Israel and Lebanon extend ceasefire amid Hormuz uncertainty

Trump today signed a 90-day extension to a waiver of the Jones Act, which requires goods on ships transported between U.S. ports to be carried on U.S.-built and flagged ships, the White House assistant press secretary said.

Trump temporarily waived Jones Act requirements in March in an attempt to ease oil supply pressures due to the Iran war. It was part of a package to allow U.S. oil companies access to Venezuela oil and gas.

White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers said on X today that “New data compiled since the initial waiver was issued revealed that significantly more supply was able to reach U.S. ports faster.”

The extension is for another 90 days, she wrote.

“This waiver extension provides both certainty and stability for the U.S. and global economies,” she wrote.

The price of benchmark Brent crude remained above $100 today as commerce in the Strait of Hormuz remains very sluggish amid the Iran war.

The State Department announced new sanctions against Iran's oil network in China today.

"The Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions today on a major, independent Chinese refinery and nearly 40 other targets — vessels and their respective owners or managers — that serve as critical lifelines for Iran’s oil exports," State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

Pigott added, "This action cuts revenue streams that fund the regime’s destabilizing activities across the Middle East. The Administration’s maximum pressure campaign will hold Tehran accountable for its regional aggression and threats to American interests."

The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee today called for an end to negotiations with Iran and a resumption of military strikes.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R- Miss., made the comments in a post on X in which he said, “The time is over for negotiations with Iran’s regime.”

“The radical successors of Khamenei can never be trusted to keep any promise or agreement. Our Commander-in-Chief should direct his skilled military leaders to finish destroying Iran’s conventional military capabilities and eliminating any last remnants of their nuclear program,” Wicker said in the post.

“This is the only way to ensure lasting stability in the region,” he said.

Trump said today that Iran is making an offer for negotiations. An American delegation headed by Witkoff and Kushner is expected to arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, tomorrow.

Sarah Nuwayhid in Beirut is in her first year of university, an important milestone in any young person’s life, but the war between Israel and Hezbollah upended her plans.

Now, with a temporary ceasefire, she and her classmates can go back to some semblance of a normal life, she said. There was online instruction during the war, she said, but it’s not the same as attending class.

“Being back here on campus and, like, having my uni experience back, you know, it means a lot to me,” Nuwayhid, 18, said.

But she said that Israel’s military presence in the southern part of her country, which Israel claims is for security concerns, has to end. “I just know, like, no matter what, at some point it is Lebanese territory, so it’ll be, like, back.”

Damage from recent Israeli airstrikes in Tyre, Lebanon earlier this week. Angela Neil / NBC News

Anthony Berberien, also 18, said that the war has meant he and others had to change their lives to accommodate it.

“Before the war, I had a normal life, but you had to overcome this and adapt to it,” he said.

Like many interviewed, he said he was unsure how the conflict would play out.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend the temporary ceasefire, which Trump announced yesterday, although there has been fighting between Israel and Hezbollah since it first took effect on April 17.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations called on the U.S. to be held accountable for its "illegal seizure" of the Iranian commercial vessel "Toska" last week.

"This coercive and unlawful act endangers lives, undermines freedom of navigation, and places vulnerable patients at grave risk," the mission said in a post on X. "The perpetrators must be held accountable."

There is no meeting planned between Iranian and American officials in Pakistan, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaie, said in a post on X.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, center left, with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, center right, in Islamabad on Friday. Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs handout via Getty Images

"We arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, for an official visit. FM Araghchi will be meeting with Pakistani high-level officials in concert with their ongoing mediation & good offices for ending American imposed war of aggression and the restitution of peace in our region," he wrote in the post.

Baghaie added, "No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S. Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan."

Treasury is freezing $344 million in cryptocurrency linked to the Iranian regime, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X.

"Under Economic Fury, @USTreasury will continue to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds," Bessent wrote. "Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is sanctioning multiple wallets tied to Iran — resulting in the freeze of $344 million in cryptocurrency."

He added, "We will follow the money that Tehran is desperately attempting to move outside of the country and target all financial lifelines tied to the regime."

Trump said today that Iran is making an offer for negotiations but did not provide additional details.

“They’re making an offer and we’ll have to see,” Trump told Reuters.

Trump also did not specify who the administration is negotiating with among Iranian officials. "I don’t want to say that, but we’re dealing with the people that are in charge now," he said in the Reuters interview.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad today, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

And an American delegation headed by Witkoff and Kushner is expected to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow. Iranian officials have not confirmed that Araghchi will meet Witkoff and Kushner.

A Middle East diplomat who has been briefed on the discussions told NBC News that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected in Muscat, Oman, this weekend to meet Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.

An Iranian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Islamabad, according to Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"During the visit, the Iranian Foreign Minister will hold meetings with Pakistan's senior leadership to discuss the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability," the ministry said.

Araghchi did not expressly say if he was in Islamabad to restart peace talks with the U.S., and Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim reported that the minister would not speak to the Americans while in the city.

An American delegation headed by Witkoff and Kushner is expected to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow.

Security around Islamabad's Serena Hotel, the venue where previous talks took place between Iran and the U.S., is being tightened as the American delegation is expected to arrive in the city tomorrow.

United States special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will head the delegation, the White House announced today.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, left, and Jared Kushner last year. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also headed to Islamabad, although he has not clarified if he's going there for talks with the U.S. Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim reported that Araghchi will not hold peace talks with the Americans while in the city.

Officers were seen armed and standing guard near the hotel, as flags of Pakistan waved in the distance.

U.S. Central Command posted an infographic today about the three aircraft carriers that are operating in the Middle East.

The three carriers — the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford and USS George H.W. Bush —  comprise over 200 aircraft, 12 ships and 15,000 sailors and Marines.

The last time three carriers operated in the CENTCOM area of responsibility was back in 2003.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today that his government is in talks with Iran to allow two Malaysian-owned tankers carrying fuel supplies to pass through.

The vessels have exited the Strait of Hormuz but face severe restrictions despite earlier clearance given by the Iranian government, he was cited as saying by the national Bernama news agency. He didn’t provide further details.

One Malaysian vessel has earlier reached home and another is expected to enter Malaysian waters soon, he said. Another is stranded at port due to technical problems, he added.

Israel and Hezbollah are continuing to exchange fire today even as the ceasefire was extended by three weeks.

Hezbollah said it attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers and Israeli army vehicles in Qantara in southern Lebanon in retaliation for the IDF's attacks on civilians in Tulin and Khirbet Selem. In a third incident, the group said it shot down an Israeli drone for its incursion into Lebanese airspace, which is a violation of the ceasefire.

The Corniche al-Masraa neighborhood of Beirut on Thursday. Scott Peterson / Getty Images

The IDF said it struck "Hezbollah military structures" in Tulin and Khirbet Selem after the group launched rockets towards Shtula in northern Israel yesterday. The army also said it killed six Hezbollah fighters in Bint Jbeil, struck surveillance equipment and located weapons belonging to the group.

Both Hezbollah and Israel have have defended their attacks and claimed that the other has violated the ceasefire.

In a statement, Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of attempting to sabotage his country's ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, adding: "We are maintaining full freedom of action against any threat, including emerging ones."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is heading to Islamabad, as well as Oman and Russia for a "timely tour," he said on X this morning.

"Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments," he wrote. "Our neighbors are our priority."

Araghchi did not explicitly say if he is going to Pakistan to hold talks with the American delegation. Pakistani officials have been trying to get Washington and Tehran to talk again after the first round of negotiations earlier this month did not end in a resolution.

Iran's airspace is reopening for international routes, the country's state media has said.

The state IRNA news agency quoted Ahura Mohammadi, director of public relations of Imam Khomeini Airport in the nation's capital, as saying that international passenger flights at the airport will resume from tomorrow with three flights.

The semiofficial ISNA news agency also said that international flights to Istanbul, Turkey and Muscat, Oman, will resume from the airport starting tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Iran Air will restart its scheduled domestic flights on the Tehran-Mashhad-Tehran route starting tomorrow as well, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said the crews of three ships seized by U.S. forces in recent days are in U.S. custody.

Caine outlined the interdiction of the Touska in detail, saying the ship and crew now remain in U.S. custody. He also discussed two interdictions in the Indo-Pacific region, the Tifani and the Majestic X. 

The Defense Department earlier said both ships were involved in providing material support to Iran. 

“To date, Iran has attacked five merchant vessels, seized two of them, that were attempting to transit the Strait. And these include ships that Iran itself had cleared to proceed,” Caine said. 

An Indonesian peacekeeper has died after suffering injuries in March, according to a statement from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

The force said 31-year-old Cpl. Pramudia “tragically succumbed” to his injuries at a hospital in Beirut.

“UNIFIL extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Corporal Pramudia as well as the Indonesian Army and the Government and people of the Republic of Indonesia for this tragic and irreparable loss,” the statement said. 

A total of six peacekeepers have died during the war.

The U.S. is not “anxious for a deal” with Tehran, and Iran still has “an open window to choose wisely,” Defense Secretary Hegseth said today, as it remained unclear when the two sides could embark on new peace negotiations.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., today. Annabelle Gordon / AFP via Getty Images

“At the negotiating table, all they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways, or instead they can watch the regime’s fragile economic state collapse under the unrelenting pressure of American power,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon, adding that the naval blockade of Iranian ports will continue for “as long as it takes” with the clock not on Tehran’s side.

The U.S. blockade of Iranian parts is “growing and going global,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth said America’s military was “unmatched” and “denying passage to adversaries” as U.S. forces continue to enforce the naval blockade with the prospect of negotiations between Tehran and Washington unclear.

“No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy,” Hegseth added, as he accused the Iranians of “acting like pirates” who don’t control anything. 

As of this morning, 34 ships have met the U.S. blockade and “made the wise choice to turn around,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine also added.

Iranians on the beach in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz today. Razieh Poudat / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, told Russian state broadcaster RT that Tehran will fight if the U.S. doesn’t wish to negotiate.

“We have never left negotiating table, we have not betrayed negotiations,” Jalali was quoted as saying in an RT post on Telegram published earlier today. “If other side [is] willing to negotiate, we will negotiate. If they want war, we will fight.”

It comes as Trump has said there was “no time pressure” in talks with Iran and “no time frame” on ending the war after he extended the ceasefire with Tehran. 

A U.S.-sanctioned supertanker flying under the Curaçao flag passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite a naval blockade, according to ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic analyzed by NBC News.

The vessel transited the Strait before anchoring east of Larak Island earlier today.

The tanker has been on the U.S. sanctions list for two years over allegations it transported Iranian oil shipments to China.

A medical report issued by the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed that he has been treated for cancer.

The report said Netanyahu had surgery to remove his prostate gland in late 2024, and that it went without complications. A later examination showed “a small residual area” with suspicious characteristics in the prostate bed. An additional examination indicated that this was a localized finding, at a preliminary stage of recurrent prostate cancer, the report said.

Netanyahu opted for treatment, it added, and testing has confirmed that the lesion has since disappeared.  

Iranian Vice President Esmael Saghab Esfahani said any strike on the country’s oil wells would prompt a retaliatory attack, according to a statement carried by the semiofficial Mehr News Agency.

“Our country’s response to any possible attack will go beyond an eye for an eye,” Esfahani said. 

“If any of our oil wells are hit, one of the oil phases of the countries from whose territory the attack is launched against us will be targeted,” he added. 

The comments came hours after Trump extended a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon by three weeks.

An Iranian police officer stands guard Thursday at a checkpoint in Tehran. Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Iran has yet to make a final decision on whether it will participate at this year’s soccer World Cup, according to a statement carried by the semiofficial Iranian Students’ News Agency.

“Iran has not yet made a final decision on participating in the 2026 World Cup and this decision must be made by the government,” said Mahdi Alinejad, the secretary-general of Iran’s National Olympic Committee. 

Despite qualifying for the tournament, Iran’s participation remains uncertain after it asked that FIFA move the team’s three group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico — a request that was rejected.

Iran's Mehdi Taremi, center, during a World Cup qualifying match against Uzbekistan in Tehran in 2025.  Vahid Salemi / AP

As the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is extended by three weeks, the U.S.'s ambassador to Israel said the primary challenge lies with Hezbollah rather than with Israel or the Lebanese government.

“The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel are neighbors, and they want to get along,” Mike Huckabee said at the White House last evening. 

Huckabee went on to compare the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to “a bad kid” in a neighborhood that “throws rocks at windows.”

“The problem is Hezbollah — the bad little kid throwing rocks,” he added.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter joined Trump at the Oval Office last evening alongside Vice President JD Vance.

Trump said Israel and Lebanon will extend their ceasefire by three weeks, a move that creates space to work on a long-term deal and removes a roadblock to ending the war with Iran.

Will Oliver / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Trump has pushed to bring the war with Iran to a speedy end: He stepped up bombing raids. He threatened to wipe out infrastructure. He has attempted diplomacy and ordered a naval blockade. But Tehran is in no rush to cut a deal.

Despite the assassinations of its leaders and the damage to an array of military sites, Iran’s regime seems to have benefited politically from the attacks started by the U.S. and Israel, according to a Western diplomat with knowledge of the conflict and five Western officials, all with knowledge of intelligence assessments on Iran. The regime is, improbably, more stable now than before the war and slightly more hard line, five of the officials said.

The mass anti-government protests that rocked the country in the weeks before the war have, at this time, receded. The so-called moderate or reformist faction inside the regime has been marginalized, because heavy U.S. bombing and Trump’s frequent ultimatums have undermined their arguments that a more accommodating approach with Washington could produce benefits, five of the officials said.

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The price of crude oil rose to more than $105 a barrel in early trading today as uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz continues to cloud the market's long- and medium-term outlook.

Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, was up almost 17% for the week as the peace process between Iran and the United has stalled.

West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, was up to more than $95 a barrel, a rise of more than 16% this week.

This rise has impacted consumers at gas pumps with the national average more than $4 a gallon — 36% higher than before the war — and Trump said yesterday that Americans will have to contend with higher prices "for a little while."

A medical aid convoy left Turkey headed for Iran, an official told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency today.

The six trucks departed Van in eastern Turkey to pass through the Gurbulak border crossing, Van Health Director Muhammed Tosun said.

“The materials include medicines and medical supplies,” Tosun said.

“We previously sent three trucks. With today’s trucks, a total of nine trucks of aid materials will have been delivered to our Iranian colleagues to serve their citizens,” he said.

Italy’s navy chief of staff Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto told state broadcaster RAI this week that his country is ready to deploy up to four vessels to help clear the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.

Berutti Bergotto said Wednesday the group could consist of “two minesweepers, an escort vessel and a logistics vessel.”

“Obviously we are not acting alone. We are part of an international coalition, and other nations will also send minesweepers,” he said.

More than 1 million Lebanese people were displaced in Lebanon following Israel's strikes and invasion. NBC News' Yasmin Vossoughian visits a school that has been turned into a refugee center housing hundreds of people, who overwhelmingly say they want to return to their homes. Israel says it will not withdraw from a buffer zone it is holding in Lebanon until the militant group Hezbollah disarms.

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