Hopes for a Middle East breakthrough surged after US President Donald Trump said negotiators had entered the “final throes” of efforts to secure a peace deal, following a pause in fresh fighting between Iran and Israel that had threatened to reignite the months-long war.
Trump has repeatedly insisted an agreement with Tehran is close at hand. But diplomacy has repeatedly lost momentum, and the two sides have continued to exchange fire despite a ceasefire that has formally been in place since 8 April.
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Iran and Israel “were going back and forth and now they both agreed through me to stop and we’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” he told reporters after returning from an NBA Finals game.
Pressed on whether a breakthrough was days away or further off, he replied: “two or three days”.
Even so, Israeli retaliation followed, despite pressure from Washington to hold back.
Iran launched another barrage before saying it was ending military operations, and hours later Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the “fire on that front is contained”.
Tehran said yesterday it would strike again if Israel continued attacks in Lebanon, while Mr Netanyahu warned that if Iran “make the mistake of resuming attacks against us, we will respond with full force”.
Earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the campaign in Lebanon would continue regardless, adding that Israel would hit the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut in response to every attack on northern Israel by the militant group.
Mr Trump, who has reportedly become increasingly frustrated with Mr Netanyahu, had earlier urged both sides to stop “shooting” and said “final negotiations” toward peace would move ahead “subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way”.
In a televised statement, however, the Israeli premier said he had told Mr Trump that “Israel has a full right to self-defence, and we are exercising it as required”.
Axios reported that Israel had been preparing a major wave of strikes on Iran before Mr Trump personally called Mr Netanyahu and urged him to stop.
“I said, ‘Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,’” Mr Trump told Axios. US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News yesterday that while the United States and Israel shared interests, their positions did not always align.
“The Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests,” Mr Vance said. “But we also have some situations where our interests diverge.”
A deadly toll in Lebanon
Iran launched nearly 30 missiles at Israel, according to the Israeli military, while Israel struck military sites inside the Islamic republic.
No casualties were reported in either Israel or Iran following the exchange.
But southern Lebanon remained volatile yesterday. An Israeli strike killed five people in the city of Tyre, another attack in the Nabatieh district left seven dead, and a third strike in Marwanieh killed two, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts a missile near the Israel-Lebanon border
The Israeli military said it had detected projectiles fired toward its soldiers operating in southern Lebanon. Some were intercepted, while one landed near troops without causing casualties.
It later said a “suspicious aerial target” from Yemen had also been intercepted, with no injuries reported.
Calm returns, cautiously, to Tehran
In Tehran, there were few outward signs of an immediate slide back into full-scale war, with café terraces still crowded.
Traffic appeared lighter than usual for a weekday, suggesting some residents had stayed home, while queues at petrol stations were noticeably longer.
In Tel Aviv, meanwhile, residents headed for shelters as sirens sounded.
Iranian news agencies reported early this morning that the capital’s international airport, which had been shut during the renewed missile launches, had reopened, allowing flights carrying hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to land.
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Global oil markets reacted sharply at first. Brent North Sea crude and West Texas Intermediate both jumped by more than 5% in Asian trading on fears the war would flare again, before easing later in the day to gains of 1.3% and 0.8% respectively.
The conflict has brought Iran close to halting shipments of Gulf oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
The US military said it struck and disabled an unladen oil tanker yesterday after it violated the ports blockade.
Diplomacy remains alive
The latest exchange of fire between Iran and Israel came at a pivotal moment for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, with Pakistan acting as mediator.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a press conference in Tehran that diplomacy was still under way, though he warned the fighting could affect those efforts.
As he spoke at the foreign ministry, a huge blast shook the building, followed by repeated explosions thought to have come from air defence systems, an AFP reporter said.
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Tehran to deliver what he described as a “special letter” to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iranian state television.
He has since returned to Pakistan, an official Pakistani source said yesterday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezehskian wrote on X that Tehran remained “at the negotiating table”.
