President Donald Trump has not yet signed off on a proposed agreement with Iran following a two-hour meeting in the White House Si...
President Donald Trump has not yet signed off on a proposed agreement with Iran following a two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room, as uncertainty continues over efforts to end the conflict and ease tensions in the region. A White House official said Trump would only approve a deal that satisfies his "red lines," stressing that "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."
As negotiations remain unresolved, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) pushed back against newly imposed US sanctions, insisting it would continue overseeing vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz "without interruption." The authority accused Washington of attempting to gain control over the key shipping route through economic pressure after failing through military and diplomatic means.
The sanctions were announced by the US Treasury Department, which alleged that the PGSA works with Iran's Revolutionary Guards to regulate maritime traffic and collect illegitimate fees from commercial vessels passing through the strategically important waterway. The move forms part of the Trump administration's broader pressure campaign against Tehran.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts continued on another front, with Israeli and Lebanese military officials holding rare direct talks at the Pentagon. Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's second-ranking official, described the discussions as "productive" and said they would help inform political negotiations expected to take place next week under the State Department's leadership.
Despite those talks, hostilities persisted in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said it carried out 22 military operations against Israeli forces on Friday, targeting troops, tanks and military infrastructure. The Iran-backed group claimed it used rockets, artillery fire, guided missiles, explosive devices and "Ababil" attack drones, and said the strikes hit several targets, including six Merkava tanks and an Iron Dome launcher, across multiple locations in southern Lebanon.
As negotiations remain unresolved, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) pushed back against newly imposed US sanctions, insisting it would continue overseeing vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz "without interruption." The authority accused Washington of attempting to gain control over the key shipping route through economic pressure after failing through military and diplomatic means.
The sanctions were announced by the US Treasury Department, which alleged that the PGSA works with Iran's Revolutionary Guards to regulate maritime traffic and collect illegitimate fees from commercial vessels passing through the strategically important waterway. The move forms part of the Trump administration's broader pressure campaign against Tehran.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts continued on another front, with Israeli and Lebanese military officials holding rare direct talks at the Pentagon. Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's second-ranking official, described the discussions as "productive" and said they would help inform political negotiations expected to take place next week under the State Department's leadership.
Despite those talks, hostilities persisted in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said it carried out 22 military operations against Israeli forces on Friday, targeting troops, tanks and military infrastructure. The Iran-backed group claimed it used rockets, artillery fire, guided missiles, explosive devices and "Ababil" attack drones, and said the strikes hit several targets, including six Merkava tanks and an Iron Dome launcher, across multiple locations in southern Lebanon.