President Trump and China's Xi Jinping met Thursday and agreed that the Strait of Hormuz "must remain open" and that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon," according to the White House.

The Iran war had been slated to be one of the main topics of the highly-anticipated summit between Xi and Mr. Trump – Iran expressed publicly a desire for China to reiterate its terms for a possible peace deal with the U.S.

"The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy," read a White House readout of Thursday's meeting.

"President Xi also made clear China's opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China's dependence on the Strait in the future. Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

Prior to the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Fox News that "we've made clear to them that any support for Iran would obviously be detrimental for our relationship." He argued that China has an interest in resolving the Iran conflict's impacts on oil shipments, and "we hope to convince them to play a more active role."

The readout made no mention of Taiwan, though Chinese media are reporting that Xi raised the topic.

The crew of an Indian-flagged vessel was the subject of an "unacceptable" attack off the coast of Oman Wednesday are safe thanks to a rescue from Omani authorities, according to the Indian foreign minister.

In a statement sent out Thursday, the country's Ministry of External Affairs wrote that the attack is "unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted."

They did not say who was behind the attack.

"All Indian crew on board are safe and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing," the bulletin added.

A Hezbollah drone strike wounded several Israeli civilians on Thursday, the Israeli military said, hours before U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon's government were set to begin in Washington.

"A short while ago, an explosive drone that was launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organization fell within Israeli territory, near the Israel-Lebanon border," the military said.

"As a result, several Israeli civilians were injured and evacuated to receive medical treatment at the hospital." 

Israel's military said it launched strikes against Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon on Thursday, hours before U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon's government were set to begin in Washington. Hezbollah is a major Iran-backed paramilitary group.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has begun striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," the military said after issuing evacuation warnings for a number of villages in the area.

CBS/AFP

A ship has been "taken" by unknown parties off the UAE coast near the Strait of Hormuz and is headed toward Iranian waters, a U.K. maritime agency said Thursday.

The vessel was "taken by unauthorized personnel whilst at anchor" 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah and "is now bound for Iranian territorial waters," according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.

Several ships have been attacked in or near the key waterway as Iran and the United States push on with rival blockades.

Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait -- which normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG shipments -- since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28.

The U.S. has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports despite a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8.

On Sunday, South Korea said a cargo ship had been struck by unidentified aircraft in Hormuz, while Qatar said a freighter arriving in the country's waters from Abu Dhabi was hit by a drone. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Wednesday that he quietly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-U.S. war with Iran. But the UAE later denied any secret visit had occurred.

Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that "resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates," according to the Israeli statement. The Gulf nation normalized relations with Israel in 2020.

The UAE's official WAM news agency later posted an article denying "reports circulating" about a Netanyahu visit. According to WAM, the country's relations with Israel "are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements."

The Emirati report also denied any Israeli military delegation was received in the UAE.

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Thursday morning local time, as the two countries aim to stabilize their trading relationship and grapple with uncertainty over the United States' war with Iran.

Some experts argue the U.S.'s focus on the Middle East — including the munitions it has used in Iran — could make it more difficult to prepare for a potential confrontation with China. 

At the same time, China imports large amounts of oil from the Middle East and is the world's largest purchaser of Iranian oil, meaning China is both sensitive to the war's dire impacts on the global oil trade and key to supporting Iran's economy.

Prior to the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Fox News that he expects Iran to come up in talks with Chinese officials, and that "we've made clear to them that any support for Iran would obviously be detrimental for our relationship." He argued that China has an interest in resolving the Iran conflict's impacts on oil shipments, and "we hope to convince them to play a more active role."

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On the way to the summit between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News it is in China's interest to help resolve the war with Iran.

"We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they're doing now and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf," Rubio said aboard Air Force One.

Rubio argued that China's economy is driven by its exports, saying people will be buying fewer Chinese products "because of this crisis in the Strait."

Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office last week that he and Xi will "be talking about" Iran, but said Xi has "been very nice about this," considering how much of China's oil supply comes through the Strait of Hormuz.

China is the world's largest buyer of oil that comes through the strait, although it keeps its own reserves.

Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold new peace talks in Washington starting Thursday, as their latest ceasefire — considered to still be in place despite hundreds of deaths in Israeli strikes — nears its end.

The two countries last met on April 23 at the White House, where President Trump announced a three-week ceasefire extension and voiced optimism for a historic agreement.

Mr. Trump at the time made the bold prediction that within the latest ceasefire period, he would welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to Washington for a historic first summit between the countries.

The summit did not happen, with Aoun saying a security deal needed to be in place and Israeli attacks needed to end before such a landmark symbolic meeting.

Citing Lebanese sources, Qatari al-Araby Aljadeed reported that Lebanon's delegation was instructed by Mr. Aoun to prioritize securing a full ceasefire and stopping Israeli demolition operations before discussing other issues. Lebanon also wants Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese areas, prisoner releases, the return of displaced residents, and stronger Lebanese army deployment along the border.

The ceasefire had been extended through Sunday. Since it first went into effect on April 17, Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 people, according to an AFP tally based on figures from Lebanese authorities.

CBS/AFP

Since a blockade of Iranian ports began, the U.S. military has allowed 15 merchant vessels "supporting humanitarian aid" to pass through, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post Wednesday.

They include both merchant ships allowed to dock in Iranian ports, as well as ships that were allowed to sail out of Iranian ports and into open waters, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the command.

The social media post noted that since the blockade began on April 13, U.S. forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels and disabled four more "to ensure compliance" with the restrictions.