Pete Hegseth Threatens Attacks on Iran’s Power Plants as Israel-Hezbollah Cease-Fire Begins

President Trump announced on Thursday that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin a 10-day cease-fire at 5 p.m. Eastern time, a move the New York Times said could remove “a major hurdle to the broader peace talks with Iran.”

The New York Times reported that the negotiations are complicated because “Israel is discussing a cease-fire only with the Lebanese government, which does not have control over Hezbollah,” and it added that Hezbollah “has long rejected any direct talks with Israel.”

Ain Libya

The same New York Times live updates described how the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has threatened to upend the cease-fire between the United States and Iran, which is set to expire next week.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth renewed U.S. threats to attack Iran’s power plants and other energy sites if Iran’s leaders did not agree to a peace deal, saying, “Our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal.”

Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. was “locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry,” and he added, “We’d rather not have to do it, but we’re ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button.”

The New York Times also said the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue “as long as it takes,” and it quoted Hegseth saying, “then they will have a blockade — and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy.”

Optimism grew on Thursday that the Iran war may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator having made a breakthrough on “sticky issues,” Reuters reported via yalibnan.

The Reuters-based report said Pakistan’s army chief and mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday after marathon talks held in Islamabad last weekend ended without a deal.

BBC

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday that Munir’s trip led to “greater hopes for a second round of talks and an extension of the two-week ceasefire,” while also saying “fundamental differences remain over its nuclear program.”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that both sides were willing to resume talks, though “no date had yet been set,” and it added that a Lebanon ceasefire would be “an essential component of any peace talks.”

The Reuters-based report also described how the U.S. and Pakistan have been talking up prospects for a deal, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying the accord would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which “a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply flows.”

In parallel, CNN reported that Iranian officials and Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir would hold talks in Tehran on Thursday, with Munir having met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Araghchi saying he was “very pleased” to welcome Munir and reaffirming Iran’s commitment to “promoting peace and stability in the region.”

While diplomats pressed for renewed talks, the economic and maritime pressure described across outlets remained central to the U.S.-Iran standoff.

“Four Scenarios for What Might Happen in the U”

BBC

CNN reported that Iran’s military threatened shipping in the Red Sea if the U.S. continued its blockade of Iranian ports, and it said the U.S. Central Command stated the blockade had “completely halted” Tehran’s economic sea trade.

CNN also said Iranian media reported four vessels had traveled to and from the country, adding that the dispute over shipping continued alongside the diplomatic effort.

The Straits Times, citing Reuters, described how the Strait of Hormuz had been closed to most ships for weeks and said Iran had faced “crippling US sanctions for years,” while the U.S. sought to reopen the strait through negotiations.

It reported that the shift in talks involved scaling back ambitions for a comprehensive peace deal and instead seeking a temporary memorandum, with Iranian sources saying it would include Washington unfreezing some Iranian funds in return for allowing more ships through the strait.

CNBC added that oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained at a trickle as Iran continued to pose threats to passing vessels and the U.S. enforced a retaliatory blockade of Iranian ports, and it quoted Karoline Leavitt saying “we feel good about the prospects of a deal.”

As negotiations moved toward a possible second round, outlets diverged on timing and on whether the U.S. sought to extend the existing ceasefire.

CNBC reported that the U.S. and Iran would likely return to Pakistan next week for a second round of peace negotiations, citing two senior Pakistani officials who told MS NOW that the step was a sign of continuing efforts to reach a diplomatic end to the war.

CBS News

CNBC said Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a White House briefing that “Discussions are being had,” and it quoted her saying “we feel good about the prospects of a deal,” while also cautioning that the next round of in-person talks had not yet been made official.

CNBC also said Leavitt denied reports that the U.S. had requested an extension of the ceasefire, which it described as set to expire next Tuesday, and it included a separate U.S. official’s statement that “The United States has not formally agreed to an extension of the ceasefire.”

The BBC’s scenario framing described how the ceasefire had lasted two weeks after an April 8 agreement, and it said the ceasefire remained in effect after “more than twenty hours” of U.S.-Iran negotiations hosted by Pakistan ended on Sunday without progress.

Meanwhile, the New York Times said the cease-fire between Washington and Tehran was set to expire next week, and it tied that expiration to the broader peace talks with Iran.

Across the reporting, the next phase hinged on whether Iran and the United States could bridge nuclear and maritime issues while facing continued threats of escalation.

The New York Times said Hegseth renewed threats to attack Iran’s power plants and other energy sites if Iran’s leaders did not agree to a peace deal, and it quoted him saying the U.S. was “ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button.”

CNBC

The Straits Times, citing Reuters, said the two sides were seeking a temporary memorandum and that if such a memorandum to halt the conflict was reached, the sides were expected to have “60 days to negotiate a final deal,” requiring “the involvement of experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”

NBC News reported that the U.S. asked Iran during the marathon talks in Islamabad for a “20-year suspension of uranium enrichment,” while Iran agreed to “three to five years,” and it said the U.S. also asked Iran to remove highly enriched uranium but Iran agreed to a “monitored process of down blending.”

The Guardian described how Trump said U.S.-Iran peace talks could resume in Islamabad “over the next two days,” and it quoted Trump saying, “You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there.”

Even as optimism was voiced, the reporting consistently tied leverage to the Strait of Hormuz and to the blockade: the Straits Times said the strait’s closure had triggered a historic oil shock and prompted the International Monetary Fund to cut its global outlook, while CNN said Iran threatened shipping in the Red Sea if the U.S. continued its blockade of Iranian ports.