U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Sunday that recent military actions by Israel and Iran will not derail ongoing U.S.-Iran talks aimed at ending the wider regional conflict. With new strikes reported in the Beirut area and a retaliatory missile salvo from Iran at Israeli targets, Washington sought to keep momentum toward a potential agreement.
Trump told the Financial Times, "It's not going to have any impact on the deal," adding, "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn't call the shots." The remarks followed a day of renewed hostilities after a U.S. truce proposal for Lebanon was announced last week.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli forces struck the Beirut area - the first such strikes since the United States unveiled its Lebanon truce plan - and Iran responded by launching missiles at targets inside Israel. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the Ramat David air base, located near Nazareth. Israel's military reported it had identified missiles launched from Iran and that its defense systems intercepted them.
The exchange of fire occurred amid high-stakes negotiations in which Trump has been pressing Israel to restrain operations in Lebanon so that diplomatic space could open for a deal to halt the wider war with Iran. U.S. officials say Washington has sought a pause in Lebanon-focused military activity to make room for a negotiated outcome.
An Israeli official said Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone for just under half an hour on Sunday, but provided no further details. A U.S. official told Axios that during the call Trump told Netanyahu to refrain from further strikes because "we are close to doing something good in terms of a deal," and that the president had "bought a little bit of time."
Five hours after Iran's missile volley, Netanyahu had not issued a public comment on those launches. The Israeli military later released a brief statement citing Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir as saying forces had not been ordered to attack Iran so far, but that they would do so "with determination" if ordered.
The latest flare-up had immediate market consequences. Oil prices climbed more than 2 percent in early trading on Monday, with benchmark Brent futures moving back above $95 a barrel, reflecting investor concern over renewed regional tensions and the risk of disruption to shipping and energy flows.
Since the United States and Iran began talks intended to halt the war, Israel has continued operations in Lebanon in an effort to counter Hezbollah, which Israeli officials say should be treated separately from any ceasefire terms with Tehran. Iran has insisted that any deal with Washington must be accompanied by a cessation of hostilities that also holds in Lebanon, where Israel invaded in March in pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters who had fired rockets and drones across the border.
Iran's chief peace negotiator, parliamentary speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, framed U.S. bases and Israeli assets as legitimate targets because of what he described as hostile acts, including the "violation of agreements over Lebanon." That position helps explain Tehran's readiness to strike at Israeli targets in response to the strikes in Beirut.
Before the missile salvo on Sunday, Iran had not targeted Israel since a ceasefire in the wider war began in April, although Hezbollah has continued its own attacks. The wider conflict has been largely stalemated since U.S. and Israeli forces paused attacks on Iran in early April. In turn, Tehran moved to block most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point that handles roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments. Washington has responded with its own blockade of Iranian ports.
Both Washington and Tehran have said they are close to a preliminary agreement that could reopen the strait, yet the two sides and their proxies have repeatedly traded strikes. Recent days had seen an uptick in attacks, including operations affecting neighboring Arab states that host U.S. bases.
Trump has stressed that any final agreement must prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and he faces political pressure to secure terms that are tougher than those in the 2015 accord he later abandoned. Tehran's negotiating demands include the lifting of U.S. and international sanctions, formal recognition of its influence over the strait, and the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets.
A source familiar with U.S. plans told Reuters on Saturday that Washington could make some Iranian assets available to Gulf partners to repair damage attributed to Iran. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded on Sunday that any diversion of Iranian assets would be illegal and that Tehran would take countermeasures if such action were taken.
Domestically in Israel, Netanyahu faced criticism from political rivals last week over pursuing a new ceasefire in Lebanon ahead of this year's national election. Israel's continuing Lebanon campaign has resulted in thousands of deaths and has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Hezbollah, which did not participate in the truce talks, has said it will not disarm while Israeli strikes continue and Israeli forces remain in Lebanon.
As the situation remains fluid, U.S. officials and regional actors are balancing diplomatic outreach with military posturing. The recent exchanges underline the fragility of any pause in hostilities - and the potential for local actions to ripple through energy markets and international negotiations.