Image source, Getty Images

Communications are under way "to extend the ceasefire deadline" between Israel and Lebanon, Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun says.

It comes ahead of the second round of talks in Washington DC on Thursday between the two countries, which are in the midst of a temporary 10-day truce that took effect from 17:00 EST (21:00 GMT, midnight local time) on 16 April.

In a post on X, Aoun says the talks being prepared are "based on a complete halt to Israeli aggressions, achieving the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories, the return of prisoners, the deployment of the army to the international borders, and the start of reconstruction of what was destroyed during this war".

Aoun says that Lebanon's position on "negotiations is clear: no concessions, no bargaining, and no surrender except for what achieves Lebanese sovereignty and the interests of all Lebanese".

The support from the US has provided Lebanon with an "opportunity that we must not squander," the post from his office adds.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Here's a reminder of how two ceasefires on different fronts of the conflict in the Middle East came to be:

US and Iran

8 April: Pakistan, acting as mediator, announces a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, which is due to end on 22 April.

Trump said the deal was agreed on the condition that the Strait of Hormuz reopen. Pakistan said Lebanon was included. Iran agrees, but the US and Israel dispute this.

11 April: Senior US and Iranian officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meet in Pakistan. After 21 hours of back and forth, Washington and Tehran remain far apart on key sticking points.

12 April: Trump announces a blockade of Iranian shipping as Iran continues its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after the failure of the Islamabad talks.

21 April: Trump agrees to extend the ceasefire for an unspecified time so negotiations can continue.

Israel and Lebanon

14 April: Lebanon and Israel hold their first diplomatic talks since 1993, a rare encounter aimed at ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, which operates in southern Lebanon.

16 April: The US announces a 10-day ceasefire has been agreed between Israel and Lebanon, which is due to expire on 26 April.

Trump urged Hezbollah, which had been trading fire with Israel, to abide by it. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meanwhile said troops will remain stationed 10km (6.2 miles) into southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire.

Image source, Reuters

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei says the country is "closely monitoring developments" in the political arena, in response to requests for a ceasefire from Pakistan, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

In a post on Telegram, IRNA quotes Baghaei as saying Iran will take “necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard Iran’s national interests and security”.

Last night, US President Donald Trump announced he would extend the ceasefire on Pakistan's request, citing what he called Iran's "seriously fractured" government.

On the possibility of further negotiations with Washington, Baghaei says: “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.”

• Esmail Baghaei earlier gave an interview to the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, you can read about that here

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iranian outlets, including Iran’s state TV Telegram channel, have published a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.

In the statement, the IRGC Navy says that two ships, MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, have been transferred to the territorial waters of Iran for “inspection of their cargo, documents, and records”.

It says that the ships were "operating without authorisation" and committed "repeated violations", accusing them of trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz "in secret" and tampering with navigation systems.

The BBC cannot independently verify this claim.

The IRGC Navy has warned that it is “monitoring” movements through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and has vowed “firm” action against the “violators”.

In this statement there’s no mention of the ship Euphoria, which we earlier reported was also targeted on Wednesday.

Image source, AGUSTIN ALAPONT VIA MARINE TRAFFIC

Ship strikes put added pressure on US-Iran trucepublished at 11:59 BST

11:59 BST

Sebastian Usher
Middle East analyst

Image source, EPA

Hours after President Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire, Iran seems to be stepping up its control of the Strait of Hormuz - which has been a key obstacle in making progress towards a peace deal.

Gunboats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are reported to have intercepted vessels trying to cross the waterway.

No casualties or major damage have been reported, but the move will put added pressure on the renewed truce, while also underlining the risk the current deadlock runs of allowing the conflict to re-ignite.

In his latest comments, President Trump portrayed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as an economic own goal for Tehran - but it's the political pressure it brings to bear on the US that Tehran seems intent on maximising.

A third ship has been hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest oil shipping channel, where sea traffic there has been significantly reduced.

Tehran effectively stopped all traffic after the US and Israel attacked the country on 28 February, and the US then introduced a naval blockade on Iran's ports.

US forces boarded an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday and the Pentagon said forces boarded a "sanctioned" tanker in the Indo-Pacific region linked to Iran yesterday. Iran described this as an act of "piracy".

What has the US said?

President Donald Trump says the US-Iran ceasefire was agreed on the condition that Tehran reopens the strait, and he claims his blockade of Iran's ports is costing the country $500m (£370m) per day.

He said on Truth Social that the US was winning the war by "a lot" and that it will not lift its blockade on Iranian ports until a deal has been reached with Tehran.

After days of uncertainty about whether Iran would attend negotiations as the ceasefire was coming to an end, Trump extended the truce until talks between the countries progress.

What has Iran said?

Senior Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi told the BBC Iran would "never" give up its control of the strait, and foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the US blockade was "an act of aggression".

Iran said it had reopened the strait for commercial vessels using designated safe lanes last week. However, when Trump said he would continue the naval blockade, Tehran again closed it.

Three cargo ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iranian media say.

Here is the latest on what we know:

Attack one:

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reported an IRGC "gun boat" opened fire on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman causing heavy damage to the vessel's bridge. The vessel involved was the Epaminondas, owned by a Greek company.

Attack two:

The Panama-flagged Euphoria, which is owned by a UAE-based company, also came under attack eight nautical miles west of Iran, according to Vanguard and the UKMTO. The crew are said to be safe and no damage is reported to the vessel.

Attack three:

The Panama-flagged MSC Francesca was targeted about six nautical miles off the coast of Iran while it was heading south out of the Strait and into the Gulf of Oman, maritime intelligence firm Vanguard told BBC Verify. The ship has reported "damage to the hull and accommodation".

The IRGC Navy says the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were "seized" and directed towards the Iranian coast, alleging they were "operating without the necessary permits and tampering with navigation systems".

Image source, Getty Images

Iranian media are reporting that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted the three ships hit in the Strait of Hormuz.

IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency says a ship called Euphoria was targeted and is now grounded off the coast of Iran.

Iranian media say the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were "seized" and directed towards the Iranian coast, citing a statement from the IRGC Navy.

We can bring you an update now on the first reported incident involving a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

As a reminder, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "gun boat" fired on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship involved is the Greek-flagged Epaminondas, BBC Verify understands.

Nour News, affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, disputes an account given by the master of the ship to the UKMTO that no radio warning was given to the vessel.

Instead, it says the ship had "ignored warnings" from the Iranian armed forces.

UKMTO says the incident took place 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman and caused heavy damage to the bridge of the ship.

Third ship hit in Strait of Hormuz this morning, Vanguard sayspublished at 10:33 BST

10:33 BSTBreaking

By Kayleen Devlin and Paul Brown

A third cargo ship has been attacked while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, maritime intelligence firm Vanguard has told BBC Verify.

The ship, Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, was targeted about six nautical miles off the coast of Iran while it was heading south out of the Strait and into the Gulf of Oman.

Vanguard says the MSC Francesca was hailed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and “instructed to drop anchor”.

The ship has reported “damage to the hull and accommodation”, no further information is currently available.

Image source, Agustin Alapont via Marine Traffic

Worst crisis Gulf has known since 1990published at 10:23 BST

10:23 BST

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The Iran-US conflict is now in a dangerous state of limbo.

Dangerous, because neither side trusts the other and Iran is poised, believing Donald Trump is simply playing for time before launching a surprise attack.

In limbo, because Iran refuses to come to peace talks while the US naval blockade is still in place. So although the ceasefire has been indefinitely extended this is still a highly unsatisfactory situation all round.

The Strait of Hormuz is now too dangerous for all but a trickle of traffic. Iranian gunboats have fired on vessels trying to get through while the US says its forces have turned back more than 20 vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports.

The net result is deeply damaging for both Iran and the global economy.

The longer this standoff continues the worse the effect on the global economy and the greater the risk that a spark will reignite a full-scale war in the Gulf, with the US carrying out its threat to hit Iran’s power plants and Iran retaliating against its neighbouring Arab Gulf states.

This is the worst crisis the Gulf has known since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Second ship hit this morning is owned by UAE - BBC Verifypublished at 10:06 BST

10:06 BST

By Kayleen Devlin and Paul Brown

BBC Verify understands that the cargo ship targeted this morning is the Panama-flagged Euphoria, owned by a UAE-based company.

AIS data from Kpler shows the vessel began transiting the strait at 01:10 UTC (2:10 BST) on 22 April, with Jeddah, Saudi Arabia listed as its destination.

Reports from both the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre and Vanguard indicate that the ship came under attack eight nautical miles west of Iran at 06:38 UTC (07:38 BST). The vessel’s master brought the ship to a halt. The crew are said to be safe, and no damage is reported to the vessel.

It's the second ship to be fired on this morning in the Gulf. Earlier, it was reported a Greek-owned ship was fired on by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Image source, Getty Images

The war in Iran is not just affecting the Middle East - it's been pushing up fuel prices.

In the UK, data released on Wednesday shows inflation has risen to 3.3% in March, largely driven by this rise in oil and gas prices.

The Office for National Statistics chief economist Grant Fitzner says fuel prices in the year to March “saw their largest increase for over three years”.

"This is not our war, but it is pushing up bills for families and businesses," Chancellor Rachel Reeves says in response.

There are warnings that food prices will rise too, but this could take months to be shown on supermarket shelves.

• Read more on UK inflation data here

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) is reporting that a second vessel has been fired upon in the Strait of Hormuz.

The British Royal Navy-led UKMTO says that an outbound cargo ship reported being fired on eight nautical miles west of Iran and is now stopped in the water.

It says there is no damage and the crew are "safe and accounted for".

The statement adds: "UKMTO is aware of high levels of activity in the SoH [Strait of Hormuz] area and encourages vessels to report any suspicious activity."

It follows an attack on a container ship 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman by an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "gun boat" that caused heavy damage to the bridge, according to the UKMTO.

Container ship fired at by IRGC is owned by Greek company, BBC understandspublished at 08:53 BST

08:53 BST

By Kayleen Devlin

BBC Verify understands that the container ship targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) this morning is the Epaminondas.

The vessel is owned by a Greek company and, according to AIS data from Marine Traffic, was not transmitting a detectable signal while crossing the strait.

Reports from both the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre and Vanguard indicate that the ship’s master had been told the vessel had permission to transit the strait.

However, it was approached by an IRGC gunboat, which opened fire and caused significant damage to the bridge.

A senior Iranian adviser says US President Donald Trump's ceasefire extension means "nothing" and is "certainly a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike".

Mahdi Mohammadi is an adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

In a post in Persian on X, Mohammadi says the continuation of Trump's "siege" is "no different from bombardment" and must be "met with a military response". He adds: "The time for Iran to take the initiative has come."

The US Navy has been blockading the Strait of Hormuz and its forces boarded an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday, after Iran had effectively closed the busy shipping channel for weeks.

China is lowering prices of petrol and diesel at the pump for the first time since the Iran war started to reflect changes in global oil markets, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

The commission, which acts as China's top economic planner, sets petrol prices every 10 working days, based on international crude oil figures.

The price drop will save drivers about $3 (£2.22) to fill a 50-litre tank of 92-octane petrol.

Beijing has raised the maximum retail prices for petrol and diesel multiple times since the start of the war, which has sent the value oil soaring.

Image source, Getty Images

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly fired at a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO).

The British Royal Navy-led UKMTO says the incident took place 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman.

It says an IRGC "gun boat" approached the vessel, there was "no VHF challenge", meaning there was no radio warning or hail, and then the gun boat "fired upon the vessel", causing "heavy damage to the bridge".

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

One person has been killed and two others wounded in an Israeli strike in Western Bekaa, around 25 miles (40km) south-east from Beirut and near the Litani River, according to Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The agency says the strike took place at dawn. A separate NNA article says Israeli forces are clearing roads in Wadi al-Salouqi and "demolishing" houses and shops in Aita al-Shaab, both in southern Lebanon.

Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces issued a warning to residents to stay away from the Litani River, Wadi al-Salouqi and Wadi al-Salhani, citing "ongoing terrorist activities of Hezbollah".

Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ten-day ceasefire last week, and Washington is due to host ambassador-level talks on Thursday.

The terms of the deal specify that Israel retains its "right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks" and that Lebanon must take "meaningful steps" to prevent Hezbollah and all other "rogue non-state armed groups" from carrying out attacks against Israeli targets.

Last night, Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at northern Israel in response to ceasefire violations from the Israeli military, while Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, accuses Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire agreement.

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent in Islamabad

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump has boasted of regime change in Tehran but is now dealing with what he himself is calling regime fracture.

Now that so many of Iran’s top leaders are dead, the question of who’s in charge there is a real one, making the job of diplomacy that much more difficult. It’s probably a little early to gauge the impact of the president’s latest move, but the immediate signs from Tehran are not positive.

An adviser to the speaker of parliament and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Trump was buying time for another surprise attack.

A military spokesman repeated a warning that Iran was willing to strike back if that happened.

Here in Islamabad, arrangements remain in place for another round of talks, with parts of the city still sealed off. But hopes of a meeting this week appear, for now, to have faded.