UK PM arrives in Saudi Arabia, welcomes Iran war truce
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Saudi Arabia, on the first stop of a Gulf tour aimed at bolstering the ceasefire in the Middle East war, Downing Street said.
Starmer – on his first visit to the region since the US-Israeli war against Iran started on February 28 – was expected to meet Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, later Wednesday.
Earlier, Starmer welcomed the ceasefire deal between Iran the US and Israel, saying in a statement it “will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world”.
“Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
Pakistan PM urges restraint amid Iran ceasefire violations
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that violations of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran undermine the spirit of the peace process and urged for restraint.
“I earnestly and sincerely urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict,” Sharif, who was instrumental in brokering the truce, said in a post on X.
Trump says in-person talks with Iran will happen very soon, reports NY Post
US President Donald Trump said in-person talks with Iran will happen “very soon”, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
In an interview with the Post, Trump said Vice President JD Vance might not attend the talks due to security concerns.
Iran threatens ships attempting Hormuz transit without permission, shipping sources say
The Iranian navy threatened ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without Tehran’s permission with destruction, adding that transit through the waterway remained shut, according to several shipping sources.
“Any vessel trying to travel into the sea … will be targeted and destroyed…” the message said.
US, Iran delegations arriving in Pakistan on Friday, Pakistan PM says
Delegations from the United States and Iran will be arriving in Pakistan for talks on Friday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said .
Iran FM raises Israeli ‘ceasefire violations’ in call with Pakistani mediators
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised “ceasefire violations” by Israel in a call with the commander of the armed forces of Pakistan, which mediated the fragile US-Iran truce, an Iranian ministry statement said.
Araghchi “discussed the Zionist regime’s violations of the ceasefire in Iran and Lebanon”, referring to Israel, in a call with the powerful Pakistani military leader Field Marshal Asim Munir, the statement said.
Iran downs Israeli-made drone above town in south, state TV says
Iranian forces downed an Israeli-made Hermes drone flying above the town of Lar in the south of the country on Wednesday, state television said, citing a statement from the Revolutionary Guards.
“Minutes ago, an advanced Hermes 900 drone was intercepted and destroyed in the sky over Lar, Fars Province, by fire from the Revolutionary Guards’ modern aerospace defence system,” the statement reported by broadcaster IRIB said.
It added that “the entry of any type of enemy American or Zionist aircraft into the country’s skies, even without conducting military operations, is considered a violation of the ceasefire and a decisive response will be given”.
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted nine drones over the past hours
Saudi Arabia intercepted nine drones targeting its territory, the defence ministry has said, as attacks on target Gulf countries persist despite a ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran.
In a brief post on X, the defence ministry spokesman reported the “interception and destruction of 9 drones in recent hours”. The post did not mention the location of the interceptions or any potential targets.
UN envoy arrives in Iran to support conflict resolution, spokesperson says
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s personal envoy has arrived in Iran as part of a regional tour aimed at supporting efforts to resolve the ongoing Iranian conflict, a United Nations spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
Tehran considering strikes against Israel amid ‘violation of temporary ceasefire’ in Lebanon, local media reports
Lebanese journalist Dalal Mawad has posted videos on social media showing the scale of numerous Israeli strikes targeting the city of Beirut on Wednesday.
Israel will target Hezbollah outside major Beirut strongholds, IDF spokesperson says
IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee has said in a social media post that Israel will target Hezbollah in mixed and civilian areas of Beirut under the belief that the militant group has expanded its operations outside of its traditional strongholds in the Lebanese capital.
The message came as Israeli strikes hit several dense commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning on Wednesday afternoon, hours after a ceasefire was announced in the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Series of Israeli strikes across Lebanon kills dozens, wounds hundreds, ministry says
Lebanon’s health ministry said in a preliminary toll that the series of Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds.
“In a very serious escalation, Israeli warplanes launched a wave of simultaneous airstrikes on several Lebanese areas, resulting in, in an initial count, dozens of martyrs and hundreds of wounded,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry reiterated its call for citizens to “reduce traffic congestion, especially in the neighbourhoods of the capital, to allow priority for rescue and ambulance services”.
Israel says struck hundreds of Hezbollah members in ‘surprise’ attack across Lebanon
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had carried out a surprise attack on Wednesday targeting hundreds of Hezbollah members across Lebanon.
“The IDF carried out a surprise strike on hundreds of Hezbollah terrorists at command centres across Lebanon. This is the largest concentrated blow Hezbollah has suffered since Operation Beepers,” Katz said in a video statement, referring to a major 2024 operation against Hezbollah involving pager bombs.
IEA chief warns of European aviation disruptions if Strait of Hurmuz doesn’t open
The executive director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, told German paper Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Wednesday that there could be disruptions in European air traffic from mid-May because of jet fuel shortages if the Strait of Hurmuz is not fully reopened.
Talks to be held in Pakistan after US, Israel agree to ceasefire with Iran
FRANCE 24’s correspendent in Islamabad, Shahzaib Wahlah, discusses the role Pakistan will play in upcoming peace talks between the US, Iran and Israel.
Lebanon health ministry calls on people to clear Beirut roads for ambulances after Israeli strikes
Lebanon’s health ministry has issued an emergency call for people to clear roads in Beirut for ambulances after a series of Israeli strikes on the capital.
In a statement, the ministry said it was “urgently calling on citizens to clear the way for ambulances so they can carry out their work”.
“The traffic congestion caused by the unprecedented wave of airstrikes launched by the Israeli enemy is hindering rescue efforts,” it said.
Images from the Lebanese capital show rescue workers and residents in the streets following the strikes.
(© Yara NardiReuters)
(© Mohamed AzakirReuters)
(©Stringer, Reuters)
Iran to approach peace talks with US with caution, Iranian ambassador to UN says
Iran will approach peace talks with the US with far more caution than previous negotiations due to a big gap in trust, and the war will affect the future legal regime of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva said.
“We are not putting any trust in the other side. Our military forces are keeping their preparedness…but meanwhile, we will go for negotiations to see how serious the other side is,” the ambassador, Ali Bahreini, told Reuters.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline hit in Iranian attack, damage being assessed, industry source says
Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline was hit in an Iranian attack and damage was being assessed, while other facilities were also targeted, an industry source told Reuters.
The pipeline is the only outlet for Saudi crude exports after Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
