Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, the Israeli military said, after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed a threat to bomb the Islamic Republic's power grid because of what he described as productive talks with Iranian officials.
The missiles triggered air raid sirens in parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv where blasts from interceptions were heard. In one attack, homes in northern Israel were damaged by falling debris following an interception. No deaths were reported.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday that the U.S. and Iran had held "very good and productive" conversations about a "complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East".
As a result, he said, he was postponing for five days a plan to hit Iran's energy grid. His announcement sent share prices higher and oil prices sharply lower to below $100 a barrel, a sudden reversal to a market swoon caused by his weekend threats and Iran's vows to respond.
Those gains were in jeopardy on Tuesday however, after Iran's powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf - who an Israeli official and two other sources familiar with the matter said was the interlocutor in the talks on the Iranian side - said no negotiations had taken place.
"No negotiations have been held with the U.S., and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped," he wrote on X.
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they were launching fresh attacks on U.S. targets, and described Trump's words as "psychological operations" that were "worn out" and having no impact on Tehran's fight.
Global markets rallied in relief overnight Monday after Trump added five days to his Saturday ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz - a conduit for about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas - within 48 hours.
But on Tuesday those gains were under threat as markets weighed the conflicting messages from Tehran and Washington. U.S. Treasury yields pushed higher and the dollar regained lost ground as the world continues to grapple with an energy shock triggered by Iran's threat to shipping in the strait.
Brent crude futures were up 4.2% to $104.21 a barrel, reversing some of their 10% slide from Monday, while U.S. crude rose 4.3% to $91.93 per barrel.
"The underlying situation is still incredibly fragile or flammable," said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore.
Trump told reporters his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had been negotiating with Iran before the war, had held discussions with a top Iranian official into the evening on Sunday and would continue on Monday.
"We have had very, very strong talks. We'll see where they lead. We have major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement," he said on Monday.
A European official said that while there had been no direct negotiations between the two nations, Egypt, Pakistan and Gulf states were relaying messages.
A Pakistani official and a second source told Reuters that direct talks on ending the war could be held in Islamabad as soon as this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that he spoke with Trump on Monday and that Israel would press on with attacks in Lebanon and Iran.
But Netanyahu said Trump believed there was a possibility of "leveraging the mighty achievements obtained by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the U.S. military, in order to realise the goals of the war in a deal - a deal that will preserve our vital interests."
Although there was no immediate confirmation that talks had taken place as described by Trump, Iran's foreign ministry described initiatives to reduce tensions.
It said Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had reviewed developments related to the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani counterpart and agreed to continue consultations between the two countries.
The Pakistani official said U.S. Vice President JD Vance, as well as Witkoff and Kushner, were expected to meet Iranian officials in Islamabad this week, following a call between Trump and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir.
The White House confirmed Trump's call with Munir. The Pakistani prime minister's office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Iranian media reported that Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed the impact of the war on regional and global security.
Iran has effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched their war on the country on 28 February. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the war.
Iran had responded to Trump's threats to strike its power plants by saying it would hammer the infrastructure of U.S. allies in the Middle East, raising the prospect that an extreme disruption to global energy supplies could last longer than previously expected.
When Armenians vote on 7 June, they will be voting in an election shaped by months of political change and a rapidly deepening relationship with the E...
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway is resuming operations on 2 June after extensive modernisation works. Officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Tür...
Chile's far-right President José Antonio Kast, who took office in March, promised a legislative agenda that prioritises fighting crime, cutting spen...
Russian air attacks on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least five people and wounded dozens early on Tuesday, aut...
Global pop-star Taylor Swift has announced the release of a new original song for Disney and Pixar’s animated film "Toy Story 5", following days of ...
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway is resuming operations on 2 June after extensive modernisation works. Officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye are set to gather in Akhalkalaki for a launch event marking the reopening of one of the Middle Corridor's most important transport links.
Global pop-star Taylor Swift has announced the release of a new original song for Disney and Pixar’s animated film "Toy Story 5", following days of online speculation among fans.
Global health organisation CEPI will provide around $60 million to Moderna and two other partners to speed up the development of vaccines targeting the Ebola Bundibugyo strain, which is currently driving an outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be significantly larger than official figures suggest, following a visit to the country where he briefed President Felix Tshisekedi on the ongoing response.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
Okinawa lost transport links and suffered widespread power outages on Monday (1 June) as Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi brought destructive winds and heavy rain to Japan's south-western islands.
Donald Trump said he is “in no hurry” to reach a deal with Iran, insisting the U.S. is slowly getting what it wants. He warned military action remains an option if talks fail. Meanwhile, U.S. forces said they fired a missile at a vessel trying to breach Washington’s blockade of Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Lebanese President and Israeli Prime Minister on efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon. According to a U.S. official, Washington has proposed a plan aimed at achieving a gradual de-escalation of hostilities.
The World Health Organisation’s designation of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is a stark reminder that Ebola remains a persistent global health threat rather than a disease of the past.
When Armenians vote on 7 June, they will be voting in an election shaped by months of political change and a rapidly deepening relationship with the European Union. The result may not only determine who governs Armenia but also the future direction of the country's geopolitical alignment.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway is resuming operations on 2 June after extensive modernisation works. Officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye are set to gather in Akhalkalaki for a launch event marking the reopening of one of the Middle Corridor's most important transport links.
Kazakhstan is open to expanding its oil export routes through Azerbaijan and advancing joint energy infrastructure projects across the Caspian region, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov told AnewZ in an exclusive interview in Baku.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised Georgia for resisting Western pressure (30 May), defending its national interests and pursuing a "multi-vector foreign policy" - language that closely mirrors the rhetoric of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
As Armenia approaches parliamentary elections, Russia appears to be increasing political and economic pressure on Yerevan, signalling that closer integration with the EU could lead to significant changes in labour, transport and energy arrangements between the two countries.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment