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Iran live updates: Iran pushes back on Trump's claims about agreement

The White House insists the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open."

Last Updated: April 17, 2026, 7:46 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.

After negotiations, U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a peace deal. Trump said that Iran's nuclear program was the key sticking point, and said the U.S. would respond with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday.

Iran announced it would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, but Trump said the blockade will remain in place until the U.S.'s "transaction" with Iran is complete.

Israel, meanwhile, has reached a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, ending its ground operations and intense strikes, where it was engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran.

4:52 PM EDT

US sanctions leaders of Iraqi militias back by Iran

The Trump administration has announced sanctions against seven commanders of Iraqi militias backed by Iran that have "planned and directed attacks against U.S. personnel, facilities, and interests in Iraq," according to the U.S. State Department.

"These individuals lead some of the most reprehensible Iran-backed terror groups in Iraq — Kata’ib Hizballah, Kata’ib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, Harakat Al-Nujaba, and Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haqq," according to the State Department. "These militias not only threaten American lives but also undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, exploit its resources to fund terrorism, and attack Iraq’s neighbors and innocent Iraqi civilians with impunity."

3:54 PM EDT

Lebanon no longer a 'battleground,' Lebanese president says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said his country is no longer a "pawn" or a "battleground" after the ceasefire with Israel went into effect.

In his first speech since the 10-day truce was announced, Aoun also thanked President Donald Trump and called the negotiations "a decision born from the strength of our belief in our rights," rather than a "sign of weakness."

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivers a televised address to the Lebanese people from the Baabda Presidential Palace, east of the capital Beirut, April 17, 2026.
Lebanese Presidency/AFP via Getty Images

Aoun added, "here will be no agreement that infringes upon our national rights" and "our goal is clear and declared: to stop the Israeli aggression against our land and our people."

As thousands of evacuees headed back to the south of Lebanon after news broke of the ceasefire, Aoun told the displaced, "You will return to your homes, for they will flourish with your presence. We are with you and by your side, and we will not abandon you."

2:59 PM EDT

Israeli strike on Lebanon kills 1, marking first death announced since ceasefire went into effect: Lebanese Health Ministry

One person was killed and two wounded in an Israeli strike on a motorcycle in southern Lebanon Friday afternoon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

This is the first death announced in Lebanon since the ceasefire began. The Lebanese National News Agency -- the government's official news agency -- has reported numerous instances of Israeli artillery fire in Southern Lebanon as well.

ABC News has asked the Israeli military for comment.

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

2:16 PM EDT

IRGC announces 'new order' for Strait of Hormuz

Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Friday "a new order" for the Strait of Hormuz, allowing civilian ships to pass through a designated route while banning military vessels and requiring IRGC permission for all passage, according to Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency.

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