Slow progress on peace deal as Iran strikes ship in Strait of Hormuz, Hezbollah balks at disarming

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has mocked President Trump’s comment that “food is desperately needed in Iran,” citing statistics on food poverty in the U.S.

“Charity begins at home – and it is desperately needed there,” Esmail Baqaei wrote Friday in a post on X, before listing multiple statistics about rising numbers of Americans facing food insecurity.

“The ‘solution’ from U.S. authorities? In September 2024, the USDA quietly terminated its 30-year-old annual report on household food insecurity — effectively ending the official tracking and acknowledgment of hunger in America. So, after ‘solving’ domestic hunger by simply stopping the reports, Washington now feels qualified to lecture the world about hunger elsewhere,” Baqaei wrote.

President Trump said once again Thursday that Tehran would be compelled to buy U.S. wheat, corn and soy with long-frozen Iranian funds set to be released as part of the peace process – a claim Iranian authorities have denied.

“Food is desperately needed in Iran, and we will be purchasing it for them exclusively from the United States,” the president wrote on Truth Social, framing it as a win for American farmers.

CBS News’ producer in Tehran, Seyed Bathaei, reports that, while soaring inflation has made many staples harder for Iranians to afford, there have been no signs of food shortages in the capital.

The head of Hezbollah has reiterated the Iranian-backed group’s refusal to disarm, calling it “Israel’s agenda.”

In a speech Friday, Naim Qassem, the general secretary of the Iranian-backed group, said the Lebanese government must cooperate with Hezbollah and “reject the pressure exerted by Arab and foreign states to drag Lebanon into internal strife, reconciliation with Israel, or policies that serve Israeli interests.”

Qassem said some countries were telling Lebanon’s government: “Disarm, and then we will help you,” which he dismissed as an Israeli demand, adding “The resistance will continue — with its presence, its organization, its decisions, and its capabilities. It is now the cornerstone of Lebanon’s independence and liberation, and it will remain so.” 

The Lebanese government has sought to, and discussed for months with the U.S., disarming Hezbollah.

Israeli leaders have made it clear that until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat, they will not withdraw Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

The deal struck by the U.S. and Iran shows that “we have defeated the Israeli-American project,” the head of Hezbollah said Friday.

“The United States and Israel also sought to eliminate Iran,” said the group’s general secretary, Naim Qassem, in a speech to mark Ashoura, an important day in Shi’ism.

But with the help of Hezbollah, “Iran stood firm,” he added. “It reached the memorandum of understanding, which amounted to an official acknowledgment of the defeat of the United States and Israel.”

Qassem thanked Iran and added that the next phase of the war would be “defeating the Israeli project and preparing the way for the removal of the Israeli entity from our land.”

Israel must “withdraw completely” and “unconditionally” from Lebanon, the head of Hezbollah said Friday in a televised address to mark the Shiite Muslim commemoration of Ashoura.

“Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of Lebanese territory and to end all forms of aggression,” said Naim Qassam, the Iranian-backed group’s general secretary.

“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims that Israel is in Lebanon because Hezbollah fires rockets at it,” he continued. “No. Israel is in Lebanon because it seeks to swallow Lebanon. Israel is in Lebanon because it wants to occupy it as part of the project of Greater Israel.”

Referring to peace talks between Israel and Lebanon, he added: “No agreement that compromises Lebanon’s sovereignty will be accepted …  no normalization, no end to the state of hostility, no gains for Israel, and no continued Israeli presence on Lebanese soil. Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.”

Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a new U.S.-brokered truce last week, but both have continued attacks, claiming they are in response to ceasefire violations by the other side.

President Trump said once again that Iran is expected to buy U.S. wheat, corn and soy — a claim a top Iranian negotiator has denied.

“All over the world, we’re opening up markets for the farmers,” the president said Thursday at a White House event with farmers. “And we have another one, a new market coming up, and that’s called the lovely country of Iran.”

The president continued during the Rose Garden event: “We’re going to be taking some of their money and we’ll spend it, and we’re going to be buying wheat, soybeans and corn. A lot of it. And that process is going to be starting pretty soon.”

Mr. Trump made a similar announcement Tuesday, writing on Truth Social that any sanctioned Iranian funds released by the U.S. Treasury will be “used for the purchase of food and medical supplies, exclusively from the United States.” He framed the plan as a win for American farmers.

But Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has helped lead negotiations with the U.S., called that claim false in a social media post Thursday.

“The only crop we’re harvesting is what you planted: decades of mistrust. It’s organic, abundant, and homegrown,” Ghalibaf wrote. 

Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a Singapore-flagged commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News. 

The cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an “unknown projectile” on Thursday evening near the Oman coast, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations. The U.S. official confirmed the vessel was hit by an Iranian drone. 

The U.S.-approved route for ships to travel through the Strait of Hormuz involves hugging the Omani coastline, while Iran has called for ships to travel along a northern route. 

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the agency set up by Iran to manage transit through the Straight of Hormuz, said in a statement after the attack, “Any passage through routes outside the framework designated by PGSA will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and will not be entitled to insurance coverage or related liabilities.”

It added, “The consequences arising from passage through unauthorized routes shall be the responsibility of the owner, operator, and vessel commander.”

The vessel suffered damage to its bridge, but said no one was injured, according to the UKMTO, which receives reports of suspicious activity from all vessels in the Gulf region. 

The ship continued on its way following the strike.

Read more here.

A U.N. maritime agency has paused the evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit Thursday by a projectile off the coast of Oman.

The head of the International Maritime Organization said the plan to move stranded ships through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region.

“I have been informed of an attack today in the Gulf of Oman,” IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said on X. “Seafarer safety remains paramount. To ensure coordinated approach & navigational safety, the IMO evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck the commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.

CBS/AFP