Israeli envoy links Lebanon peace progress to Hezbollah removal

US forces have seized a vessel carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean, US Attorney Pirro said on Thursday, adding the operation was carried out under a federal seizure warrant.

"Overnight, pursuant to a seizure warrant submitted by my office and signed by a federal magistrate, US forces interdicted the dark fleet vessel, M/T Majestic (formerly known as the M/T Phonix), while carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean," Pirro posted on X.

"Earlier this week, US forces similarly seized the M/T Tifani based on one of our seizure warrants. It too was laden with approximately 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil. We will continue to relentlessly investigate, track, and pursue these cases, using every lawful authority to hold sanctioned actors and those who support terrorism accountable, and to deny them of any ability to profit from illicit maritime activity," she added.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday Washington is working to bring Israel and Lebanon closer together, describing Hezbollah as a common problem and pledging US support to help Lebanon rebuild and stabilize.

"I mean, we have a good relationship with Lebanon. It's amazing that. The amazing thing is they actually have sort of a good relationship with Israel. They don't deal with each other, but now they deal with each other. We're putting them together. We're going to help we're just going to help them," Trump said at the White House.

"We're going to help them. They're great people. It can be a really good country again, maybe a great country again. And I think you have all the ingredients. So we're going to work together. And I think Israel is going to I think Israel is going to be terrific, but they do have a common problem. It's Hezbollah," he added.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States has “complete control” of its blockade against Iran and warned Tehran against deploying naval mines, calling such a move a “very foolish” mistake that would hurt Iran more than others.

"You know that the strait, the what we've done with the blockade is amazing, and nobody, nobody gets through and nobody wants to get through it. Nobody's trying. The one tried to shut out the engine, but nobody's trying. We have complete control now. They can drop their minds in there and do all those stupid things. It's just going to take longer for them to make money, because the mines are going to affect them much more than they're going to affect us," Trump said at the White House.

"But, and we don't know that they're doing that, but they could be that if they, if they're doing it, it's a very foolish thing to do, just like for Iran to shoot at Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar and Kuwait, Bahrain, all the different places they they shot. Nobody expected that. They thought they'd shoot at Israel in all fairness, but you didn't expect they'd be shooting at numerous other countries. I think it was a big mistake if they're putting mines down. It's a big mistake for them," he added.

The US military is preparing contingency plans to strike Iranian defenses in the Strait of Hormuz if the fragile ceasefire collapses, CNN reported on Thursday.

Officials are focused on neutralizing Iranian mines, fast-attack boats, and coastal threats to keep the critical waterway open for global oil shipments, the report said.

“Due to operations security, we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,” a Defense Department official told CNN when asked about target planning. “The US military continues to provide the President options, and all options remain on the table.”

The United States will extend the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon by three weeks, President Donald Trump said on Thursday after hosting officials from both countries, adding Washington aims to support Lebanon in countering Hezbollah.

"The President of the United States, DONALD J. TRUMP, Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, met today with High Ranking Representatives of Israel and Lebanon in the Oval Office. The Meeting went very well! The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah," Trump posted on Truth Social.

"The Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by THREE WEEKS. I look forward in the near future to hosting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun. It was a Great Honor to be a participant at this very Historic Meeting!" he added.