Israel strikes Iran again amid fragile US-brokered peace efforts

WEB DESK: Israel carried out fresh air strikes on military targets in western and central Iran on Monday, escalating tensions despite an explicit warning from US President Donald Trump to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from further attacks.

The Israeli military confirmed it targeted Iranian surface-to-surface missile launch sites and related infrastructure, insisting the action was a response to a fresh Iranian missile salvo fired at Israeli territory hours earlier.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in the assault and vowed retaliation. The exchange came as Washington and Tehran appeared close to a preliminary deal aimed at ending the wider conflict that has disrupted global oil supplies.

Trump asserts control over peace talks

Hours before the latest Israeli operation, Trump told the Financial Times that new strikes would not derail his administration’s negotiations with Iran.

“It’s not going to have any impact on the deal,” he said, adding pointedly that “I call the shots… He (Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots.”

The US president had spoken by telephone with Netanyahu on Sunday, urging him to hold off on further action because a deal was within reach. Despite the reported admonition, Israel proceeded with the strikes.

Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with Israeli operations in Lebanon, which he believes complicate broader efforts to secure a ceasefire involving Iran and its allies.

Oil prices climb as conflict risks mount

The renewed hostilities pushed international oil prices higher, with benchmark Brent crude rising more than 3 per cent in early trading to above $96 a barrel.

Iran has previously blocked much of the shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies.

Tehran has linked any final agreement with Washington to a simultaneous ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue operations against Hezbollah.

The Lebanese group, backed by Iran, has continued rocket and drone attacks across the border. Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday marked the first such action in the area since the US announced a truce framework for Lebanon.

Both sides have traded accusations of violating earlier understandings, with the latest violence raising fears of a wider regional conflagration even as diplomatic efforts continue.

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, defended the strikes on social media, stating that no country would tolerate such missile attacks. Iranian officials, meanwhile, described US and Israeli assets as legitimate targets.