CNN: PM to lean on pundits, senators to influence final deal

US ends blockade of Iran, warns of return to war if Tehran doesn’t fulfill deal

Israel doubles down on keeping troops in south Lebanon, against Iran’s demands; Trump derides agreement’s critics as ‘jealous, bad people, or stupid,’ ahead of new talks

The US military on Thursday lifted its blockade of maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, US Central Command said, adding that US naval ships would remain in the general area. At the same time, oil tanker movement began ramping up in the Strait of Hormuz.

But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters the the US would renew military action against Iran and reimpose its blockade if Tehran does not fulfill its commitments under its agreement with Washington.

“The president has pointed out that we will be prepared to recommence if underneath the timeline of these talks, Iran does not do what it says it’s going to do,” Hegseth said in Brussels after meeting NATO defense ministers. “If Iran doesn’t comply, then we’re more than able to reimpose an ironclad blockade.”

The remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump put his signature on a memorandum of understanding with Iran — meant to end hostilities and kickstart full negotiations between the two countries — bringing its provisions into effect two days earlier than expected.

The MOU did not resolve any of the war goals declared by the US and Israel following their joint strikes that kicked off the war in February. Rather, it pushed off discussion of Iran’s nuclear program and other core issues to a 60-day negotiation period. Those talks are set to begin on Friday, in the Swiss resort town of Burgenstock.

The interim deal was defended by US officials, feted by Iran and welcomed by many countries with a stake in restoring calm to the region, despite the many loose ends that have yet to be resolved in the next two months of talks. It sparked broad concern in Israel.

Responding to domestic criticism of the memorandum, Trump derided skeptics as “jealous, bad people, or stupid,” in a post on Truth Social.

“These fools, who think I haven’t been tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market Just Hit A RECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are ‘tumbling’ down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” he wrote.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian called the deal a “historic document and a message from a powerful Iran: Peace will be achieved in the shadow of mutual respect.”

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi told reporters in Geneva: “It is good that the memorandum is there. Now the technical work starts.”

Netanyahu: IDF will stay in Lebanon security zone

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, stressed that Israeli troops would not withdraw from southern Lebanon and would maintain their security zone there as long as required.

“We will restore security to the north… That requires maintaining the security zone in southern Lebanon; it requires that we not leave there,” Netanyahu said at an inauguration ceremony for works to widen Route 60, a north-south highway stretching from Nazareth to Beersheba that runs through the West Bank.

The Israel Defense Forces published an updated map of its security zone in Lebanon, saying it would not be withdrawing from the territory at this stage.

Iran has repeatedly said the new ceasefire applies to Lebanon, where Israeli troops are fighting the Hezbollah terror group after it attacked northern Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran.

A senior Israeli official close to Netanyahu told Reuters that Jerusalem was “conducting stubborn negotiations” with the US on the issue.

As the US and Iran renew talks, the prime minister plans to use pro-Israel senators and right-wing media personalities to influence the terms of a final agreement, according to CNN.

Netanyahu believes a final US-Iran deal will be secured but that Tehran will not fulfill its obligations under it, the network reported, citing an Israeli source.

Saudi supertankers transit Strait of Hormuz

In the Strait of Hormuz, there were immediate signs of an impact after the MOU was signed, though shippers projected it would take more time for transit to reach pre-war levels.

The memorandum called for the strait — a crucial passage for the world’s oil and natural gas — to be de-mined and reopened without tolls for the duration of the 60-day negotiation period.

Iran’s state TV said Thursday, however, that transit of vessels through the strait must still be done in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Further details were not immediately reported.

By 1030 GMT (early afternoon local time) on Thursday, tracker Kpler had already confirmed six transits by commodity transport vessels through the strait, roughly equal to the daily average of the previous seven days.

Other ships that might have concealed their positions by switching off their transponders were now broadcasting their locations, as they were poised to transit the waterway.

Hours after Trump signed the deal, three Saudi-flagged supertankers carrying 6 million barrels of crude oil sailed through the passage. Later, a French-flagged liquid natural gas tanker left the Gulf through the strait, the first such French vessel to make the transit since the start of the conflict.

Benchmark Brent crude futures prices fell to below $78 a barrel, the lowest since the conflict began.