By Brad Ryan in Washington DC with wires
8 hours ago
Donald Trump says fraudsters and charlatans are circulating fake versions of Iran's 10-point proposal. (Reuters: Nathan Howard)
In short:
Iran's foreign minister has issued the United States with an ultimatum, after Israel bombed Lebanon in the hours after a ceasefire deal was struck.
Iran says Lebanon was covered by the two-week ceasefire, but Israel and the US say it was not.
What's next?
Negotiations between Iran and the US are due to start in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday, local time.
Less than 24 hours after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire, Iran and the US are publicly at odds over its terms.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon, which killed hundreds of people, quickly threatened to scuttle the ceasefire and to shut down the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House also accused Iran of releasing false versions of the 10-point plan that US President Donald Trump called the "basis for negotiations".
Iran war live updates: For the latest news on the Middle East crisis, read our blog
The US and Israel said Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire, contradicting Pakistan, which was the key mediator in the ceasefire talks.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the "world sees the massacres in Lebanon" and the US "must choose — ceasefire or continued war via Israel".
"It cannot have both," he wrote on X.
US Vice-President JD Vance, who will represent the US in talks with Iran in Pakistan this weekend, blamed a "legitimate misunderstanding".
"I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn't," he said.
"We never made that promise."
But he said he had been told Israel would "check themselves a little bit in Lebanon".
"That's not because that is part of the ceasefire. I think that's the Israelis trying to set us up for success," he said.
Australia is among US allies calling for Lebanon's inclusion in the ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron criticised Israel's "indiscriminate strikes" in Lebanon and said Lebanon must be "fully covered" by the ceasefire.
"We condemn these strikes in the strongest possible terms," Mr Macron said.
Israel said its strikes targeted militant group Hezbollah. But it bombed densely populated residential areas not known to be Hezbollah strongholds, without warning residents, including in central Beirut.
Israel had already killed more than 1,500 people in Lebanon, including more than 130 children, since the start of the Iran war, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Ships warned not to use strait
Iranian state media reported the Strait of Hormuz had been closed after the latest strikes on Lebanon. The White House described the reports as "unacceptable" and suggested they were incorrect.
"This is a case of what they're saying publicly is different privately," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"We have seen an uptick of traffic in the strait today. And I will reiterate the president's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, immediately, quickly and safely."
Emergency responders work at the site of an Israeli strike in Al-Mazraa in Beirut. (Reuters: Yara Nardi)
Shipping companies said they had been warned by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) not to attempt to cross the strait without permission.
UK ship-broker SSY confirmed to the BBC that ships in the Gulf had received a message, purportedly from the IRGC navy station, that said:
"Transiting the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and you need permission from the IRGC before sailing through the strait. Any vessel trying to travel into the sea will be targeted and destroyed."
The broader conditions around the strait's reopening were also unclear.
After the ceasefire announcement, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said passage through the strait would require "coordination with Iran's armed forces".
The Financial Times later reported that Iran would force tankers to pay tolls in cryptocurrency to transport oil through the strait. The Times cited Hamid Hosseini, from Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union.
Ms Leavitt said Mr Trump had been clear that the strait must reopen "without limitation, including tolls".
But Mr Trump reportedly told America's ABC News that he was open to placing tolls on the strait as a "joint venture" with Iran.
"We're thinking of doing it as a joint venture," Mr Trump was quoted as saying.
"It's a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people."
Ceasefire: How we got here
Sunday March 22
Deadline set
US President Donald Trump issues a 48-hour deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to "obliterate" Iranian power plants if it does not comply. Iran responds by saying critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East may be "irreversibly destroyed".
Monday March 23
Deadline extended
Strikes on Iran are postponed for five days. Trump says there are "productive talks" with Iran about ending the war. Iran says it has received messages through "friendly countries" about a request from the US for talks, but it denies any negotiations are taking place.
Tuesday March 24
Ceasefire plan
Pakistan delivers a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran. US President Donald Trump says the US is "in negotiations right now" for a peace deal. The US deploys more troops to the region.
Wednesday March 25
Deal rejected
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his team has received a copy of the 15-point plan, but he dismisses the ceasefire proposal. An Iranian military spokesman says there are no peace talks taking place. Iran puts forward a five-point plan to end fighting. Mediators continue passing messages between the US and Iran.
Thursday March 26
New extension
Trump says Iran is "desperate" to make a ceasefire deal. Trump again extends the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, this time to April 6.
Sunday March 29
Troops arrive
Iran's parliament speaker warns the US against a ground invasion as 2,500 US marines arrive in the Middle East. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf threatens to set the American troops "on fire" and step up attacks on US allies.
Sunday March 29
Regional leaders meet
Foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye meet in Pakistan to discuss how to end the war and ease regional tensions.
Monday March 30
Threat renewed
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says the meeting is “commendable,” but says Iran is not involved. He describes Trump's 15-point peace plan as "unrealistic". Trump says America will blow up Kharg Island and obliterate oil and energy sites if Iran refuses to make a deal. The deadline remains April 6.
Tuesday March 31
End in sight?
Trump says the US will leave Iran within two to three weeks — even if no ceasefire deal has been reached. He says if other countries want oil or gas they will have to "go right up the Hormuz Strait and they'll be able to fend for themselves". He reiterates both points in a prime-time address on Wednesday April 1.
Sunday April 5
Deadline extended again
Trump pushes his deadline back by one day to Tuesday April 7. He threatens to blow up power plants and bridges in a post on Truth Social. Iran accuses the United Nations of remaining silent in the fact of Trump's war-mongering.
Tuesday April 7
Last-minute suspension
Ninety minutes before the April 7 deadline, Trump agrees to suspend attacks on Iran for two weeks. Israel also agrees to the ceasefire. Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, agrees to stop defensive operations and promises safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks. Iran, the US and Pakistan will begin peace deal talks on April 10.
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Points of confusion
The White House has not confirmed the details of Iran's 10-point proposal, which will now form the starting point for peace talks.
Iranian sources — including social media accounts for its embassies and consulates — have released differing versions of the plan, which have appeared in US, Iranian and international media outlets.
Some purported versions of the plan contain conditions known to be unacceptable to the US, Israel and Gulf states. They include the withdrawal of American troops from the region, ongoing Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, and permission for Iran to enrich uranium.
Mr Trump said "fraudsters, charlatans and worse" were circulating fake versions of the 10-point plan.
"There is only one group of meaningful 'POINTS' that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these Negotiations," he wrote on Truth Social.
Ms Leavitt said an earlier 10-point proposal from Iran "was literally thrown in the garbage" and Iran's retention of nuclear capabilities was a red line for Mr Trump.
"What Iran says publicly or feeds to all of you in the press is much different than what they communicate to the United States," she told a media briefing.
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