Trump aims to calm Lebanon tensions to keep peace talks alive

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered differing accounts of a call about the fighting in Lebanon, as the U.S. struggled to get efforts toward an Iran peace deal back on track.

The mismatched statements were the latest example of confusing signals on progress to end a war, now in its fourth month, that has killed thousands across the region and triggered a global energy crisis. Iran said Monday that it was suspending talks with the U.S. amid ongoing clashes in Lebanon — which Tehran has said must stop as part of a broader peace deal.

The president said in a Truth Social post on Monday evening that he had asked the Israeli leader “not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi! I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!”

Earlier Monday, Trump said that talks with Iran were continuing “at a rapid pace” — countering earlier statements from Tehran.

Netanyahu, however, didn’t describe the arrangement in such sweeping terms. While he confirmed that Israel wouldn’t strike targets in Beirut so long as Hezbollah ceased its own attacks, he also said Israel’s campaign in southern Lebanon would continue.

“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop firing at our cities and citizens – Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,” Netanyahu said in a social media post. “This position of ours remain unchanged. Concurrently, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”

Lebanon has received confirmation that Hezbollah, a militia that the U.S. regards as a terrorist organization, agreed to the U.S. proposal. Israel’s planned attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs would be halted in exchange for the militant group ceasing its strikes, the Lebanese presidency said in a post.

The ceasefire should be expanded to include the entirety of Lebanese territories, with more negotiations taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday, the presidency said.

Asian stocks retreated from record highs early Tuesday amid the conflicting signals from the Middle East. Brent crude steadied around $95 a barrel.

Trump has regularly claimed that negotiations were advancing and close to reaching a deal as the ceasefire that began in April remained fragile. Iran disputed reports last week that an interim accord was close and on Monday said it would act with its proxies, dubbed the “Axis of Resistance,” against Israel if fighting in Lebanon continued.

Iran has insisted any agreement with Washington must also cover Lebanon, where Tehran-backed Hezbollah and Israel are engaged in a parallel war. Israel deepened its invasion of Lebanon over the weekend, while Hezbollah stepped up attacks on Israel’s north.

Negotiators will suspend “the exchange of documents” with the U.S. through mediators, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, citing a statement it didn’t attribute to any official or institution. Iran threatened a complete closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial conduit for oil and liquefied natural gas, according to the report.

Traders were particularly worried about further supply disruptions as the report mentioned that Iran and its allies are also considering closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial alternate path for oil to reach the global market while Hormuz has been largely blocked.

Trump earlier said he hadn’t heard from Iran regarding reports that it’s suspending talks, an NBC reporter said according to social media posts.

Washington and Tehran have been trading messages on a draft deal — which would likely see the two sides extend their ceasefire by around two months, with Iran reopening the strait and the U.S. lifting a blockade of Iranian ports.

Trump is under increasing pressure to end a war that’s sent energy prices surging and is unpopular with most Americans, while also seeking to placate Iran hawks who oppose any move to unfreeze Iranian funds as Tehran is demanding.

“Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end,” Trump said late Sunday, according to a social media post.

The Strait of Hormuz also has seen renewed clashes. The U.S. struck Iranian radar and command-and-control sites over the weekend, with the military saying it was a “measured” response to “aggressive Iranian actions.”

U.S. forces successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missile targeting American forces based in Kuwait, Central Command said Monday.

Here’s more on the Iran war:

—Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed regional developments and issues related to the ceasefire process in a phone call with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a Telegram post.

—Israeli airstrikes in response to renewed attacks by Hezbollah in March have devastated swaths of southern Lebanon and the capital, Beirut, and killed at least 3,433 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

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(With assistance from Carla Canivete, Courtney Subramanian, Devika Krishna Kumar and John Harney.)

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