President Donald Trump declared Monday that the U.S.-backed blockade on Iran will remain in “full force” until a formal deal is reached, walking back optimism he expressed just days earlier.
Trump said Saturday that a peace agreement with Tehran was “largely negotiated,” raising expectations of an imminent breakthrough. His Monday statement reversed that tone, signalling no easing of economic or military pressure on the Iranian government.
No date for resumed talks has been confirmed by either Washington or Tehran. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supply moves, remains a pressure point in the standoff.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a civil defence facility in the southern city of Nabatieh. The strike adds to a pattern of Israeli military action in Lebanese territory that has drawn international condemnation in recent weeks.
The White House has not specified what conditions Iran must meet to satisfy a final agreement. Iranian officials have not publicly responded to Trump’s Monday statement as of filing time.
Further diplomatic contact between U.S. and Iranian negotiators is expected in the coming days, though no location or date has been announced.