US and Iran exchanged blame over military strikes on Thursday as Washington and Tehran moved closer to a possible ceasefire extension agreement tied to the broader Middle East conflict.
Iran said it fired on a U.S. military base in the region, while the United States reported strikes on Iran’s Bandar Abbas port. Later, Axios reported that Washington and Tehran had agreed on a memorandum of understanding to extend their ceasefire for 60 days, though U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to approve the arrangement.
Sources told Reuters the United States and Iran had also reached an agreement in principle to allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and ease some U.S. sanctions on Iran, although negotiations remain unfinished.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar was expected in Washington on Friday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as diplomatic efforts intensified.
WASHINGTON TALKS ON LEBANON
Against that backdrop, Lebanese and Israeli military delegations were due to meet at the Pentagon for security talks.
Beirut is expected to demand that Israel halt its attacks, which have intensified in recent days despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Iran, which backs Hezbollah, has insisted that fighting in Lebanon be included in any agreement aimed at ending the wider Middle East war.
Israel’s military on Friday issued evacuation warnings for seven southern Lebanese towns, including two located around 40 kilometers north of the Israeli border.
UN RAISES CONCERNS OVER CHILD CASUALTIES
The United Nations said 15 children had been killed and 62 injured in Lebanon during the past seven days despite the ceasefire.
UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires described the figures as “staggering,” adding that most of the casualties were linked to airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
“Fifteen children killed and 62 injured in seven days. That’s an average of 11 children every 24 hours,” Pires told reporters in Geneva.
Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salame also warned that Israeli strikes were placing heritage sites in “serious danger,” including the UNESCO-listed ruins of Tyre and the Beaufort castle near Nabatieh.
EUROPEAN SECURITY CONCERNS GROW
Germany said it was concerned about Israeli plans to take more territory in Gaza and reiterated its opposition to any permanent division of the Palestinian territory.
Separately, Denmark’s national security and intelligence service PET said Iran posed an increased terrorism threat to the Scandinavian country.
PET chief Finn Borch Andersen said Iranian intelligence services were using criminal networks and operatives in Europe to target Israeli and Jewish interests as well as Iranian dissidents.
IRAN RIGHTS GROUPS REPORT KILLINGS
Two rights groups said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards killed two Kurdish activists in western Iran after surrounding their hideout in Kermanshah province.
Iranian media confirmed the incident but said the men had opened fire on security forces from their hideout.
The Norway-based Hengaw rights group identified the men as brothers Meisam Visi and Mojtaba Visi, followers of the Yarsan faith, who had gone into hiding following anti-government protests in January.
