Iran live updates: US blockade of Iran's Strait of Hormuz ports to begin Monday

Iranian media issued a chart outlining "alternative" traffic routes in the Strait of Hormuz to protect vessels from what it said were "possible collisions with sea mines."

The chart was widely published on Wednesday along with a statement detailing the alternative routes by Iran's semi-official news agencies, including those close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps such as Fars and Tasnim.

According to the statement, all vessels intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz "must coordinate with the IRGC Navy" and use alternative routes in order "to observe maritime safety principles and avoid potential collisions with sea mines."

The statement and chart were initially attributed to the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization. However, in later reports, news agencies close to the IRGC -- including Fars and Tasnim -- attributed them to the IRGC Navy.

The alternative routes pass close to Iran's coastline in the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz, passing either side of Larak island.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh on Thursday condemned Israel's expanding attacks on Lebanon, telling BBC News that Tehran had communicated its anger over Wednesday's intense strikes to the White House.

"You cannot have your cake and eat it at the same time," Khatibzadeh said, adding that the message was sent to Washington following Israel's wave of attacks on Lebanon that began shortly after the announcement of the ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran.

"You cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept terms and conditions, accept all the areas that a ceasefire is applied to and name Lebanon, exactly Lebanon, and then your ally just starts a massacre," Khatibzadeh said, referring to Israel.

The U.S., he added, must choose whether it wants "war or peace." Khatibzadeh continued, "They cannot have it both at the same time. They are mutually exclusive, it is quite clear."

Asked if Iran will pull out of peace talks in Pakistan if Israel continues to strike Lebanon, Khatibzadeh replied, "We are very much focusing on the wellbeing of the Middle East."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President JD Vance have said Lebanon was not included in the two-week ceasefire agreement announced on Tuesday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, though, said in his announcement of the truce that Lebanon was covered.

Flags were lowered to half-mast at the Presidential Palace in Beirut and across the country, as Lebanon marked a day of national mourning following Wednesday's Israeli bombardment in Beirut and other parts of the country.

A meeting of President Joseph Aoun's cabinet began with a minute's silence to mark the killings, the president's office said in a post to X.

Lebanon's Ministry of Health said at least 203 people were killed in the attacks, with more than 1,000 people injured. Many funerals are expected to take place in Lebanon on Thursday.

In statements posted to Telegram on Thursday, Hezbollah claimed to have fired rockets toward northern Israel, targeted an Israeli military vessel with an anti-ship missile and launched several attacks on Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.

Vice President J.D. Vance said that the United States has "never once" said that Lebanon was part of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal as Israel launched on Wednesday a barrage of attacks on the country.

"Look, if Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire ... that's ultimately their choice. We think that would be dumb, but that's their choice," Vance said, speaking to reporters in Hungary.

"Neither us nor the Israelis said that that was going to be part of the ceasefire," Vance said later.

Vance said that any confusion about whether Lebanon was included in the ceasefire proposal comes from "a legitimate misunderstanding" from all sides.

"I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't. We never made that promise," Vance said. "We never indicated that was going to be the case. What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran, and the ceasefire would be focused on America's allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states."

Vance also repeated his claim that ceasefires are "messy," but that the White House has been clear to allies that bombing should stop.

"What we have been very clear about is that we want to stop the bombing. We want our allies to stop the bombing, and with the Iranians to do the same thing. We're seeing evidence that things are going in the right direction, but it's going to take a little time," Vance said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said on Wednesday that Lebanon was not part of any ceasefire agreement.