Iraqi oilfields' return to normal operations will be gradual, minister says
Iraq's oilfields are ready to resume production and a return to normal output levels will take place gradually until previous production rates are restored, Oil Minister Basim Mohammed told Iraq's state news agency early on Friday.
He said state oil marketer SOMO had contacted all customers to nominate chartered and owned tankers to load contracted Iraqi crude oil cargoes from the country's southern ports.
He added that the resumption of exports would be gradual and dependent on the smooth passage of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
As a result of Iran war, Gulf states 'diversifying defensively'
As the Strait of Hormuz reopens and talks between the US and Iran start up again, how are Gulf states emerging from the Middle East war? Previously thought of as the safe haven of the Middle East, the surprise US-Israeli attack on Iran left them reeling, and triggered a search to "diversify defensively". FRANCE 24's Angela Diffley explains.
US-Iran agreement leaves Israelis 'in profound state of shock'
Israeli leaders are privately fuming about the US-Iran deal, seeing the initial agreement as a form of capitulation. This comes as a final blow to the increasingly fraying relationship between Netanyahu and Trump, previously thought thought to be iron-clad. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky tells us more.
Iran's Strait Authority to facilitate ships' passage through Hormuz
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the country's Persian Gulf Strait Authority will take measures to issue fast authorisations to ships wanting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Measures on mine clearance will be carried out under the Islamabad MoU, though ships are advised to stick to the path and timing allocated by the authority, the statement published by state media added.
Trump says US expects 'complete ceasefire on all fronts' following Iran deal
US President Donald Trump said that the United States expects "a complete ceasefire on all fronts", including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.
"We encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran's supreme leader says approved US deal despite having 'different view'
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had authorised a memorandum of understanding signed by the Iranian and US presidents despite holding a different view, after receiving assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials that Iran's rights and the interests of the "Resistance Front" would be safeguarded.
In a written message to the Iranian nation, Khamenei said Pezeshkian, in his capacity as head of the Supreme National Security Council, had accepted responsibility for ensuring the agreement protected Iran's interests and pledged not to yield if Washington made what he described as excessive demands.
Khamenei added that future face-to-face negotiations with the United States would not mean accepting "the enemy's position".
🎥 Iran deal is 'a major setback for the United States', ex-adviser to State Department says
In an interview with FRANCE 24, Vali Nasr, professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University and former adviser to the State Department, explained that "the war is ending in Iran's favour" and that "the outcome is definitely not favourable to Israel".
"It's very difficult not to see this as a major setback for the United States and a major gain for Iran", he said, adding that "the Islamic Republic, domestically and regionally, is coming out of this war more confident, more self-assured and stronger" than before.
US forces lift blockade of Iran ports
American forces lifted their naval blockade of Iranian ports after more than two months of preventing ships from sailing from or to the Islamic republic, the US military said.
"Today, US forces lifted the blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas," US Central Command said in a post on X, adding that American warships "will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to."
US issues sanctions on Hezbollah-linked targets, Treasury website shows
The United States has issued new "counter terrorism" sanctions targeting individuals and entities linked to the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, details posted to the US Treasury Department's website showed.
Replay: US VP Vance defends Iran-US agreement
Vance says technical talks on Iran set to begin this weekend, but that may change
US Vice President JD Vance said that technical talks on the Iran deal were scheduled to begin this weekend, provided the Iranian team can get to the talks.
"We think these technical negotiations are going to start sometime this weekend. That's still the plan, but that could change," Vance said at a White House briefing, adding that Iran is a hard country to get out of.
He said he planned to lead the US negotiating team in talks with Iran.
US wants Lebanese govt to police country's south, VP Vance says
US Vice President JD Vance said that part of the goal of Washington's peace agreement with Iran would be to allow the Lebanese government to police the south of its country, rather than the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
"What we want to see is the Lebanese government, the elected representatives of the people of Lebanon, who are able to police southern Lebanon, so that Hezbollah has not taken over the country, the Israelis are not threatened, and then consequently the Israelis are not attacking southern Lebanon or Beirut either," Vance told reporters.
Not there yet on questions of lifting Iran sanctions, EU's Kallas says
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that if there was an Iranian nuclear deal, then the issue of lifting sanctions could be addressed, but added that they were not there yet.
"Once the conditions allow, of course, member states will discuss whether the lifting of sanctions is (appropriate), but we are not there yet," Kallas told reporters ahead of a summit with leaders of EU countries.
Lloyd's says stranded ships have begun transiting the Strait of Hormuz
Major shipowners have begun moving vessels through the Strait of Hormuz since US-Iran agreement, maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence said.
In a media briefing, Richard Meade, editor in chief of Lloyd’s List, said for the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies were crossing the strait after effectively being marooned there since February.
Lloyd’s List did not say how many ships were transiting through or had passed through the strait as of Thursday. It said tankers controlled by major ship owners Grimaldi Group, Cosco, Knutsen and NYK had passed through the strait. Two Iran-flagged, National Iranian Tanker Company-owned, sanctioned crude oil tankers entered the strait, according to Lloyd’s List.
US does not expect Iran to have missiles with global threat under deal, Vance says
Iran would not give up the right to self-defense but the United States expects Tehran to not have missiles that can "broadly threaten the entire world" as part of the deal it agreed with Washington, US Vice President JD Vance said.
Vance says 60-day period in Iran deal begins Thursday
The 60-day period for negotiations between the US and Iran begins on Thursday, but the agreement between the two sides took effect the day before, Vice President JD Vance said.
"I would say the 60 day period officially started today," Vance told journalists, adding that "the deal started yesterday."
Netanyahu vows that Israeli forces will stay in southern Lebanon as long as Israel requires it
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s military will stay in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied up to 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the border.
The remarks were his first comment since the U.S.-Iran deal was signed. Netanyahu said Israel must “maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon, and it requires that we must not leave there as long as Israel’s security needs require it”.
He has made similar comments in the past about Israel’s refusal to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
12.5 million barrels of oil passed Strait of Hormuz, Vance says
Vice President JD Vance said that the US Navy has allowed more than a dozen ships through to Iranian ports, lifting a blockade as part of an agreement to end the war.
Vance made the announcement at a White House press briefing, where he said more oil is now flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Republican vice president said more than 12.5 million barrels went through the shipping channel Wednesday night.
“So we’re also honoring our end of the early part of the agreement on the military side,” Vance said, citing it as an immediate benefit of the deal as he downplayed criticism that the agreement tilts in favor of Iran.
Vance said he plans to travel to Switzerland for talks on the Iran deal but he doesn’t know when that will happen.
Vance criticises Israel 'freakout' over Iran deal in NYT interview
US Vice President JD Vance criticised Israel for a "weird panic" and "freakout" over the agreement struck between the US and Iran in an interview as the Trump administration sought to tamp down criticism of the deal.
Israeli officials across the political spectrum, including some of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies, have criticised the agreement, saying it did not address their concerns over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and would tie down Israel's military operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
"There is this weird panic almost in the Israeli system that I’ve picked up on where they assume that everything that is contemplated that is good for Iran will happen – but that will happen without the Iranians changing any behavior," Vance said in an interview with the New York Times.
"That's not how the deal is written."
Yesterday's key developments:
- US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran .
- Iran's chief negotiator on Wednesday said Tehran would charge service fees for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz after a 60-day fee-free period stipulated in a memorandum of understanding with the US.
- Iran could get access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund under a deal with the United States, US officials said Wednesday as they released the text, while insisting that Washington was under no commitment to contribute.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
