Day 1 of 'fragile truce': Iran fires at Gulf nations, Israel strikes Lebanon; fresh violence threatens to scuttle deal

Washington | Dubai | Tel Aviv | Beirut: The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, suspending a six-week-old war that has killed thousands, spread across West Asia and caused unprecedented disruption to the world's energy supplies.

There was relief on many of the region's streets and in world financial markets after President Donald Trump announced the agreement late on Tuesday, two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its "whole civilisation".

Iran's demands for ending the war, meanwhile, include a withdrawal of US combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of its frozen assets. In his post on Wednesday, Trump said: "We are, and will be, talking tariff and sanctions relief with Iran."


Both sides claimed victory on Wednesday, but Tehran warned the war was not over until formal terms were negotiated.

Later, in a strong statement White House, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that Iran 'begged' for a ceasefire following what he described as a "decisive military success" by the US under Operation Epic Fury.

Strikes in Beirut
Israeli strikes hit several commercial and residential areas in central Beirut. Lebanon said at least 112 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in what was one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

Later on, Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the deal because of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. When asked about Israel's latest strikes, he said, "That's a separate skirmish." Israel had said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, although mediator Pakistan said it does.

The fleeting sense of relief among Lebanese after the ceasefire announcement turned into panic with what Israel's military called its largest coordinated strike in the current war, hitting more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa valley.

Lebanon's Minister of Social Affairs, Haneed Sayed, in an interview with The Associated Press condemned Israel's wide range of strikes, calling it a "very dangerous turning point."

"These hits are now at the heart of Beirut ... Half of the sheltered (internally displaced persons) are in Beirut in this area," she said, adding that she had just driven by areas hit.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Lebanon during the past month, and over 1 million others have been displaced.

Attacks on Gulf Nations
US Vice President JD Vance warned the truce between Washington and Tehran remained "fragile" on Wednesday as several Gulf nations endured fresh attacks just hours after the rivals agreed a two-week ceasefire. The strikes on Kuwait and the UAE came as two ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran agreed to temporarily reopen the waterway.

Its powerful Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they had "no trust" in US promises and warned their "finger is on the trigger".

Saudi Arabia's crucial East-West oil pipeline, currently its only outlet for crude exports, was hit in an Iranian attack and other facilities in the kingdom were also targeted.

The pipeline was diverting around 7 million barrels per day from the kingdom's oil heartland in the east to the Red Sea port of Yanbu after Iran effectively shuttered the Hormuz, trapping huge volumes of oil and gas and sending energy markets skyrocketing.