Iran said it was halting its strikes against Israel but warned it would resume hostilities if Israeli forces continue attacking Lebanon, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear Monday that the broader conflict is far from over.
The exchange of statements came after Israel and Iran traded direct strikes Sunday night for the first time since a fragile ceasefire was reached in mid-April, crossing the 100-day mark of the war with a flare-up that threatened to derail ongoing peace negotiations.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the pause in strikes to CNBC on Monday but attached a clear condition: if Israel continues its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Tehran will resume military action.
Hours later, Netanyahu addressed the nation, insisting that both Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy Hezbollah are weaker than they have ever been, while making clear that a permanent end to the conflict has not been reached.
“The war against Iran and Hezbollah has not yet ended,” Netanyahu said.
How Sunday’s Escalation Unfolded
The chain of events that produced Sunday’s direct exchange began with Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Iran responded by firing missiles toward northern Israel, accusing Jerusalem of repeatedly violating the ceasefire through its ongoing Lebanon operations.
Israel then carried out what it described as a large-scale strike on strategic defense systems inside Iran, including hitting a petrochemical plant in southwestern Iran that Israeli officials said is used in the production of ballistic missiles.
The strikes represented the first direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran since the April 8 ceasefire took effect, and the most serious single escalation in the conflict since that truce was established.
Trump Insists Peace Talks Are Still Moving Forward
President Donald Trump responded to the overnight violence with a characteristic mix of urgency and optimism, calling on both sides to immediately stop shooting while insisting that final negotiations are ongoing.
“Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday morning. He also declared that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman will remain in place until a final deal is reached.
“Things should move quickly,” Trump said, even as the war crossed its 100-day mark with no agreement in sight.
In a phone call with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump made his position on Netanyahu’s autonomy explicit, saying the Israeli prime minister “won’t have any choice” but to accept a deal the U.S. negotiates with Iran. “I call all the shots,” Trump said.
An Iranian Official Casts Doubt on Any Near-Term Deal
Despite Trump’s confidence, an Iranian official speaking to MS NOW on Sunday said that a deal with Trump is “no longer feasible at this stage,” placing the blame squarely on the Trump administration for the situation in Lebanon and the renewed escalation.
That statement, if it reflects the actual position of Iranian leadership rather than a tactical negotiating signal, would represent a significant deterioration from the point of relative optimism just days earlier, when both sides were publicly describing a rough memorandum of understanding framework as being within reach.
The Lebanon question remains the most intractable obstacle in the negotiations. Iran has consistently insisted that any comprehensive agreement with the United States must include a halt to Israeli military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has equally consistently treated its Lebanon campaign as a separate matter not subject to U.S.-Iran talks.
Trump’s claim that he calls all the shots and that Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept a deal has not yet been tested against the reality of Israel’s continued military operations.
Oil Pulls Back From Session Highs
Oil prices, which surged more than 5% during the peak of Sunday’s military exchanges, pulled back from those highs as Monday’s trading session progressed and Iran confirmed it had paused its strikes.
The retreat reflected a degree of market relief that the situation had not immediately deteriorated into a full resumption of the wider war, even as the underlying tensions that drove the spike remain unresolved.
The ceasefire framework is now visibly fraying on multiple fronts. The Lebanon conflict continues to generate flashpoints. Iran’s conditions for maintaining the pause in strikes depend on Israeli behavior that has shown no sign of changing. And the core disagreements over nuclear enrichment, the Strait of Hormuz, and sanctions remain unresolved after more than three months of war and negotiation.
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