Trump-Iran Talks Tense

Iran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and alleged U.S. breaches of the ceasefire, while U.S. Central Command insisted traffic continued and American forces were monitoring the waterway. The dispute rattled markets, lifting oil prices and weighing on stock futures, as Trump warned there would be no tolls and threatened severe consequences if Tehran tried to shut the vital energy corridor.

Analysts and commentators portrayed the U.S.-Iran memorandum as a fragile stalemate or a costly concession that gives Tehran breathing room while leaving core nuclear and regional questions unresolved. The deal also widened political strains in Washington and Israel, with critics arguing Trump cannot sell the framework and that Benjamin Netanyahu faces serious fallout from an agreement many Israelis view as a strategic setback.

Renewed Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon killed civilians, delayed the opening of U.S.-Iran talks and threatened a ceasefire that was supposed to support the wider Iran agreement. Israel and Hezbollah later agreed to halt fighting after U.S. pressure, but the violence left Lebanese residents returning to damaged communities with uncertainty over whether the regional truce would hold.