Trump Rejects Iran Peace Talk Collapse as Netanyahu Orders Strikes on Beirut Suburbs

President Donald Trump rejected claims that US-Iran peace talks had collapsed, insisting the two countries were speaking “continuously” and posting that the US and Iran spoke “four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today.”

“As the prospect of a provisional agreement between Iran and the United States grows stronger, experts assess that the Zionist regime and Zionist lobbies in the United States will intensify their efforts to create a deadlock in the talks”

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At the same time, Israel’s prime minister ordered strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying “terror targets” in Dahieh would be struck in response to Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks and violations of a ceasefire announced in April.

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Iran suspended high-stakes negotiations with the United States on Monday to protest Israel’s expanding military offensive in Lebanon, according to government-aligned media, with Tasnim reporting that the “Iranian negotiating team will suspend ‘talks and the exchange of texts through mediators,’”.

CNN reported that a regional source said US-Iran negotiations were “back on track” hours after Iran suspended talks over Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, while Trump told ABC News he believes a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire with Iran is reachable “over the next week.”

At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on Sen. Cory Booker’s accusation that the US was “begging” Iran for a deal, responding “There's no begging,” and arguing that “The Iranians were begging because their economy is losing hundreds of millions of dollars a day.”

Rubio also said there are “signs” Iran's supreme leader is involved in talks, while Naharnet reported Rubio telling the committee that “Israel and Lebanon can do a peace deal tomorrow” and that “Hezbollah is the impediment.”

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In Lebanon, the Lebanese Embassy in Washington said Hezbollah accepted a US proposal for a “mutual cessation of attacks,” under which “Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs would cease in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacks against Israel.”

But Netanyahu later posted on X that the Israel Defense Forces would strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks do not stop, writing “Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,” while also saying “This remains our position.”

The dispute over Lebanon is tied directly to the US-Iran track, with the BBC saying the conflict “poses a major obstacle to US efforts to forge a deal to end its war with Iran,” because Tehran insists that any ceasefire must include Lebanon.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that “Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts,” and the Korea Times reported Iranian state TV warning that a ceasefire agreed between Iran and the United States in early April is “very likely to end” if Israeli attacks on Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon persist.

CNN reported that the Trump administration released about 58 million barrels of oil (14%) from America’s emergency stockpile, while the SPR still has 357.1 million barrels of crude, as the war with Iran continues to strain energy supplies.

As the diplomatic process remains fragile, the BBC said the Israeli military has struck Beirut twice since the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into force on 16 April, and it reported that at least 3,433 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the war, according to the country’s health ministry.