Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The new policy isn’t exactly on firm ground: “Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Parliament of Iran, said in a statement that ‘a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable,’ alleging that three clauses of its ‘workable’ proposal had been violated before peace talks had even begun.”
* A key point of contention: “White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing today that Iranian state media reports that the country closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli attacks on Lebanon are ‘false.’”
* On a related note, when a reporter asked Leavitt who currently controls the Strait of Hormuz, she refused to answer the question.
* Crisis conditions in Lebanon: “Israeli forces pounded Beirut on Wednesday, killing dozens of people in an aerial barrage that Israel described as the largest yet in its current offensive against Hezbollah, hours after the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire.”








