“AGREEMENT EXPECTED IN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE DAYS”: Trump claims Washington is making “final efforts” for a deal with Iran!

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Washington is making “final efforts” to reach an agreement with Iran, just one day after a new escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran. He said that a deal could be reached within the next two to three days and stressed that the agreement will under no circumstances allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

Trump added that immediately after the signing of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime routes for oil transport, should be reopened, reports Index.hr.

Speaking about the situation in the Middle East, Trump said he had a “very good conversation” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to him, Israel responded to the attacks it was hit with, but Netanyahu agreed to halt further military actions. Trump claims that Israel and Iran will leave each other alone for at least the next week.

Although a ceasefire was reached two months ago after one hundred days of conflict, during Sunday and Monday explosions and air raid sirens were again heard in Tehran and Tel Aviv. At least 15 people were injured in attacks on Iranian territory, Iranian emergency services said.

Trump, who is trying to find a way out of a conflict that is increasingly unpopular among American voters ahead of upcoming elections, called on Iran and Israel to immediately end hostilities.

Tehran was the first to announce the suspension of military operations against Israel, while Netanyahu later stated that “combat operations on this front are over.” As a sign of easing tensions, Tehran’s main international airport announced a return to normal operations after a partial closure of airspace.

According to data from the Israeli military, Iran launched around 30 missiles toward Israel in less than 24 hours, in response to Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold aligned with Iran.

Iranian armed forces stated that they are suspending operations against Israel but warned that any further attacks would be met with an even stronger response. Netanyahu issued a similar message, stating that Israel will respond forcefully to any new Iranian attack. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military will continue operations against Hezbollah.

One of the key open issues remains the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Tehran insists that this conflict also be resolved in parallel, not only the dispute between Iran on one side and the U.S. and Israel on the other. Washington, however, wants the Lebanon issue to be left for a later stage of negotiations.

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon continued on Monday. According to Lebanese authorities and the Red Cross, 14 people were killed and more than 20 injured. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for new attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, but not on Israeli territory itself.

Pakistan in a mediating role

Lebanese army commander Rodolf Hajkal met in Pakistan with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir. Islamabad plays an important mediating role in efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire.

The Pakistani army stated that readiness for strengthening defense cooperation with Lebanon has been confirmed, while closely monitoring changes in the regional security situation.

New threat from Yemen

While the situation between Israel and Iran is temporarily calming, a new security challenge is emerging. The Israeli military said it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” coming from Yemen. A day earlier, Yemen’s Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on Israel and announced a ban on Israeli shipping through the Red Sea, another strategically important maritime route.

Such developments have raised fears that the conflict could expand to new fronts, despite diplomatic efforts by Washington and regional mediators to achieve more lasting peace in the Middle East.