US/Israel Iran War Ceasefire recap Day 3 (April 10)

Recap from the third day of the ceasefire, which looked into the continuation of issues around the Strait of Hormuz, issues around a ceasefire in Lebanon, along with various news reports and what the officials have said during day three.

Ceasefire:

Wall Street Journal reported that a delegation which was believed to have included Mohammed-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi and Iraj Masedi had arrived in Islamabad, but Tasnim News Agency denied the allegations as false, stating that the United States fulfils its commitment regarding Lebanon first, or the negotiations are suspended.

America’s delegation had reportedly arrived in Islamabad for negotiations early on Friday morning, which reportedly didn’t include Vice President JD Vance, while Iranian state media confirmed no Iranian delegation had departed.

Islamabad peace talks have been delayed until Saturday morning, with Vice President JD Vance departing Washington on Thursday morning local time, al-Arabiya reported.

Due to reports that a ceasefire was imminent in Lebanon, the Iranian delegation finally set off to Pakistan, later videoed being escorted by Pakistani fighters as they made a safe landing in Islamabad on Friday evening.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a national address that the negotiations will begin in Islamabad on Saturday after both sides accepted his invitation, calling the talks ‘make or break’ for regional peace, while also praising Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshall Asim Munir, for helping bring the negotiations together.

USA:

President Trump said on Truth Social that Iran was charging fees to tankers going through the Strait of Hormuz, stating they’d better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!

“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonourable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!” President Trump said on Truth Social.

Survivors of the March 1st Iranian drone strike on a US logistics unit in Kuwait are disputing the Pentagon’s version of accounts, stating the Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command had been left dangerously exposed at a lightly protected port facility where six service members were killed and more than 20 were wounded, reported CBS News.

Vice President JD Vance stopped to speak to the waiting press before negotiations with Iran in Pakistan, saying: “We’re looking forward to the negotiation, I think it’s going to be positive. If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand, but if they’re going to try to play us, they’re going to find out that the negotiating team is not that receptive. We’re going to try and have a positive negotiation, the President has given us some pretty clear guidelines, and we’ll see how it goes.”

The White House has warned staff not to place bets on prediction markets amid the Iran war following suspiciously timed trades timed to US policy shifts, reported the WSJ, noting the warning came after a surge in oil futures trading shortly before a strike pause announcement and reports of large profits from correctly timed ceasefire bets, though officials say there is no evidence of insider trading.

President Trump vented to Secretary-General Mark Rutte during their recent meeting, expressing frustration over their lack of support during the war with Iran, as Trump signaled he was considering reprisals against allies, while also pushing for concrete steps to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, reported Politico, adding that a White House official downplayed the exchange, stating Trump made no formal demands and has zero expectations from NATO, despite arguing that alliance members benefit heavily from the waterway.

Trump’s Truth Social post praised Palantir Technologies for having proven to have great war fighting capabilities and equipment, adding that anyone in doubt should just ask the America’s enemies.

“The Iranians are better at handling the Fake News Media, and ‘Public Relations,’ than they are at fighting,” Trump said in a later Truth Social.

Trump said soon after: “The Iranians don’t seem to realise they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!”

President Trump told the NYP in relation to Iran that the military had a great reset going, they were loading up ships with the ‘best ammunition, the best weapons ever made,’ adding that ‘if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them – and we will be using them very effectively.’

The Trump administration is planning to request the release of Americans detained in Iran as part of the upcoming negotiations to end the war, with at least six US citizens believed to be held and potentially used as bargaining leverage, reported WaPo.

According to a White House official, Trump privately doubts the Strait of Hormuz will be fully reopen soon, despite publicly saying oil would be flowing again, Reuters reported: “Trump appears in recent conversations with advisers to have conceded that the Strait of Hormuz, a hub of global commerce that remains effectively shut despite a fragile ceasefire, is unlikely to reopen soon.”

Iran views Vice President JD Vance as one of the most anti-war figures in Trump’s inner circle, according to Reuters, stating that a White House official said it was ‘Trump’s decision alone’ to send Vance to Pakistan for the talks and the President will make the final call about what deal is acceptable, while another White House official said the Iranians had indicated they wanted Vance to get involved in the talks.

Israel:

Spain was expelled by Israel from the Civil Military Coordination Centre, the US led organisation which was established to oversee relief efforts in Gaza following the ceasefire agreement, due to their ‘blatant Israel Bias,’ said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, adding that the Sanchez government had such a blatant anti-Israel bias that it had lost all ability to serve as a useful factor in the implementation of Trump’s peace plan and in the CMCC that operates within the plan.

Netanyahu lashed out at Spain in a later public statement, warning that the State of Israel wouldn’t remain silent in face of those who attacked them, claiming that Spain had slandered their heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of ‘the most moral army in the world,’ which was why Spain’s representatives were expelled from the coordination centre in Kiryat Gat, because Spain had chosen time and again to ‘stand against Israel.’ “Whoever attacks the State of Israel instead of the terrorist regimes, whoever does so, will not be our partner regarding the future of the region. I am not prepared to tolerate this hypocrisy and this hostility – I do not intend to allow any country to wage a political war against us without paying an immediate price for it.”

IDF officials told a closed Knesset briefing that Iran’s new leadership was ‘more extreme than its predecessor,’ according to i24News.

President Trump warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a shorter-than-usual phone call that intensified Israeli strikes on Hezbollah could undermine the fragile Iran ceasefire and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Wall Street Journal, stating that Trump told Netanyahu while Israel had the right to defend itself, it should scale back the airstrikes to help preserve the ceasefire.

Israeli PM Netanyahu immediately authorised talks with Lebanon to proceed as soon as possible after pressured by US President Trump to cool down strikes on Lebanon, reported the Financial Times.

Netanyahu requested a postponement to his testimony in the trial for the next two weeks due to the ongoing situation, but if a ceasefire is called in Lebanon over the weekend, the trial could still go ahead, and the court has said a decision would be made by Sunday.

Senior Israeli officials told Ynet that the outcome of the war with Iran was reducing the chances of normalisation and alliances between Israel and Golf states, noting that while security ties with the UAE had significantly strengthened, other Gulf states may now seek closer ties to Iran and Turkey out of necessity rather than preference.

President Trump is pressuring Israel to pursue a truce in Lebanon as a goodwill gesture ahead of the peace talks scheduled for Tuesday in Washington, as the US, israel and Lebanon would prefer that any pause in fighting comes through negotiations with the Lebanese government, not as a result of Iranian pressure, reported Israeli Channel 12, adding that Israel hadn’t yet decided, but some senior officials believed it was the right move, noting that Israel would still be be to act in case of immediate threats, such as the case after the November 2024 ceasefire.

Iran:

According to the IRGC, not a single drone or missile has been launched since the start of the ceasefire, denying responsibility for any launches towards regional countries: “In recent hours, various news agencies have reported drone and missile attacks on facilities in some countries along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf. If these reports published by the media are true, they are undoubtedly the work of the ‘Zionist enemy’ or the United States. The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have made absolutely made no launches towards country during the ceasefire during this time.”

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi has died on Friday after spending more than a week in a coma following an April 1 US/Israel airstrike that critically wounded him. Kharazi, who heads Iran’s Foreign Policy Council, had been overseeing discussions with Pakistan about possible talks between Tehran and Washington.

A Botswana-flagged LPG tanker named NIDI attempted to transit through the Strait of Hormuz late on Thursday but was stopped promptly and turned away by the IRGC Navy stating that the Strait remained closed.

On Wednesday and Thursday, at least 12 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, per Marine Traffic and CBS, but it was unclear which had passed without toll.

However, only a single tanker transited through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, according to reports by CNN, who stated the MAB 5 tanker flagged to Botswana was able to pass through the critical waterway earlier on Friday.

Reza Pahlavi said: “We never sought military intervention in our country, let’s not forget that it is a regime that is responsible for bringing our country to the point where we had to suffer attacks from the Israelis and Americans in this conflict. Everyone, including journalists, parliamentarians, keep asking when will the Iranian people rise up? I don’t say they will rise right away, but at the right moment,” as the exiled-Shah still hopes to find his way back into power in Iran in the future.

Chinese independent refiners have bought Iranian oil at premiums for Brent for the first time in years, currently paying between $1.50 to $2 a barrel for ICE Brent, compared to $10 per barrel discount before the conflict, with cargoes due to be delivered this month to at least two refiners in Dongying, a major hub for independents in the eastern Shandong province, making the purchases reported Reuters.

State media reported that Iran made the cessation of attacks on Beirut as its precondition of its negotiations with the United States, which prompted the US to force Israel to hold off on strikes on the capital, which would explain why Israel hadn’t performed strikes on Dahieh despite an evacuation order 24 hours previously, while a senior official who spoke with Press TV also stated that if Israel is to strike Beirut, the negotiations would be terminated immediately.

Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented, which is a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations, which must be fulfilled before negotiations begin, stated Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Senior Iranian officials are in a deadlock over the composition and authority of the delegation that are set to negotiate with the US in upcoming talks in Islamabad, reported Iran International, stating that Commander of the IRGC Vahidi was attempting to limit the powers of the Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf and Iranian FM Araghchi in negotiations while pushing for Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Zolghadr to be included, and Iranian military leadership simultaneously emphasizes that any talks must exclude discussions on Iran’s missile programme.

Lebanon:

British Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer called Israel’s strikes against Lebanon wrong, regardless of whether they were under ceasefire regulations or not, stating it’s hard to say whether there’s been a breach when there’s not been access given to all of the details, but Israel were clearly wrong, adding that it was wrong for Israel to be attacking Lebanon now, and that it should stop.

US President Trump was informed and agreed that the ceasefire included Lebanon, according to CBS, stating on the day of the ceasefire, Israel had also agreed to the terms of the deal brokered by Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, which, as announced, included Lebanon in the ceasefire agreement.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said: “Israel is evil and a curse for humanity, while peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon. Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated. I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European Jews burns in hell.”

Asif’s comments caused mass hysteria in Jewish media, including Yinon Mahal of Channel 14: “Sweetheart, I suggest you check out what happened to the last country that threatened to destroy Israel.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said: “Israel views very gravely these blatant anti-Semitic blood libels from a government claiming to ‘mediate peace’. Calling the Jewish state ‘cancerous’ is effectively calling for its annihilation. Israel will defend itself against terrorists who vow to its destruction.”

Netanyahu’s Press Office said: “Pakistan Defence Minister’s call for Israel’s annihilation is outrageous. This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace.”

RakhaDashot said: “We’ve never had anything like this. The Defence Minister of Pakistan, who is managing the negotiations between the US and Iran.”

Pakistani Defence Minister Asif was pressured to delete his tweet condemning Israel as evil and a ‘curse for humanity,’ according to Kan News, citing a source close to Pakistan’s PM, adding that Pakistan’s military and political leadership were angered by the remarks, viewing them as an attempt to undermine Islamabad’s regional de-escalation efforts, and forced him to take the post down.

However, Asif later shared an Al Jazeera article: ‘Israel must be restrained for the US-Iran ceasefire to hold.”

IDF’s Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said that the IDF was still in a state of war, not in a ceasefire, with continuing fighting in the sector which is their combat zone, adding that they were in a ceasefire with Iran, and they could return to fighting there any minute and in a very powerful way.

A drone targeted a house in the town of Ain Baal, the home to Syrian workers, followed by shelling with 5 artillery shells, which lead to several deaths and wounded in southern Lebanon, reported Warfront Witness.

“Since the start of Operation ‘Roaring Lion,’ more than 1,400 Hezbollah terrorists have been neutralised, 4,300 terrorist infrastructure sites have been destroyed, and hundreds of weapons have been located,” the IDF said, adding that five divisions continued to operate simultaneously in southern Lebanon.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that on the very day of the ceasefire, Israel barbarically massacred hundreds of Lebanese people, stating this genocidal network, blinded by blood and hatred, continued to kill innocent children and women without regard for any human values or rules.

According to claims by the IDF, Hezbollah are still using ambulances extensively ‘for military purposes in Lebanon,’ warning that if it didn’t stop, then Israel would act ‘in accordance with international law.’

There is no decision to halt the strikes on Beirut, an Israeli security source told Israeli journalist Yinon Magal, adding that any attacks wouldn’t go ‘overboard.’

President Trump pushed Israel to implement a ceasefire in Lebanon, reported Israeli Channel 12, while sources told Al Hadath that a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel was expected to be announced on Saturday.

Thanks to a call from President Trump, Israel PM Netanyahu tightened Israel’s strike policy on Lebanon, reported Kan News, stating that attacks on Beirut would need high-level approval, including his own, as an Israeli official told the newspaper that there is no formal ceasefire but acknowledged a ‘very significant reduction’ in strikes and said the political leadership has imposed new restrictions on military operations.

Israel has refused to allow France to join next week’s direct talks with Lebanon in Washington, reported The Jerusalem Post, claiming an Israeli official told them France’s conduct over the past year, including initiatives aimed at limiting Israel’s ability to fight in Iran and a complete lack of willingness to take concrete steps to help Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah has led Israel to view France as an unfair mediator.

Press TV said that under sustained Iranian pressure, Israel was forced to stop its attacks on Beirut, because Iran made the cessation of attacks a precondition for talks on a temporary ceasefire, while further negotiations are conditional on Israel not attacking Beirut or the Dahieh district, with any renewed assault a reason that the talks could be completely suspended: “The Iranian delegation’s trip was postponed several times – continued Israeli strikes could nullify the negotiations altogether.”

Thirteen members of the Lebanese State Security were killed in an airstrike on a government building in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, while several others were killed and injured in further attacks on the southern city throughout the day.

Hezbollah said Israel committed a ‘major massacre’ today by targeting a government building in Nabatieh, accusing Israel of blatantly violating Lebanese sovereignty and institutions, and criticising the Lebanese government for rushing into direct negotiations under fire while abandoning the resistance’s achievements, while calling for national unity and warned that concessions will only lead to more destruction.

A Lebanese security source told China’s Xinhua that Israeli warplanes and drones had carried out around 42 airstrikes across 42 locations on southern and eastern Lebanon over the course of a few hours on Friday afternoon.

Ynet reported that a call between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US was expected on Friday evening to finalise the framework for direct negotiations set to begin next week in Washington, with a US official also taking part in the call. A Lebanese source told Al-Arabia that Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamada, planned to request a ceasefire ‘as a gesture of goodwill in order to begin negotiations.’

President Nawaf Salam will meet UN Secretary General António Guterres on Tuesday in New York, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday in Washington, reported Al Jadeed.

Diplomatic sources told Al-Jadeed that no final ceasefire, but a de-escalation in Beirut while the Israeli situation in southern Lebanon remained unchanged.

The Israeli military revealed details of its largest strike in Lebanon since the start of Operation Roaring Lion, stating that within a single minute, the IDF killed 180 alleged Hezbollah members across three areas simultaneously, including Beirut, the Bekaa and southern Lebanon. The strike hit approximately 100 targets, including alleged command centres, military structures, an emergency intelligence headquarters, Radwan Force and missile unit command centres, along with weapons storage facilities. Most of the infrastructure, according to the IDF, was located in the heart of civilian areas, which the IDF described as ‘Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields,’ a phrase often used to justify attacks after the mass murder of innocent civilians.

An Israeli airstrike targeted a Civil Defence team from the Health Authority in the town of Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon, resulting in several injuries, reported Warfront Witness.

Other News:

French oil major Total Energies announced the Saudi Satorp Refinery’s processing trains in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City had been damaged after ‘incidents’ that took place during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, which prompted it to shut down the units as a safety precaution, and now say the plant could be closed indefinitely.

Kuwait’s Army announced it had been targeted by seven Iranian drones, which targeted facilities belonging to the National Guard and resulted in injuries among those present, but all were in stable condition.