Immediate cease-fire between Tehran and Washington; Netanyahu rejects deal for Lebanon; oil prices fall: What you need to know this Wednesday morning
On Tuesday night into Wednesday, a cease-fire was reached between Washington and Tehran and accepted by Tel Aviv. Here are the latest developments this Wednesday morning, related to the Middle East war on the 40th day of the conflict.
by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient Today. Israel accepts cease-fire with Iran according to Washington, but...
Israel has accepted the cease-fire with Iran, a White House official told AFP on Tuesday under condition of anonymity. "Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the U.S., Israel and countries in the region," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office in a statement. "The two-week cease-fire does not include Lebanon," the statement added.
. The White House considering 'in-person' discussions with Iran
The United States is considering "in-person discussions" with Iran, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday after Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week cease-fire in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “There are discussions about in person talks, but nothing is final until announced by the president or the White House," Leavitt added, as meetings between the two parties are scheduled to start on Friday in Islamabad, Pakistan, to which Iran has agreed to participate while stating that “this does not mean the war is over.”
. Pakistan confirms an immediate cease-fire
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the United States, Iran and their allies have agreed to a "nationwide" cease-fire, including in Lebanon, following Pakistani mediation. However, despite Islamabad's announcement, Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the agreement does not include the war in Lebanon.
Iraq, where the war has killed over 100 lives, quickly "welcomed" the cease-fire and called for the launch of “serious and lasting channels of dialogue that address the root causes of disagreements.”
. Trump’s statements after the announcement
U.S. President Donald Trump told AFP Tuesday that the United States had achieved a “total and complete victory” with the cease-fire agreement. He also said that the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile would be “perfectly taken care of” under the deal “or I wouldn’t have settled.”
"The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz," a crucial route through which about 20% of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass, he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process," the president wrote.
. Oil falls 15%, drops below $100
Around 12:15 a.m. GMT, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the American benchmark for crude oil, and Brent from the North Sea, the global benchmark, each dropped more than 15% and both fell below the symbolic $100 per barrel mark in a market relieved by the prospect of a cease-fire in Iran.
The same optimism was seen in Asian markets, where the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 4% while Seoul’s climbed to 6% at the same time.
. The Iranian plan requires Washington to accept uranium enrichment
The ten-point Iranian plan submitted to the United States requires Washington to accept Tehran’s continuation of its uranium enrichment program and the lifting of all sanctions, according to Iranian media.
The plan, published by the Supreme National Security Council, includes “the principle of non-aggression, continued Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of enrichment, lifting of all primary sanctions, and lifting of all secondary sanctions,” according to Iranian state TV and the Mehr agency.
. Iran agrees to reopen Strait of Hormuz if attacks cease
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under the two-week truce, provided U.S.-Israeli strikes stop.
“If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations,” Araghchi stated on his X account. “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations,” he added.
.Israeli strike on Srifa kills at least 10 people
An Israeli airstrike on the village of Srifa (Sour district) killed at least 10 people, according to medics. The mukhtar of the village said that rescue teams have not yet finished searching through the rubble. It remains unclear if the strike targeted people who returned to their homes this morning following cease-fire in Iran or if they had never left the village in the first place.
Israeli drones have also targeted the villages of Shehabieh (Sour) and Blat (Marjayoun). The Blat strike targeted a car in the square of the village, resulting in the injury of the mukhtar, Fouad Ramadan, and several other individuals.
. Nine killed in Israeli strike on Saida's waterfront
An Israeli strike overnight killed nine people in Saida, a major city in southern Lebanon, the ehalth ministry announced. “The strike by the Israeli enemy on Saida, in southern Lebanon, has, according to a preliminary toll, killed eight civilians and injured 22,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to our correspondent the victims who were from Shebaa had left their village seeking safety. They are Maher Kassem Hamdan, Ali Maher Hamdan, Mustafa Maher Hamdan, Khaled Mohammad Nassif, Hadi Ali Nassif, Mohammad Ali Nassif, Ismail Mahmoud Nassif, and Raad Wassim Farasha.
. Fire at gas site in United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday they were battling a fire at a gas facility, the Abu Dhabi media office announced without specifying the origin of the fire.
. Israel reports several missile salvos fired by Iran
The Israeli military reported several salvos of missiles fired by Iran towards its territory early Wednesday, just moments after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week postponement of a planned offensive against Iranian infrastructure.
Explosions were heard from Jerusalem and Jericho in the occupied West Bank, AFP correspondents reported after the first alert.
. Seven civilians killed in Iraq
Seven civilians, including a child, were killed on Tuesday in Iraq in strikes that occurred before the cease-fire was announced between Tehran, Washington, and their allies in the Middle East war.
. Saudi Arabia intercepts 5 missiles
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that it had intercepted five missiles fired at its territory. The ministry spokesperson reported “the interception and destruction of five ballistic missiles launched toward the eastern region” of the kingdom, where a large petrochemical complex near the city of Jubail was struck the day before.
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