the closure of the strait contributed to the largest monthly inflation increase in the U.S. in four years last month.
Oil tumbles 10% and the Dow soars more than 1,000 points
Oil prices fell by 10%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is fully open, which would allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf again and carry crude to customers worldwide.
The S&P 500 jumped 1.3% in morning trading Friday as U.S. stocks race toward the finish of a third straight week of big gains. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%. Stocks have rallied 12% since late March on hopes that the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy.
Lebanese army to secure south as Lebanon pushes Israeli withdrawal, Aoun says
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the Lebanese army will play a 鈥渇undamental role鈥� after the Israeli pullout, deploying in southern Lebanon and ending non-state armed presence.
Speaking to a delegation of Beirut members of parliament on Friday, Aoun said among the state鈥檚 priorities are consolidating the ceasefire, pushing for the withdrawal of Israeli forces, recovering Lebanese detainees and addressing pending border disputes with Israel.
Aoun cited Thursday鈥檚 phone call in which Trump expressed 鈥渟upport for Lebanon, its sovereignty, independence and the integrity of its territories,鈥� describing it as one of the ceasefire鈥檚 most prominent signals of external support as negotiations advance.
Death toll of Lebanese killed in Israeli strikes increases to 2,294
Intense Israeli strikes on Thursday, one day before a 10-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire, killed 98 people, Lebanon鈥檚 health ministry said.
Since the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on March 2, at least 2,294 people have been killed, including 274 women and 177 children, according to the ministry. Another 7,185 people have been wounded, it added.
Trump again suggests Iran has agreed to hand over enriched uranium
鈥淭he U.S.A. will get all Nuclear 鈥楧ust,鈥� created by our great B2 Bombers – No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,鈥� Trump said in a social media post.
鈥淣uclear dust鈥� is shorthand that Trump frequently uses to refer to the highly-enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that the U.S. bombed during last year鈥檚 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
If true, it would be a major concession from Iran and would lock in a key U.S. demand to end the conflict. But neither Iran nor countries acting as intermediaries in the conflict have said that Tehran has made such an agreement.
Trump on Thursday also asserted that Iran has 鈥渁greed to give us back the nuclear dust.鈥�
German chancellor seeks US involvement in mission to secure Strait of Hormuz
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday he wants U.S. involvement in a Europe-led mission to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking after an international conference in Paris on securing the strait, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany could contribute mine clearance and maritime intelligence capabilities to such a mission, but would need parliamentary support and a 鈥硈ecure legal basis鈥� such as a U.N. Security Council resolution.
He said Germany, 鈥砳f possible, would also like to see the United States of America participate; we believe this would be desirable.鈥�
Trump says Iran, US, working to remove sea mines from Strait of Hormuz
鈥淚ran, with the help of the U.S.A., has removed, or is removing, all sea mines!鈥� Trump said in one of a barrage of social media postings announcing that Iran has agreed to reopen the strait.
Removing any mines will be critical to regain the confidence of commercial vessels that use the vital waterway to deliver oil and other products.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has dropped sea mines in the strait, according to the U.S. and Iranian news agencies.
The U.S. Navy has one littoral combat ship built for mine clearing, as well as other military assets in the region capable of doing that work. The Navy has dispatched two additional mine-clearing ships from Japan that are heading to the region.
Trump says Is
rael is 鈥榩rohibited鈥� from further strikes on Lebanon
The U.S. leader offered the unusually blunt statement demanding restraint from Israel, the day after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
鈥淚srael will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,鈥� Trump said in the social media posting. 鈥淭hey are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!鈥�
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the prohibition on Israel spans both offensive and defensive strikes.
Macron and Starmer welcome Strait of Hormuz opening but say it must be permanent
The leaders of France and the U.K. have welcomed the announced reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but say it must become permanent.
President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer say they will keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, with a meeting of military planners in London next week.
Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries, Macron said, 鈥淲e all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.鈥�
Starmer said the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the waterway is open must become 鈥渂oth lasting and a workable proposal.鈥�
He said France and the U.K. will lead a multinational mission to safeguard shipping 鈥渁s soon as conditions allow.鈥�
Quiet returns to northern Israel, but residents remain divided
After hours of sirens sounded across northern Israel late Thursday night, residents described a rare sense of quiet on Friday after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect.
Alerts across border communities stopped around 2 a.m., and in Kiryat Shmona, residents were seen at shopping malls and restaurants, with opinions divided over whether the 10-day ceasefire will hold.
鈥淚 live 100 meters from the border. The ceasefire is a mistake,鈥� said resident Asaf Oakil, reflecting skepticism among some who say the fighting should continue until Hezbollah is defeated.
Another resident, expressing frustration after weeks of cross-border fire, said Israel should 鈥渟trike harder鈥� if attacks resume, adding that if rockets continue, 鈥渢he whole area needs to be flattened.鈥�
US military says it turned 19 ships back to Iran during blockade
U.S. Central Command said in a post on the social platform X on Friday that zero vessels have evaded American naval forces during the blockade of Iran-linked ships, and 19 vessels 鈥渃omplied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return to Iran.鈥�
The post from Central Command came shortly before Trump thanked Iran for opening up the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said was 鈥渃ompletely open and ready for business.鈥�
Trump, however, stressed that the blockade against Iranian shipping outside the Strait of Hormuz was still in place until negotiations were complete.
The narrow passageway into the Persian Gulf was effectively closed by Iran during the war with the U.S. and Israel, cutting off the flow of oil and natural gas through the gulf.
Trump says US blockade 鈥榳ill remain in full force鈥� until war ends
The president, in an all-caps social media post, said that the U.S. Navy鈥檚 blockade on Iranian ships and ports would remain in force 鈥淯NTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.鈥�
鈥淭HIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED,鈥� Trump added.
Crude oil slumps 10% and Wall Street rallies toward another record
Oil prices are falling by more than 10%, and Wall Street is rallying toward another record after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is fully open, which would allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf again and carry crude to customers worldwide.
The S&P 500 rallied 0.7% as U.S. stocks sprinted toward the finish of a third straight week of big gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1%, and the Nasdaq composite added 1%.
Stocks have rallied more than 11% since late March on hopes that the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy.
Trump and Iranian foreign minister say Strait of Hormuz is fully open
U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran鈥檚 foreign minister said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial vessels.
In a social media post, Trump said Iran announced that the strait 鈥渋s fully open and ready for full passage.鈥�
Minutes earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on the social platform X that the passage for all commercial vessels through the strait 鈥渋s declared completely open鈥� in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon.
He said it would stay open for the remaining period of the ceasefire.
It was not immediately clear what that meant for the U.S. blockade of the strait.
A senior Trump adviser meets Pakistan鈥檚 prime minister in Turkey
U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs met Pakistan鈥檚 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.
In a statement, Sharif鈥檚 office said Massad Boulos conveyed Trump鈥檚 greetings to the prime minister and 鈥渁ppreciated Pakistan鈥檚 constructive contributions to regional stability.鈥�
鈥淭he two sides also discussed current regional developments, including Pakistan鈥檚 peace efforts that led to the ceasefire, as well as the historic Islamabad talks,鈥� the statement said.
鈥極ur homes in the south are gone, destroyed鈥�
In downtown Beirut, tents still line some areas as some families begin to leave, while others wait, weighing the risks of returning south.
A tricycle piled with mattresses weaves through the camp, signaling the first departures after a fragile ceasefire.
鈥淥ur homes in the south are gone, destroyed,鈥� said Ali Balhas, from Siddiqeen town in the Tyre province. 鈥淚srael is deceptive; you never really know its policies or how it will act toward people, as you know. I have six children here, and I can鈥檛 leave that quickly. Once there is more safety, we will try to take the children and go back. But yesterday, by around midnight, the young men and most of the people had already reached al- Zahrani, so we will leave later, God willing,鈥� he added.
Amira Ayyash, a woman from Qaaqaiat al-Jisr in the Nabatiyeh province, decided to wait and assess the situation before returning home. 鈥淲e do not know at what hour they might strike us, for they are treacherous. So we decided to take it slowly,鈥� she said.
Kremlin welcomes the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel
鈥淲e hope that during those days it will indeed be possible to reach agreements that will allow us to avoid a recurrence of military clashes in the future,鈥� Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Russia says it鈥檚 ready to store Iran鈥檚 uranium, but that the US isn鈥檛 interested
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made the offer to store Iran鈥檚 stockpiles of enriched uranium and 鈥渢he Russian side is open to that,鈥� but 鈥渢he proposal currently isn鈥檛 on the negotiating table.鈥�
鈥淣ow this proposal isn鈥檛 in demand on the U.S. side,鈥� Peskov told reporters.
Pakistan鈥檚 diplomatic efforts 鈥榩layed a role鈥� in securing ceasefire in Lebanon
That鈥檚 according to two officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Pakistan鈥檚 army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is in Tehran to carry forward negotiations between the United States and Iran and help de-escalate the widening regional crisis.
Pakistan鈥檚 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday at a news briefing that 鈥減eace in Lebanon and cessation of armed attacks in Lebanon are essential for peace talks.鈥�
Palestinians mourn deaths of a child and 2 others in Gaza
Funerals were held for three Palestinians on Friday, including a 12-year-old boy, who were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Twelve-year-old Saleh Badawi was killed inside his house in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City on Thursday night by an Israeli quadcopter that shot him in the head, according to his uncle Mohammad Ayyad.
Others mourned the deaths of two brothers who were fatally shot by the Israeli military early Friday morning while driving a water truck in the Gaza City district of Shijaiyah.
Their colleague, Wisam Naser, told the AP that the truck was clearly marked UNICEF and was delivering assistance to displaced people. Naser said that a third man in the truck was critically wounded and receiving treatment in Ahli Hospital.
The Israeli military and UNICEF didn鈥檛 immediately respond to a request for comment.
Czech prime minister offers surveillance system for Strait of Hormuz
Prime Minister Andrej Babi拧 said his country will offer a passive surveillance system to aid the international effort to reopen the blocked Strait of Hormuz.
Dozens of countries are expected to take part in a conference on Friday organized by the leaders of France and the U.K. and meant to provide security for shipping through the key waterway.
Babi拧 said the system can be used when a ceasefire in the war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran is in place or when the conflict is over.
The Czech-made passive radar systems don鈥檛 emit electromagnetic energy, which makes them difficult to detect.
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say airstrikes have halted since ceasefire
Tilak Pokharel, a spokesperson for the U.S. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon known as UNIFIL, said peacekeepers have not observed any airstrikes since midnight, when a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.
He said, however, that they had observed 鈥渁rtillery shelling in several areas in south Lebanon鈥� up until 6 a.m. and 鈥渃ontinue to observe IDF airspace violation in their area of operations,鈥� referring to the Israeli military.
He added that they have observed Israeli forces moving back and forth, but 鈥渘o withdrawal.鈥�
鈥淭hey are remaining in positions, including in Bint Jbeil,鈥� Pokharel said, referring to a village about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the border where heavy fighting had taken place before the ceasefire.
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