Iran war day 119: Israel hits Lebanon, IAEA to return to Iran
Negotiations progress on a US-Iran interim peace accord; IAEA inspectors will go back to Iran, while Israel continues strikes in southern Lebanon. UN halts ship escorts through the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday, day 119 of the US-Israel war against Iran that began on February 28, Israel continued to attack southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the military would not withdraw from occupied areas, which currently cover about one-fifth of Lebanon. In the town of Mayfadoun in the Nabatieh district, two people were killed and one wounded in an Israeli raid, according to Lebanon's National News Agency and Ministry of Public Health.
Progress has been made on the interim peace accord between the United States and Iran, known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said that inspectors will be granted access to Iran, despite Tehran's earlier indication that key sites would remain off-limits until a final deal and sanctions lifting. Grossi told a news conference in Japan that the IAEA hopes to be there soon.
The UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) paused its operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after a cargo vessel reported being hit by a projectile near Oman. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned vessels not to attempt passage without its permission, even as Oman and the IMO had released details of a new safe route.
US President Donald Trump reiterated at an event for farmers that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy US wheat, soybeans, and corn. Iran has not confirmed this.
A US State Department official told Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli and Lebanese delegations will resume their meetings on Friday.
In global economic news, India lifted restrictions on commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies imposed during the war, when energy supplies were hit by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Aramco resumed oil loading at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf after nearly a four-month halt.
