Iran Ceasefire Agreement Faces Challenges Amid Lebanon Airstrikes and Strait of Hormuz Tensions

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*Published: 2026-04-09T09:46:52-04:00*

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A ceasefire agreement announced on Tuesday in the conflict involving Iran faced difficulties on Thursday due to Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Iran's restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty surrounding planned talks scheduled for Saturday.

Iran and the United States, both of which claimed success following the ceasefire announcement, took actions that appeared to increase pressure on each other. Iranian semiofficial news agencies reported that forces had placed sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil shipments that Iran has restricted during the conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump stated that U.S. forces would respond more forcefully against Iran if it failed to comply with the agreement.

Disputes persisted over whether the ceasefire encompassed a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. On Wednesday, Israel conducted airstrikes in central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon, which it described as targeting Hezbollah positions. Lebanon's health ministry reported at least 203 people killed and more than 1,000 wounded in those strikes, though some reports cite a figure of at least 182 deaths. This marked the highest single-day death toll in Lebanon since fighting resumed between Israel and Hezbollah more than five weeks earlier.

The broader conflict began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and leadership targets, including an attack that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah, which supports Iran, entered the fray by launching rockets into Israel. In the six weeks leading up to the April 8, 2026, airstrikes, Hezbollah rocket fire killed 12 Israeli soldiers and 2 civilians, according to Israeli reports.

Outstanding issues included the status of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium, the timeline for resuming normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and restrictions on Iran's missile capabilities and support for regional armed groups.

Israeli Officials Affirm Continued Operations Against Hezbollah

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, stated on Thursday via social media that ongoing Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group in Lebanon, would incur "explicit costs and strong responses." Qalibaf has been mentioned as a potential negotiator in upcoming discussions with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad. The White House confirmed that Vance would lead the U.S. delegation for talks beginning Saturday.

Iran asserted that Israel's actions violated the ceasefire terms. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump maintained that they did not. Netanyahu indicated that Israel would continue operations against Hezbollah "with force, precision, and determination."

Israel reported on Thursday that it had killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A New York-based think tank, the Soufan Center — whose founder has a background in counterterrorism and has emphasized threats from Iran and Hezbollah — assessed that the ceasefire was at risk of failure. Its analysis noted: "Even if Lebanon was formally outside the deal, the scale of Israel's strikes was likely to be viewed as escalatory." The center described the strikes as potentially aimed at separating Iran from its proxies and responding to Israel's exclusion from initial ceasefire negotiations.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported an Israeli strike overnight in southern Lebanon that killed at least seven people. The Israeli military did not immediately confirm the incident.

Strait of Hormuz Shipping Disruptions Persist Amid High Oil Prices

Iranian semiofficial news agencies, including ISNA and Tasnim, published a chart on Thursday indicating that Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps had deployed sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict. The chart highlighted a "danger zone" in Farsi along the primary shipping route through the strait, which handles about 20% of global traded oil and natural gas.

Shipping traffic through the strait has been minimal since the war's onset on February 28, following attacks on several vessels and Iranian threats against ships linked to the U.S. or Israel. Even after the ceasefire announcement, most ships continued to avoid the area. The chart referenced a path nearer Iran's mainland by Larak Island, which some vessels used during the conflict. Dated from February 28 to April 9, it did not specify whether mines had been removed.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told the BBC that Iran would permit safe passage through the strait in line with "international norms and international law" once the U.S. ceased its "aggression" in the Middle East and Israel halted attacks on Lebanon.

Sultan al-Jaber, head of a major United Arab Emirates oil company, stated that approximately 230 oil-loaded ships were awaiting transit and urged unconditional access to the corridor.

The strait's effective closure has driven up global oil prices, impacting gasoline, food, and other essentials worldwide. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded around $98 per barrel on Thursday, a rise of about 35% since the war began. Prices dipped following the ceasefire news but increased amid growing doubts about its viability.

Negotiations may address whether Iran can implement a formal system for charging tolls on ships using the strait, potentially altering its longstanding status as an international waterway with free transit.

Uncertainty Surrounds Iran's Nuclear and Missile Programs

The resolution of Iran's missile and nuclear activities — objectives cited by the U.S. and Israel for initiating military action — remained unresolved. The U.S. maintains that Iran must not develop nuclear weapons and seeks the removal of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, sufficient for potential weapon production. Iran describes its program as peaceful.

Trump stated on Wednesday that the U.S. would collaborate with Iran to remove the uranium stockpile, which was targeted in prior U.S. and Israeli strikes, though Iran has not confirmed this. One version of the ceasefire text published by Iran indicated permission to continue uranium enrichment.

Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's nuclear agency, said Thursday that safeguarding Iran's right to enrich uranium is essential for any talks.

Trump added that U.S. warships and troops would stay positioned near Iran "until such time as the real agreement reached is fully complied with."

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong, Zeke Miller in Washington and Kareem Chehayeb and Hussein Malla in Beirut contributed to this report.

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