Iran war: Revolutionary Guard says seizes ships in Hormuz

Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire in the Iran war again. Does this mark a climbdown or a smart strategic move? 

Iran's schools are closed because of the war. Classes are being held via TV programs and the national intranet. Children without a laptop or smartphone are left out. The country is effectively cut off from the internet.

Read more about how the war and the months-long internet blackout is affecting Iranian children and their schooling in this report.

Rescue workers in southern Lebanon recovered the body of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Lebanon's health ministry said two strikes hit the village of al-Tiri, killing three people, including Khalil, and wounding another journalist.

"The repeated strikes on the same location, the targeting of an area where journalists were sheltering, and the obstruction of medical and humanitarian access constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law," the Committee to Protect Journalists said. 

Israel's military said people in al-Tiri violated the ceasefire and posed a threat to its troops. It denied blocking rescue teams and said it does not target journalists.

Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in front of them. They ran into a nearby house, which was later also hit, Lebanon's health ministry, a senior Lebanese military official and press advocates said.

Lebanon's health ministry said a team searching for her was unable to reach her while Israeli forces fired at an ambulance.

Her death brought Wednesday's death toll in Lebanon to five people. A separate Israeli strike on the village of Yohmor killed two people and injured two others.

It was the deadliest day since a 10-day ceasefire took effect on April 16, aimed at halting fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants.

US President Donald Trump has announced an extension of the ceasefire with Iran, apparently at the request of Pakistan's prime minister. DW asks Sultan Barakat if this is the start of a period of uneasy calm. 

Iran's decision to shut down the Strait of Hormuz has drawn comparisons to supply disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic and US President Donald Trump's new tariff regime.

The International Energy Agency described the loss of roughly 10% of the world's oil supply and a fifth of global liquefied natural gas last month as the largest in the history of the global energy market.

Read more about how the war in Iran is affecting global trade.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Germany's  Frank-Walter Steinmeier, that the US-Israeli war with Iran is "starting to weaken Europe."

"The war in our region is likewise starting to weaken Europe, and if we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater," Erdogan told Steinmeier, according to the Turkish presidency.

Turkey shares a border with Iran and has repeatedly called for an end to the war. Last weekend, it hosted a diplomatic forum attended by delegations from all sides.

According to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, US President Donald Trump has not set a deadline for Iran to submit a peace proposal.

"The president has not set a firm deadline to receive an Iranian proposal, unlike some of the reporting I've seen today. Ultimately, the timeline will be dictated by the commander-in-chief," Leavitt told journalists.

She added that Trump wants to see a unified response from Iran's leadership to US proposals to end hostilities.

Earlier in an interview with Fox News, Leavitt said that, as part of negotiations to end the war, Iran must agree to turn over its enriched uranium to the United States.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has voiced concerns about the visit of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah of Iran, to Berlin.

"Pahlavi is coming to Germany as a private individual and, if I understand correctly, is also engaging in political discussions," Wadephul said during a meeting with his Irish counterpart, Helen McEntee, in Dublin.

In response to a reporter’s question about why no government member would meet with the Iranian opposition figure, Wadephul added, "But it is not the federal government’s role to hold such talks."

On Thursday, Pahlavi is set to meet with Armin Laschet, a foreign policy expert from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democrats, as well as with other foreign policy figures from different parliamentary groups.

German FM urges Iran to participate in talks

In Dublin, Wadephul urged Tehran to be prepared for negotiations with the US and travel to Islamabad. "They must not miss this opportunity for negotiations," added the top German diplomat.

US Vice President JD Vance reportedly wants to come to the Pakistani capital, "but the Iranians are not showing up at this stage," Wadephul said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the US naval blockade is one of the main obstacles to negotiations with Washington.

"Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations," he wrote on X.

"World sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions," he added, in what appeared to be an address to the US.

Since the start of the war with Israel and the United States, Iran has severely limited shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the US military has established a counter-blockade of Iranian ports which Iran has called a violation of the ceasefire agreed two weeks ago.

US President Donald Trump announced that Iran had halted its plans to execute eight women arrested for participating in anti-government protests.

Trump claimed he had urged Tehran to release the women in order to promote peace negotiations.

"I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump also stated that four women would be released immediately and four others would be sentenced to one month in prison.

Iran denies Trump's claim

According to the AFP news agency, Iran's judiciary described Trump's remarks as "false news."

"Despite the claim from last night being exposed as a lie, Trump, just minutes ago in another post, claimed that the death sentences of eight protesting women who were supposed to be executed tonight in Iran have been cancelled, and thanked Iran!" the judiciary's Mizan Online website posted on X.

"Trump's empty hand in the field has led him to fabricate achievements from false news," it added.

Iran's parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said that a complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the US blockade of Iranian ports and the hostage-taking of the world's economy.

In a post on X, Qalibaf said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was impossible given such a "flagrant breach of the ceasefire."

"The only way forward is to recognize the rights of the Iranian people," he added.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the United States would continue to blockade Iranian ports.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon in recent weeks have damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 housing units in the country, a government estimate found on Wednesday. 

"Within about 45 days [of the war], we had 17,756 destroyed housing units and 32,668 damaged housing units," Chadi Abdallah, the head of the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), told a press conference. 

Despite an ongoing 10-day truce that started on Friday, Israeli forces have continued to demolish homes in southern Lebanese towns they currently occupy, according to Lebanese authorities and eyewitnesses.

The CNRS estimates that "428 housing units were destroyed and 50 were damaged" during the first three days of the ceasefire, Abdallah said. 

Israel started attacking Lebanon and moving into parts of the south of the country when Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing projectiles towards Israel as of March 2, in response to the attacks on Iran. 

According to Lebanon's Environment Minister Tamara Zein, the earlier 2023-2025 fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks led to the damage or destruction of "more than 220,000 housing units." 

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said that the Islamic Republic appreciates Pakistan's efforts to end the war in the Middle East, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

While expressing appreciation for Pakistan's "efforts aimed at ending the imposed war and establishing peace in the region," Baghaei said that Iran is "closely monitoring developments in the field and political arena."

He also stressed that Tehran "is taking the necessary measures to safeguard Iran's national interests and security."

However, Baghaei did not give a direct answer to the question about the possibility of a new round of negotiations with Washington.

"Diplomacy is a tool for securing national interests and security, and whenever we conclude that the necessary and reasonable conditions exist to use this tool… we will take action," he said.

Reza Pahlavi, an Iranian politician in exile and the son of the last Shah of Iran, who was overthrown in 1979, has arrived in Berlin.

"As Iranians continue to fight for their liberation, I have arrived in Berlin to ensure their voices are heard," he wrote on X.

He added that he will meet with elected representatives from across the political spectrum in the Bundestag on Thursday, as well as with press representatives and members of the Iranian diaspora.

Pahlavi is also scheduled to speak at the Federal Press Conference about the current situation in Iran.

Monarchist groups view Pahlavi as the political leader of the Iranian opposition. However, the extent of his support in Iran is unclear since he lives in exile in the US.

Pahlavi has also faced criticism from segments of Iranian society, both at home and abroad, for supporting the war waged by the US and Israel against Iran. Demonstrations both for and against his visit have been announced in Berlin.

Iran has given no indication that they are ready to re‑engage in peace talks, as US President Donald Trump has extended a fragile ceasefire indefinitely, while maintaining a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Watch how Iran showcased ballistic missiles in a Tehran parade to boost morale.