Tributes have been paid to a nun ‘remembered for her great kindness’ following her death in a road traffic collision in Newport.
Sister Genevieve, previously called Anne Clanchy, died after being hit by a car on Stow Park Avenue on February 24.
Officers were called to the scene at around 3.55pm after reports of a collision involving a pedestrian and a car.
The pedestrian, confirmed by Gwent Police to be 87-year-old Sister Genevieve, was taken to hospital but sadly passed away.
Now, tributes have been paid to the nun – who belonged to the St. Joseph of Annecy congregation for 67 years – by her fellow sisters, who described her death as a ‘shock.’
They said: ‘Sister Genevieve’s sudden death is a shock to the sisters and all those who knew her.
‘She will be remembered for her great kindness to everyone that she met, her interest in them and their lives, her love of life and her quiet, deep faith.’
The tribute acknowledged her teaching career, noting that Sister Genevieve ‘taught in schools’ across England and also served as the headmistress of St. Winifred’s School in South London.
Sister Genevieve (pictured) died after being hit by a car in Newport in February
In retirement, they said she returned to her home area of Chatham in Kent where she: ‘enjoyed being part of so many parish activities, making many friends.’
They added: ‘In recent years she had been living in Newport and continued to reach out to others through the local groups that she joined.’
The sisters have asked for privacy at this time, police have said.
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Tributes to nun, 87, who died after being hit by car in Wales
The Calgary Police Service has charged a civilian employee after she was alleged to have accessed police databases for non-police matters.
Police said the investigation began in December 2025, after officers were made aware of allegations that protected information on the databases had been improperly accessed.
Investigators allege the offences took place between Feb. 1 and Aug. 1, 2025 when the employee accessed the databases, without authorization, in an effort to obtain information on individuals she had, or was seeking to have, personal relationships with.
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On Wednesday, March 4, officers executed a search warrant to seize the woman’s mobile device, following which investigators claim to have identified four alleged victims.
The employee was arrested on April 7 and charged with nine counts under the Protection of Privacy Act for collecting, using, disclosing, gaining or attempting to gain access to personal information in contravention of the act.
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She has been released from custody and will make her next court appearance on June 2, 2026.
Calgary police lay charges, issue arrest warrant against former officer
First Lady Melania Trump is pushing back on claims she was linked to the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a surprise address at the White House.
‘I am not Epstein’s victim,’ she stated during the address on Thursday afternoon. ‘Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998.’
‘I’ve never been friends with Epstein,’ she added.
The announcement came as a shock, as there had not been recent revelations linking her to the sex offender, who the government says committed suicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in August 2019.
She claimed that though she and the President had overlapping social circles with Epstein, they did not have a relationship. She also said that she never associated with Epstein’s criminal associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
She told the room that she first met Epstein in 2000 and that she was unaware of his criminal undertakings.
The First Lady said she had seen ‘fake images and statements’ linking her to Epstein on social media for years, and urged viewers to ‘be cautious about what you believe.’
‘These images and stories are completely false. I’m not a witness or unnamed witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes.’
‘I’ve never been friends with Epstein,’ Melania Trump said during an address at the White House on Thursday afternoon
The First Lady said that rumors on social media that linked her to Epstein are false, and that she met Donald Trump at a party in 1998, not through the late sex offender
‘The false smears about me from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically must stop,’ the First Lady continued. ‘Baseless lies with success and continue to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation.’
In a surprising move, Melania called on congress to hold hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse.
‘I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,’ she added.
Melania noted how Epstein did not work alone and that several prominent male executives resigned as the scandal became increasingly politicized.
Though that does not amount to the executive’s being guilty, ‘we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.’
She also addressed an email that she had sent to Maxwell that was published in January, saying that her response was to be polite, and it did not indicate a close relationship.
Buried in the tranche of more than three million Jeffrey Epstein files, is an email signed ‘Love, Melania’ that appears to be addressed to Ghislaine Maxwell.
The names of the sender and recipient of the October 23, 2002, email are redacted.
Donald Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000
Trump and the financier chatting to Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party at Manhattan’s Laura Belle club in April 1997
Ghislaine Maxwell attends a Theo Fennell party at the Cafe Royal, London, November 10, 1996
The message begins: ‘Dear G! How are you? Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture.’
That week, New York Magazine ran a now-infamous story headlined: ‘Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery.’
The article featured a full-page color illustration of Epstein grinning alongside Bill Clinton in front of his private jet, as the actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker board the aircraft.
The piece included a photo of Maxwell with Epstein at a black tie event, as well as a photo of Donald Trump and the financier chatting to Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party.
The email continues: ‘I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time!’
It is signed affectionately: ‘Love, Melania.’
Melania Trump’s full remarks on Jeffrey Epstein:
“Good afternoon. The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean spirited attempts to defame my reputation. I never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time.
Since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be characterized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trial note. I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998.
This initial encounter with my husband is documented in a detail in my book, Melania. The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000. At an event Donald and I attended together. At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings. Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been calculating on social media for years now.
Be cautious about what you believe. His images and stories are completely false. I’m not a witness or a name witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes. My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements or FBI. In interviews surrounding the Epstein matter. I have never had any knowledge of Epstein abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity.
I was not a participant. I was never on Epstein’s plane and never visited his private island. I have never been legally accused or convinced of a crime in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking. Abuse of minors and other repulsive behavior. The false smears about me from mean spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically, must stop.
My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success, and will continue to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation. To date, several individuals and companies have been legally obligated to publicly apologize and retract their lies about me, such as Daily Beast, James Carville and Harper Collins UK. Now is the time for Congress to act. Epstein was not alone.
Several prominent male executives resigned from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized. Of course, this doesn’t amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth. I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with the public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give this victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony.
Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes. And then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record. Then, and only then, we will have the truth. Thank you.”
In the blue corner we have America’s first-ever Pope, and in the Red corner America First’s Donald Trump (Picture: Getty)
Donald Trump has tangled himself in an almighty rift with God’s representative on Earth – The Pope.
Upon hearing of the death of Pope Francis, the President told reporters, ‘I’d like to be pope. That would be my No.1 choice.’
Instead, American-born Pope Leo XIV now occupies the Chair of St Peter. Despite this, and amid the Iran war, relations between Washington and the Vatican appear to be reaching a breaking point.
Trump, who also said only his own ‘morality’ can stop him, has still constantly been looking to the Vatican for its approval for his designs on the world.
A fired-up member of Team Trump dredged up a 700-year-old threat to Pope Leo after called the President’s promise to wipe out Iranian civilisation ‘truly unacceptable’.
One Vatican official told The Free Press, that Cardinal Christophe Pierre – Pope Leo XIV’s ambassador to the United States was summoned to a secret meeting at the Pentagon in January.
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Donald Trump is in a rift with, of all people, the Pope (Picture: AP)
There Under Secretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby, delivered to the Cardinal what was described ‘as a lecture’.
Colby and his team told him America has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. And the Catholic Church had better fall in line.
At the fiery meeting, one US official reportedly invoked the Avignon Papacy, where the French pope fled violence in Rome to take up residency in Côte d’Azur in the 14th Century.
Other nations denigrated the move as the ‘Babylonian Captivity’, damaging the prestige and supposed independence of the papacy.
The move led to the Great Western Schism where three rival Popes vied for power nearly causing the downfall of the Catholic Church.
The fallout of the disastrous meeting led the Vatican to cancel a planned trip to the US on Independence Day.
But the Pope doesn’t seem to have been particularly bothered by the furore and was recently pictured spinning a basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters.
In a move that will infuriate the White House further, Leo urged people to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war.’
Pope Leo XIV showing off his God given talents at spinning a basketball (Picture: AFP)
‘We have a worldwide economic crisis, an energy crisis, (a) situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world,’ he said.
He said the message to political leaders should be: ‘Come back to the table, let’s talk, let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way and let’s remember especially the innocent children, the elderly, sick, so many people who have already become or will become victims of this continued warfare.’
The Vatican also fears that the Iran conflict has spread to south Lebanon, threatening Christians who are an important protector of the church in the Middle East.
Trump’s team have been desperate for a visit from America’s first Pope, but he has now reportedly snubbed his invitation to attend the nation’s 250th anniversary events.
Instead of spending July 4th in his homeland, the Pope will visit Lampedusa, a small Mediterranean island that has become an entry point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.
When contacted, the War Department sought to downplay reports of the rift.
‘The Free Press’s characterisation of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted. The meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion.
‘We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See,’ a War Department official said.
But the Vatican could hand Donald Trump another bloody nose by meeting with Barack Obama – who recently was giddy on a podcast, insisting the only person he would like to meet on Planet Earth is Pope Leo, without hesitation.
And with the Pope’s term in office usually only ending in death, and Trump’s calls for a third term, so far, denied – there can only be one winner on the international stage.
MORE: George Clooney hits back at Trump after White House’s bizarre ‘war crimes’ jibe
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Donald Trump is considering punishing members of NATO that he believes were unhelpful to the US and Israel in the war against Iran by pulling American troops out of the country’s bases.
The proposal would involve moving troops out from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member countries deemed uncooperative with the military campaign, and transferring them to nations who are more supportive of Washington.
Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly threatened to withdraw America from the 32-member alliance, after several NATO countries rejected his calls to help reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas flows.
The President’s belief that the nations didn’t do enough to help the US during Operation Epic Fury is threatening to tear apart the trans-Atlantic alliance, creating what is perhaps the greatest challenge it has faced in its history.
Washington has around 84,000 soldiers stationed across Europe, with US bases serving as a critical hub of global military operations, as well as providing an economic boon to the host country through investment.
Bases stationed in Eastern Europe also serve as a deterrent against Moscow.
Beyond transferring troops away, the punishment could also involve the closure of a US base in at least one of the European countries, possibly Spain or Germany, according to two administration officials who briefed the Wall Street Journal.
It comes as Trump attacked NATO in a furious post on Truth Social following a private meeting with its Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday, telling his followers: ‘NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN.’
Donald Trump used Truth Social to hit out at NATO for its refusal to intervene in the war in Iran and made a thinly-veiled threat about Greenland, which he has repeatedly sought to take over
The President met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday and was expected to discuss the possibility of the US leaving the alliance
In the Truth Social post, Trump also made a thinly-veiled threat about Greenland, which the President has repeatedly sought to take over.
The relationship between the White House and NATO had already soured before the war with Tehran, largely as a result of disagreements over Trump’s desire to seize the semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The plan to transfer US troops away from certain NATO nations has circulated and gained support among senior administration officials in recent weeks, highlighting the growing rift between Trump and his European allies.
‘It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defence,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
She said the President planned to have a very ‘frank and candid conversation’ with Rutte, who was expected to cajole and convince Trump that it’s in his interest, and America’s, to stay in the alliance.
When asked for comment on the proposals, White House referred to recent statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticising NATO nations for failing to be more supportive to Washington with the war in Tehran.
While it is still unclear which countries would lose US troops, several alliance members have publicly condemned Trump’s military campaign, and may in turn be considered as the nations to be punished.
Spain – the only NATO country that has not pledged to spend five per cent of its GDP on defence – prevented US planes involved in the war from using its airspace, and American officials are also frustrated with Germany after top politicians criticised the war strategy.
Nevertheless, Germany serves as one of the largest and most significant hubs for the US military to support its activities in the Middle East.
Italy also briefly blocked American use of the Sigonella air base in Sicily, and Emmanuel Macron permitted the US to use a base in southern France after it promised only planes not involved in Iranian strikes would land there.
Administration officials said that the countries which may benefit from more troop deployment include Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Greece, because they are deemed by the President as more supportive.
The Eastern European countries have some of the highest defence spending rates in NATO and were some of the first to announce they would join an international coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
After the joint US-Israeli operation against Iran began on February 28, Romania quickly approved Washington’s requests to allow its bases to be used by the US Air Force.
The proposal could result in deploying more US soldiers closer to the Russian border, in a move that will likely antagonise Vladimir Putin.
Following his sit-down with Trump, Rutte described the conversation as ‘very frank’ and ‘very open’, despite clear disagreements.
While the President took to Truth Social to attack the alliance further, Rutte, who infamously called Trump ‘daddy’ at a summit last year, took on a conciliatory tone as he praised him for the ceasefire agreement in Iran.
The NATO Secretary General told CNN that Trump was ‘clearly disappointed’ by his allies refusal to send help, adding: ‘He clearly told me what he thought of what happened over the last couple of weeks.’
When anchor Jake Tapper asked if Rutte believed the world is safer today than before the war started at the end of February, the NATO leader said: ‘Absolutely… this is thanks to President Trump’s leadership.’
But Rutte declined to comment on whether Trump had expressed any desire to leave NATO, telling CNN: ‘It is a nuanced picture.’
He then went on to explain that degrading Iran’s nuclear capabilities is ‘really important for yours and my safety here in the US, in Europe and in the Middle East’.
Trump last week warned that he was strongly considering pulling the US out of the ‘paper tiger’ bloc.
He said: ‘I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.’
On Monday, he said he was ‘very disappointed’ with the alliance and that their unwillingness to support the US on the Iran war is ‘a mark on NATO that will never disappear’.
During his first term in 2020, Trump ordered the withdrawal of around 12,000 troops from Germany, but the move was reversed by President Joe Biden after he took office in 2021.
Imposing a toll on ships sailing through the critical Strait of Hormuz would ‘set a dangerous precedent’ and countries should not impede freedom of navigation, the UN’s shipping agency said today.
Iranian officials have raised the idea of charging a toll for using the Strait after a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Tehran was agreed this week.
‘There is no international agreement where tolls can be introduced for transiting international straits. Any such toll will set a dangerous precedent,’ a spokesperson with the UN’s International Maritime Organisation said.
IMO countries adopted the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, or UNCLOS, which outlines the rules that govern straits used for international navigation.
‘According to UNCLOS, ships enjoy the right of transit passage through international straits. States bordering straits shall not hamper that right or suspend the transit passage,’ the IMO spokesperson said.
According to Mark Consuelos, the ankles can reveal more about a person than you might think.
While discussing virtual umpires in the MLB on Thursday’s Live with Kelly and Mark, Consuelos explained that “each strike zone is a little bit different to each player because of their height,” teasing that he realized that “baseball players have been lying for a long time about their height.”
“68 players, they were listed at 6 feet or above, whose height now begins with the dreaded five,” he read.
It’s no secret that both Consuelos and Kelly Ripa are petite. Ripa asked her husband and co-host, “Why is it dreaded?”
Consuelos replied, “I don’t know, I’ve been living with it my whole life! It doesn’t start with a 6.”
After Consuelos said that baseball players “want the smallest strike zone as you can possibly have,” the Scream 7 star conceded how actors may fib about their height, too.
“I guess actors do, I mean, when you have to slate and they say, ‘How tall are you?’ I’m like, ‘I’m 5’…. 9″, something,’” he quipped. “And they’re like, ‘Are you?’”
Ripa also teased how actors who stop by Live can’t get away with lying about how tall they are.
“We interview actors here, so we know,” she said. “Because we have eyes.”
Consuelos claimed that he’s seen “people that got taller,” and revealed his secret to determining whether that growth was natural or not.
Photo: WABC
“Do you know what you do? You look at the ankles,” he shared.
As for what a person’s ankles may tell, Consuelos said that if someone’s ankles are “frequently raising above their shoe, there’s something inside the shoe.”
“Telltale sign,” he added.
However, Ripa teased that’s not really the case for women, who can wear heels, instead.
“See, with women, we put our lifts outside of our shoes,” she said. “We just platform ourselves up there. We don’t care.”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.
Since 1977 there have been 24 different champions, most recently China’s Zhao Xintong who lifted the trophy in 2025, becoming the first champion from Asia. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record of seven crowns apiece.
Three Russian submarines carried out a ‘covert’ operation shadowing undersea cables north of the UK for over a month, the Defence Secretary revealed today.
John Healey said the vessels had been spotted in the North Atlantic, with a warship and aircraft deployed in response.
Addressing Vladimir Putin directly, he said his secret operation had been ‘exposed’, with the subs ‘monitored 24/7’ before retreating.
Mr Healey told a press conference in Downing Street that in the past few weeks, while many eyes were trained on the Middle East crisis, the UK, in partnership with Norway and other allies, responded to ‘increased Russian activity’ in the Atlantic.
This involved a Russian Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine and two specialist submarines from Russia’s ministry of defence deep sea research programme known as GUGI (Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research).
John Healey revealed the ‘covert’ Russian operation in a media briefing at 9 Downing Street
A Russian Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine in waters near Norway in 2022
Putin pictured today handing Russia highest medal to 23-year-old soldier Alexei Asylkhanov
Mr Healey said: ‘In response to the Russian submarines, I can confirm that I deployed our armed forces to track and to deter any malign activity by these vessels.
‘A Royal Navy warship and Royal Air Force P8 aircraft alongside allies ensured that the Russian submarines were monitored 24/7.
‘The Akula submarine subsequently retreated home, having been closely tracked throughout and we continued to monitor the two GUGI submarines in and around wider UK waters.
‘Our armed forces left them in no doubt that they were being monitored, that their movements were not covert, as President Putin planned, and that their attempted secret operation had been exposed.
‘Those GUGI submarines have now left UK waters and headed back north.’
He said the month-long operation had now concluded.
He added: ‘And because we were watching them, we wanted to ensure that we could warn them that their covert operation had been exposed and reduce the risk that they may attempt any action that could damage our pipelines or our cables.
‘And I’m confident, we have no evidence that there has been any damage, but with allies, were sure that this is now verifiable.’
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Russian submarine operation over Britain’s undersea cables revealed as UK warns Putin ‘we see you’
The ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran is in a tough spot (Pictures: Getty/Reuters/AP)
The US and Iran both claimed victory after reaching a fragile ceasefire, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries.
The US president said he was suspending his threats if Iran agreed to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Tehran has already proposed a 10-point plan that provided ‘a workable basis on which to negotiate’, but the agreement is already hitting roadblocks.
Iran also appears to have closed the Strait of Hormuz, after US leaders claimed it had been reopened as part of the ceasefire.
Key issues for both nations remain unresolved, including the scope of the truce, Iran’s rights to nuclear enrichment and ballistic missiles, as well as access to the Strait of Hormuz.
Dr Katayoun Shahandeh, of SOAS, University of London, told Metro the ceasefire is more fragile than it is secure.
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‘It may hold in the very short term because all sides have reasons to pause, but it is not yet a stable settlement,’ she said.
Why did Israel attack Lebanon, and is it a breach of the ceasefire?
The elephant in the room is the continued Israeli strikes into Lebanon.
Israel has intensified attacks in Lebanon, killing at least 182 people in the highest single-day death toll in the Israel-Hezbollah war, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
‘There seem to be conflicting messages over whether Lebanon is covered, which is exactly the kind of ambiguity that can unravel a deal fast. There is also a growing divergence between U.S. and Israeli objectives,’ Dr Shahandeh said.
Washington has declared the ceasefire as a ‘victory’, Dr Shahandeh said, but Israel’s current posture points towards a continued military campaign, rather than a diplomatic resolution.
‘There is a real fear that this is not peace so much as a pause, as it is a chance for Washington and its allies to regroup and, if talks fail, strike harder. That may not be the stated intention, but it is one plausible reading of a ceasefire whose terms remain contested and whose basic points of agreement still seem very far apart,’ she said.
‘Already, it does not look as though all sides are fully adhering to it.’
What happens if the ceasefire conditions are broken?
If the ceasefire is broken, Trump would have a few options – but would likely begin with escalation in strikes and potentially putting US troops on the ground in Iran.
‘Trump has said U.S. military ships and aircraft will remain around Iran and that if Tehran does not comply, the “shootin’ starts” again,’ Dr Shahandeh explained.
‘The most likely U.S. response would be renewed strikes, more coercive pressure over Hormuz, and an attempt to force Iran into harsher terms from a position of overwhelming military superiority. But that would deepen the bind he is already in: walking away risks looking weak, while escalating further risks a more unpopular and expensive war.’
Dr Bamo Nouri, senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of West London, told Metro: ‘If it breaks, Trump has already signalled a return to coercive escalation – maintaining US forces in the region, increasing military pressure, and potentially authorising further strikes to restore deterrence.
Iran’s options if the ceasefire is broken are different. Despite sustaining heavy damage, the country has retained power over the Strait of Hormuz and could easily resume missile and drone attacks and pressure on global shipping.
As for Israel, the option is to continue its air strikes in both Iran and Lebanon if it believes the ceasefire to be broken.
‘Israel, for its part, is likely to be the least patient actor, having already signalled readiness to resume high-intensity operations if it judges the ceasefire to be constraining its strategic objectives,’ Dr Nouri said.
Despite agreeing to suspend its bombing campaign in Iran, the US and Israel differ on their positions as to whether the ceasefire stretches to Lebanon, where Israel argues it is striking Iranian-backed Hezbollah groups.
‘Israel agreed to suspend its bombing campaign on Iran, but that U.S. and Israeli positions differ sharply from Iran’s (and Pakistan who brokered the deal) over whether Lebanon is part of the ceasefire framework.
‘That means Israel could become the most immediate trigger for collapse if it continues treating other theatres as separate while Iran treats them as linked,’ Dr Shahandeh said.
What happens next?
It’s hard to say. Iran, Israel and the United States are not operating from a shared understanding of what’s been agreed in the ceasefire agreement.
Dr Nouri explained: ‘The US frames it around limiting Iran’s nuclear activity and securing maritime stability in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran insists on its enrichment rights and links the deal to broader regional conditions, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.’
In order for the ceasefire to hold, the three countries must quickly clarify terms to stop any misunderstandings.
‘Without a quickly accepted framework, this ceasefire becomes a short-lived bargaining interval rather than a stable resolution, with all sides already preparing for renewed escalation,’ Dr Nouri said.
Dr Shahandeh believes three things need to happen for the ceasefire to hold.
‘The parties need clear written terms, not just public declarations: what is covered geographically, what counts as a violation, and who verifies compliance,’ she said.
‘Second, there has to be a practical de-escalation mechanism around Hormuz, because Reuters reports there is still little sign that the Strait is operating normally, and Iran is still asserting control there.
‘Third, the ceasefire must become a political process, not just a pause in bombing. The ceasefire can hold, but only as a bridge to a more detailed agreement. If it remains vague, it is unlikely to last.’
