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🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 The ceasefire deal is linked directly to parallel negotiations aimed at a US-Iranian peace agreement. The conflict, begun by a US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February, is subject to a two-week Pakistani-brokered ceasefire that expires on 22 April. A first round of peace talks last weekend broke down after 21 hours of negotiations in Islamabad, and Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, has been in Tehran trying to narrow the gaps between the parties. The continued Israeli campaign against Hezbollah has been a sticking point for Tehran, which insisted, with Pakistani agreement, that the original ceasefire had applied to Lebanon as well as Iran. Trump claimed that Iran has agreed to hand over its store of enriched uranium and that the two sides were “close” to a peace deal. “They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” he said, using his name for the enriched uranium stockpile that the US says could be used to build nuclear weapons. “Not all parts of the energy industry will meet that test, though some parts might (if, for example, they are used to support the Iranian military). Moreover, the US military still must take precautions to limit harm to civilians and civilian objects regardless.” The paths to an enduring peace in Lebanon and Iran remain fraught and interlinked. Success or failure on one track could derail progress on the other. Israel wants the complete disarmament of Hezbollah – a challenge for the under-equipped Lebanese army, which has avoided confronting the armed group. Israeli bombing of Lebanon continued throughout Thursday’s talks, striking an ambulance in the city of Tebnine, south Lebanon, critically injuring two paramedics, according to Lebanon’s ministry of health. On the same day, Israel blew up the last remaining bridge into the city of Tyre, in effect cutting off the 30,000 or so residents of one of the largest cities in south Lebanon from the rest of the country. Its forces also blew up a school in the city of Marwahin, south Lebanon, as part of a campaign to raze entire villages across the region. Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets at northern Israel as well as target Israeli forces in south Lebanon. A ceasefire in Lebanon is likely to help lead to a resumption of US-Iranian negotiations, but those must address three complex issues: the reopening of the strait of Hormuz (currently mined and under competing blockades from both sides); the allowed extent of Iran’s nuclear programme; and a financial settlement for Iran. #iran#israel#ceasefire#lebanon#trump 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸