Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that indirect negotiations to end the Iran War would continue despite the U.S. conducting military strikes overnight against Iran, as a ceasefire to the conflict entered its 49th day on Tuesday.
Speaking in India Tuesday, Rubio said that there is “a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days” to reach any agreement.
Iran’s IRGC said on Tuesday that its forces had “successfully downed” a U.S. MQ-9 drone. They also claimed to have fired at a U.S. F-35 fighter jet in response to U.S. Central Command launching what it called “self-defense strikes” against Iranian targets.
On Monday evening, President Donald Trump signaled more flexibility over Iran’s right to enrich uranium, posting on Truth Social that his preference is for the uranium to be “destroyed in place” inside Iran in coordination with the Iranian government and “with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event.”
Drop Site News, citing a senior Iranian official, reported Friday that—although Iran will only engage in nuclear talks at a later phase of any deal, demanding conditions such as the U.S. lifting its blockade of Hormuz and waiving sanctions on Iranian oil be met first—Iran would be willing to suspend enrichment above 3.6 percent for 10 years and dilute existing higher-enriched uranium inside the country under international supervision.
Iran’s Tasnin News Agency reported Sunday that the first phase of the memorandum of understanding being considered to end the war would include the U.S. lifting its blockade of Hormuz and waiving sanctions on Iranian oil during the negotiation period, allowing Tehran to sell oil without restrictions. The deal also reportedly includes “an understanding in which the end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, is emphasized.” In exchange, Iran would allow vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz at “pre-war levels,” but according to Tasnim, Iran would retain control over the waterway, saying that “despite some Western media reports,” the “Strait of Hormuz situation will not return to pre-war conditions.”
Trump posted on Truth Social Monday morning that “it should be mandatory” that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan join the Abraham Accords and normalize relationships with Israel.
Israeli strikes killed nine people across southern Lebanon on Monday, with Lebanon’s Health Ministry reporting at least 28 people killed by Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.
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The strikes come as Channel 14 reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held talks Monday on significantly expanding military operations in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu said Sunday that he had received assurances from Trump that Israel would retain freedom of action “on every front, including Lebanon,” despite a ceasefire in Lebanon being one of Iran’s conditions for an end to the war.
At least 3,213 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese Health Ministry data, while the IDF says 22 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon over the course of the same period.
The price of Brent Crude oil was $97 on Tuesday morning. Gas prices remained elevated, with AAA reporting the national average price of a gallon of regular gas at $4.49.
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