CENTCOM says US Navy blockade diverts merchant vessel

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization said on Thursday the 18-month “resistance” in Lebanon, supported by Iran, has forced the US and Israel to reassess their strategic calculations.

"Lebanon's 18-month resistance, alongside the field support of the Islamic Republic of Iran, forced the American-Zionist front to recalculate. The assessment of the US intelligence community and the Zionist regime states: Victory in war against the united resistance front is impossible," IRGC Intelligence posted on X.

A member of Iran’s parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee rejected US maritime blockade on Iran, saying Iranian vessels continue to operate freely at sea.

Ebrahim Khazarian told IRGC affiliated Fars News that despite what he described as US assertions of a naval blockade, Iranian ships were operating normally and had not been restricted.

A senior Iranian official said on Thursday Israel was forced to accept a ceasefire following what he described as “brave resistance” by Hezbollah and the Lebanese people.

Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the Supreme Leader’s representative to Iran’s Supreme Defense Council, said the “Zionist enemy” had been compelled to retreat and agree to a ceasefire.

"The courageous resistance of the people of Lebanon and the brothers of Hezbollah has finally forced the Zionist enemy to retreat and accept a ceasefire. Iran has always regarded support for the resistance as an important strategic and defensive principle. Today, thanks to the blood of the martyrs and the martyred leader, the victorious front of the unified resistance is more powerful and steadfast than ever," he posted on X.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he discussed economic pressure on Iran and Ukraine’s reconstruction during a meeting with a senior European Union official.

"I updated Commissioner Dombrovskis on actions taken by the US Treasury to apply maximum economic force against the Iranian regime through Economic Fury, and we held productive talks on critical minerals supply chains and the reconstruction of Ukraine," Bessent posted on X.

The benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq closed at record highs for a second straight day on Thursday as investors bet that the worst of the Middle East conflict may have passed.

Optimism followed Israel’s agreement to a temporary ceasefire with Lebanon and comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting Washington and Tehran could meet again over the weekend.

Trading was choppy, however, after Trump formally announced the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and told reporters that Iran had offered not to pursue nuclear weapons for more than 20 years.