1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: Today's biggest news from The Australian. I'm Christanamio with the 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: Front's afternoon headlines. Israel will negotiate directly with Lebanon about 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: disarming the Iran backed militia Hesbalah, with representatives to meet 4 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: in Washington for talks next week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 5 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 1: Netna who said in a post on x he'd instructed 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: his cabinet to commence talks with Lebanon in an attempt 7 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: to quote establish peaceful relations between the two nations. They've 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: continued to exchange fire amid confusion about whether Lebanon was 9 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: included in a temporary ceasefire established between the United States 10 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: and Iran this week. Israel insisted from the outset that 11 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: Lebanon wasn't part of the deal, while Lebanon retaliated against 12 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: strikes with missile fire into Israel. Kuwait also accused Iran 13 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: and its proxy militias of launching drone attacks on the 14 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: Gulf state in violation of the ceasefire deal, while Saudi 15 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: Arabia said a key pipeline had been damaged by attacks 16 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: allegedly by Iran, but the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied 17 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: it had attacked any Gulf states. In state media, Iran 18 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: agreed to reopen the Strait of Hornmores as part of 19 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,559 Speaker 1: the fourteen day cease fire, but reportedly planned to charge 20 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: tankers a toll to pass through the vital shipping route. 21 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: On Thursday night local time, US President Donald Trump criticized 22 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: the regimes management of the strait and warned them against 23 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: charging tolls for passage. We've used AI to bring the 24 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: President's truth social post to life. The reports that Iran 25 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,639 Speaker 1: is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait, 26 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: they better not be, and if they are, they better 27 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: stop now. The German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Secretary 28 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Mark Ruter told 29 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: European member nations Trump expects them to commit to provide 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: military support in the Strait of Hormus in the coming days. 31 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: That's after Ruter met with the President at the White 32 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: House on Wednesday. Traffic through the waterway is reportedly only 33 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: a trickle, and South Korea's foreign ministry announced on Friday 34 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: it will send an envoy to Iran to negotiate passage 35 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 1: for its ships. About twenty percent of the world's daily 36 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: oil needs passed through the Strait of Hormores on a 37 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,839 Speaker 1: daily basis, and dozens of South Korean ships have been 38 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,799 Speaker 1: stranded by its closure. American Vice President j D. Vance, 39 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: along with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushna, will 40 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: meet with Iranian representatives in Pakistan this weekend for peace talks. 41 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: In a rare diplomatic move, it was China that reportedly 42 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,959 Speaker 1: enticed Tehran to come to the negotiating table. The White 43 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: House said Beijing and Washington had discussed the ceasefire plan 44 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: at the quote top levels. A letter released in the 45 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: name of new Supreme Leader Moushebakhamane on Thursday declared Iran 46 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 1: was the quote definite victor in the war, which began 47 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: when the US and Israel struck a ran on February 48 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: twenty eight. The Ayatola allegedly praised the Iranian people for 49 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: their defiance and pledged to move the management of the 50 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: Strait of Hormuz quote into a new phase. In Gaza, 51 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: a key deadline in the peace plan broke it in 52 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: late twenty twenty five, is approaching, but it's looking unlikely. 53 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: The Iran backed militant group Hamas will give up its 54 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: weapons as required this weekend. HMMAS officials are due to 55 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: meet with negotiators from Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and the US 56 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: on Sunday, but they say they won't even discuss disarming 57 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: unless Israel retreats from Gaza for good. Check out those 58 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: stories live right now at the Australian dot com dot 59 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: au and come back to the front first thing in 60 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: the morning for a deep dive into a TV show 61 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: for the current moment, Apple TV's Tehran. That's right here, 62 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: Saturday morning.