An agreement was signed overnight between the United States and Iran. Oman and Pakistan acted as mediators, and China, along with Russia, exerted pressure on one or the other. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi immediately announced that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible for two weeks “thanks to coordination with the Iranian armed forces and taking into account technical limitations.” The plan proposed by Iran consists of 10 points and, according to the announcement by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, includes the following elements: US commitment to non-aggression; Maintenance of Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz; Acceptance of uranium enrichment; Removal of all primary and secondary sanctions; Repeal of all UN Security Council and Board of Governors resolutions; Payment of compensation to Iran; Withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region; Cessation of the war on all fronts, including the war against the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon. The last two clauses have not been disclosed.
According to an Associated Press report, Iran and Oman will collect tolls from all ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz during the two-week ceasefire.
The American response to the Iranian plan diverges on several points, including: a complete cessation of all aggression against Iran and allied resistance groups. Withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, a ban on any attacks on bases targeting Iran, and a refraining from taking combat positions. Restricted daily passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz for a period of two weeks, under the Safe Transit Protocol, subject to the country’s specific oversight and regulations. Lifting of all primary, secondary, and UN sanctions. Provision of compensation to Iran through the establishment of an investment and financial fund. Iran’s commitment not to build nuclear weapons. Recognition by the United States of Iran’s right to enrich uranium and negotiation on the level of enrichment. Iran agrees to negotiate bilateral and multilateral peace treaties with regional countries, consistent with its interests. Extension of the non-aggression pact to all aggressors and resistance groups. Repeal of all Board of Governors and Security Council resolutions, and endorsement of all commitments undertaken through an official UN resolution.
At the heart of the agreement for Iran is a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, to which the United States has agreed. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on the morning of April 8, after the ceasefire was announced: “Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and other areas, effective immediately.” Israel, however, refused. On the afternoon of April 8, Israel issued an immediate evacuation notice for southern Lebanon. Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesman, issued an urgent warning to residents of southern Lebanon living south of the Zahrani River, urging them to evacuate the area immediately. Israel states that fighting in Lebanon is ongoing and that the ceasefire does not apply there. These attacks were described by Lebanese sources as “the heaviest Israeli air raids on Lebanon since the 2000 war, with a large number of Lebanese civilians killed or wounded. Many people are still missing, and rescuers and civilians are trying to extract them. In the city of Shamshtar, they showed no mercy even to a cemetery, bombing the funeral procession.” According to the preliminary assessment of the Lebanese Ministry of Health, today’s Israeli air raids on Lebanon killed 112 people and injured 837.
Israel’s new operation against southern Lebanon is called Eternal Darkness. Its objectives: to annihilate everything within seven kilometers of the Litani River and destroy Hezbollah. Massive attacks have destroyed buildings in Beirut. An Iranian state television reporter reported that Israel attempted to assassinate Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Mustafa Berri, but Lebanese sources say the attempt failed.
Iran has already said that if Israel does not end its attacks in Lebanon on Friday, it will not appear in Pakistan for a meeting on the agreements. Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Forces, Majid Mousavi, on X: “Any aggression against the proud Hezbollah is aggression against Iran. The camp is preparing for a harsh response to the regime’s brutal crimes. According to Iranian state media, the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz was blocked following Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
Late in the afternoon, missiles from the United Arab Emirates attacked Iran’s Levan refinery. Iran responded with an attack. Air defense activity and explosions were reported throughout Iran, with missiles ready to intercept in the skies over Tehran. Iranian drone strikes against specific targets in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. It is also reported that the infrastructure and port of Fujairah, as well as the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, were targeted by the Iranian military.
Iranian Attacks carried out on the night of the Iran-US agreement in Saudi Arabia. These include: The American company Chevron’s refinery and oil facilities in Ras Al-Juaymah, the largest LNG processing plant and a key energy supplier to the United States. The ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical oil and petrochemical facilities in Jubail. The American companies’ oil facilities in Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast, with a production capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. The American company Satrop’s refinery, with a capacity of 460,000 barrels per day, a source of fuel for power plants. The American gas refinery in Manifa, with an oil and gas separation capacity of 900,000 barrels per day.
In the United Arab Emirates: The American-owned oil facilities in Habshan; the Dubai-Fujairah oil pipeline, designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The American refinery Das in the United Arab Emirates, with a crude oil processing capacity of 60,000 barrels per day. American oil company facilities in Fujairah, including a tank farm with a capacity of 1 million cubic meters. The Zirku Island oil terminal, with a crude oil production capacity of 750,000 barrels per day. Israel’s drone factory located in the United Arab Emirates.
In Qatar: ExxonMobil’s main oil facilities in Ras Laffan, Qatar, with a production capacity of 146,000 barrels per day. American company BAPCO’s main oil facilities in Bahrain, with a daily production of 267,000 barrels. The American company Dolphin Gas, based in Qatar, with an export capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day.
In Kuwait: Al-Ahmadi Refinery in Kuwait, with a production capacity of 346,000 barrels per day. Day. Oil facilities owned by American companies in LSB, Kuwait. The US base in Ali Al-Salem, Kuwait.
In Israel: Information technology and advanced industries centers in Dan’ur, Beersheba, southern Israel. Intelligence and signals interception centers for the army and security services in the Azrieli and Diamond Towers, Jerusalem. Ben Gurion Airport in the city of Jaffa. The Haifa oil refinery, with a production capacity of 300,000 barrels per day. The Israeli government complex in Tel Aviv, home to the government’s command and control centers.
In Jordan: The US Central Command regional command center in Al-Azraq.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy also targeted the following targets: the amphibious assault helicopter carrier LHA7 was hit by cruise missiles and, after sustaining damage and a deck fire, retreated to the depths of the Indian Ocean. The aircraft carrier CVN-74 It was hit by several drones and, after suffering damage to its hull, retreated into the Indian Ocean.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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