Hormuz and Lebanon Dispute before negotiations to end the war
Shortly before the planned start of negotiations in Pakistan on a permanent settlement to the conflict, the temporary ceasefire agreed by Iran and the USA is already shaking: the warring parties are arguing over the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
10.04.2026, 06:06
10.04.2026, 07:57
SDA
According to US President Donald Trump, Iran is not adhering to the two-week ceasefire agreement when it comes to opening the strait, which is important for global energy supplies. Iran is doing a "very poor job" here, which could also be described as "dishonest", Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. He went on to criticize: "This is not the agreement we made!" However, Trump did not initially threaten Iran with immediate consequences.
Shortly beforehand, Trump had already written that there were reports that Tehran was charging tankers for transit. He warned: "They better not do that and if they do, they better "stop it now!".
Will Iran even take part in the negotiations in Pakistan?
Iran, for its part, insists that the ceasefire must also apply to Lebanon. Israel continues to attack pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia positions there. This is another reason why it initially remained unclear whether Tehran would even send negotiators to the peace talks planned for today in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. The Iranian news agency Mehr denied reports that a delegation had already arrived in Islamabad. Rather, the negotiations have been halted as long as Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon.
According to security circles in Pakistan, preliminary talks at expert level are planned for today. A meeting of the negotiators is then planned for Saturday. The talks could also continue until Sunday if necessary.
For a long-term settlement of the conflict, the warring parties would have to reach agreement on many contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program and Tehran's development of ballistic missiles.
Media: Only a dozen ships have passed through the strait
The US broadcaster CBS reported, citing the information service Marine Traffic, that only a dozen ships had passed through the strait in the two days since the ceasefire was announced. This is a fraction of the shipping traffic before the start of the Iran war.
In response to the American-Israeli attacks, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of March. The transportation of oil and liquid gas from the Persian Gulf through the strait to the Gulf of Oman thus came to a virtual standstill, and world market prices have risen rapidly since then.
Oil production in Saudi Arabia falls by 600,000 barrels
Following the recent attacks on production sites, refineries and pipelines, Saudi Arabia's oil production capacity fell by around 600,000 barrels (159 liters each) per day. In addition, the capacity of the important east-west pipeline, which can transport oil from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, fell by 700,000 barrels per day, the state news agency SPA reported, citing a source in the energy ministry.
The reason was an attack on one of the pipeline's pumping stations. According to media reports, around 5 to 7 million barrels per day can normally flow through the approximately 1,200-kilometer-long pipeline. With a daily production volume of around ten million barrels per day, Saudi Arabia is the second largest oil producer in the world after the USA.
Israel attacks Hezbollah positions in Lebanon
According to the Israeli armed forces, they again attacked positions of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon during the night. According to the military, around ten launching pads were hit in the attack, from which shells had previously been fired at northern Israel. According to media reports, the Shiite militia fired a rocket at Israel during the night, which was intercepted. An air raid alert was temporarily triggered in Tel Aviv and Ashdod.
Netanyahu: Will fight Hezbollah with severity
According to the Israeli government, the ceasefire in Iran does not apply to the Tehran-financed Hezbollah in the neighboring country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would continue to fight the militia with ferocity and would not stop until there was security for the population in northern Israel. However, he announced direct negotiations with Lebanon. According to reports, these are to begin next week in Washington at ambassadorial level.
US President Trump told US broadcaster NBC in a telephone interview that the Israeli head of government had promised him in a conversation to reduce the attacks on Lebanon.
Israel sharply criticizes statements by mediator Pakistan
Shortly before the start of the planned negotiations between the USA and Iran, Israel sharply criticized the mediator Pakistan. This was triggered by statements made by Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Platform X, in which he described Israel as a "curse on humanity" and a cancer.
"The Pakistani Defense Minister's call for the destruction of Israel is outrageous. Such a statement must not be tolerated by any government, especially not one that sees itself as a neutral mediator for peace," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
