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Shipping data shows little movement in the Strait of Hormuz more than six hours after the US and Iran announced a ceasefire.According to CNN, analysts warned that vessels and insurance companies will need more positive signs before resuming navigation through this vital waterway.”The ceasefire is a necessary first step, but it does not mean commercial shipping immediately normalizes through the international traffic lanes in the Strait,” said former US Navy officer Charlie Brown.”Shipowners are still waiting for authoritative guidance from naval security channels, flag states, and, critically, marine war-risk insurers before sending vessels back into the strait,” Brown added.”The real signal to watch is the ‘first movers’ – the earliest vessels willing to test the route. If those transits are completed safely, confidence will build quickly and the broader watch-and-wait cohort will follow,” he continued.Iran has attacked at least 19 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, since the start of the war. The almost six week blockage of the waterway has choked crude supplies to the rest of the world and tanked global markets. Source link
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul Wednesday. (AFP)…
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said that the Israeli occupation forces carried out 53 violations against Palestinian journalists during the month of March.The syndicate explained in its monthly report that March witnessed the assassination of two journalists, warning of the dangerous and systematic escalation in the Israeli occupation forces’ targeting of Palestinian journalists.The syndicate stressed that these violations constitute part of an organized policy to silence Palestinian voices and undermine press freedom. Targeting journalists, including killing, arresting, and physical assault, falls within an escalating pattern of serious violations that rise to the level of serious crimes, and reflects the occupation authorities’ insistence on preventing independent media coverage, especially in light of the escalation of crimes and violations against Palestinian civilians. Related Story Source link
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence announced early Wednesday that its air defences successfully intercepted hostile missile and drone attacks.The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army stated in a release that the explosions heard across various areas were the result of air defence systems intercepting the incoming attacks. Source link
The Abu Dhabi Media Office reported early Wednesday that authorities in Abu Dhabi are responding to a fire at the Habshan Gas Processing Facility.Earlier, the UAE Ministry of Defence announced that its air defences were responding to missile and drone attacks originating from Iran. Source link
US President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday a two-week suspension of military action against Iran.Writing on Truth Social, Trump stated that the ceasefire is strictly conditional on Tehran agreeing to open the Strait of Hormuz.”Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan, who requested that I hold off on sending destructive force to Iran tonight,” Trump posted, “I agree to suspend the bombing and attacks on Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double-sided ceasefire.”The President added that the US has already “met and exceeded all military objectives” and suggested a “definitive agreement” regarding long-term peace in the Middle East is near. He described a 10-point proposal received from Iran as a “workable basis for negotiation,” noting that most previous sticking points have been resolved.Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had publicly urged the US to extend its deadline and called on Iran to reopen the vital shipping lane as a “goodwill gesture” to prevent full-scale war. Related Story Source link
An Iraqi officer and four army personnel were wounded in an airstrike on a security checkpoint in the Sheikh Amer area, north of Baghdad. Meanwhile, several civilians were injured as a result of a shell falling on a house in the Al-A’amiriy district, west of Baghdad.In a separate incident, a person was injured when a drone crashed in the Jamila area, east of the capital, while another drone caused a house to catch fire.Field sources also reported hearing explosions in the Karkh district of Baghdad, without providing further details.In Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, security sources indicated that shrapnel from a drone landed on a house in the Karizan area, but no injuries were reported. Source link
Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif announced Wednesday that Islamabad will host high-level delegations from the United States and Iran on Friday to negotiate a definitive peace agreement.’I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire in all theaters, including Lebanon and elsewhere, effective immediately,’ Sharif posted on X.He expressed hope that the upcoming ‘Islamabad Talks’ would achieve sustainable peace, adding, ‘We look forward to sharing more good news in the coming days.’Late Tuesday, US President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week suspension of military operations against Iran.On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged US President Donald Trump to extend the deadline for Iran to reach an agreement by two weeks. He also encouraged Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during this period as a gesture of goodwill, amid intensified diplomatic efforts to secure a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict. Source link
Four people were killed in an Israeli raid that targeted Al Haniyah and Al Mansouri areas, south of Tyre in southern Lebanon.The Israeli entity also targeted a point belonging to paramedics in the town of Shaqra, resulting in injuries.Since dawn on Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes have targeted the towns of Shaqra, Haddatha, Rab Thalathin, Al Abbasiya area, Kafra and Al Jamijma.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously announced that “Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks,” but said “the ceasefire does not include Lebanon.” Source link
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran.Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said that Guterres called on all parties to work towards achieving a lasting peace in the Middle East.Dujarric added that the Secretary-General urged all parties to the current conflict in the Middle East to abide by their obligations under international law and adhere to the terms of the ceasefire in order to pave the way for a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.US President Donald Trump had announced his agreement to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Source link