John Kerry says to end the war with Iran both sides need to “behave like adults”
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Here’s the latest
• Timeline uncertain: US President Donald Trump said there is no deadline for ending the war with Iran, the ceasefire, or Tehran’s response to his request for a peace proposal.
• Maritime standoff: Iran’s president said the US blockade on Iranian ports is a major obstacle to talks. The blockade is also what is preventing the Strait of Hormuz from reopening, Iran’s top negotiator said. Tehran has received its first revenue from tolls it imposed on ships passing through the strait, according to Iranian media.
• Israel-Lebanon talks: The US will host a second round of talks between the Middle Eastern neighbors today amid a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon that has seen attacks by Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.Allcatch up
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Israeli military vows to maintain presence in southern Lebanon ahead of ceasefire talks
By Hazel oliva
The Israeli military said today it will maintain its presence in southern Lebanon and urged residents not to return to dozens of villages in the country’s south, ahead of crucial ceasefire talks later today.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue to position itself in southern Lebanon “in the face of the ongoing terrorist activities of the Hezbollah organization,” IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on Telegram. Over the past week, both the Israeli military and militant group Hezbollah have launched attacks, testing the fragile truce.
Israeli and Lebanese representatives are set to meet later today in Washington for a second round of diplomatic talks. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah remains in place in Lebanon following an order from US President Donald Trump on April 16.
In his statement, Adraee warned residents not to return to dozens of villages in the country’s south, as well as areas near the Litani River, which bisects Lebanon.
Oil prices gain on fears of a prolonged Middle East war
By Hanna Ziady
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday as the markets closed at a record high. Richard Drew/AP
Oil prices are rising today, after US President Donald Trump said there was no deadline for ending the war with Iran, quashing hopes of an imminent resolution to the conflict.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, is up 1.9% at nearly $104 a barrel, on track for the fourth consecutive day of gains. WTI, the US benchmark, is up by a similar margin at $94.6 a barrel.
“The absence of any peace talks between the United States and Iran has led investors to price in a longer conflict again, along with a more extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a note. “If anything, the latest moves pointed in an escalatory direction.”
They were referring to America’s continuing blockade of Iranian ports and a statement from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had seized two ships in the strait. Meanwhile, peace talks set for this week between the United States and Iran were canceled.
That backdrop is weighing on stock markets this morning. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures point to a weaker US open, after the indexes closed at record highs Wednesday on news that Trump would extend the ceasefire with Iran.
Major European indexes are also overwhelmingly in the red. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng indexes finished modestly lower, while South Korea’s Kospi notched a small gain.
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