Lebanon + Israel hold peace talks as Iran, US consider next steps

The US-Israel ceasefire with Iran is still holding one week later, with renewed hopes for peace talks.

Israel and Lebanon held their first direct negotiations in over four decades overnight in Washington, days after Israel launched deadly attacks on Beirut that killed hundreds in a single day. Hezbollah was not sitting at the table during the talks, after “rejecting” the talks, which are primarily designed to weed out Hezbollah from Lebanon, particularly in the country’s south.

Meanwhile, Iran and the US are reportedly set to return to their negotiations, but they can’t even seem to agree on when that’s happening. While US President Donald Trump suggested the second round of talks with Tehran could happen “in the next two days,” Iran maintains that there is no information available as yet. The first round of talks in Islamabad over the weekend came to a close without an agreement and ended with the US deciding to kick off a counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

What’s the latest on Hormuz anyway? So far, movement has continued to trickle through the Strait of Hormuz, with some heading to the UAE, despite the US’ blockade (which Saudi Arabia is pushing Washington to end). A US-sanctioned Chinese tanker has already passed through the strait since the US’ blockade began, according to shipping data. The tanker was heading to the UAE’s Hamriyah port. Still, the blockade of Iranian ports has been inconsistent at best, with the US intercepting two Iranian oil tankers as they attempted to leave ports yesterday, but at least four other vessels — including two coming from Iranian ports — managed to pass through the strait.