Washington, United States. Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire for three weeks at a White House meeting brokered by President Donald Trump, who said he was prepared to wait for “the best deal” to end conflict with Iran.
Ceasefire extension and broader regional issues
Fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has been among the sticking points in efforts to resolve a wider eight-week regional conflict, alongside Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s comments on timing and the Strait of Hormuz
Trump said he was in no rush to reach a peace agreement and wanted it to be “everlasting,” while asserting that the United States had a clear upper hand in the naval stand-off in the strait.
A day after Iran highlighted what the article described as its tightened grip over the shipping corridor, Trump dismissed the threat posed by Iran’s “little wise-guy ships” and said he believed Tehran was unable to make a deal because its leadership was in turmoil.
U.S. Navy orders and continued disruption to shipping
On Thursday, Trump said the U.S. Navy had orders to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats laying mines in the strait, and said the United States could in a day knock out any refurbishing of weapons that Iran may have made during a ceasefire that has been in place since April 8.
Navigation through the passage remained effectively blocked, and Iran’s capture of two large cargo ships was cited as a reminder that the United States struggles to keep control of the strait, with Tehran continuing to affect oil markets and strain the global economy. The United States has maintained a blockade.
Iran’s leader rejects claims of disarray
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday rejected Trump’s claim of leadership disarray, describing it as “the enemy’s media operations” aimed at undermining Iranian unity and security.
“Unity will become stronger and more solid, and enemies will become weaker and more humiliated,” he said in a post on X. He has remained out of public view since taking over from his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by U.S. strikes in the early days of the war that began on February 28.
Ceasefire with Iran and peace talks
Trump said this week he would indefinitely extend what had been a two-week ceasefire with Iran to allow further peace talks, which have yet to be scheduled.
“Don’t rush me,” he said when asked how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal. “I want to make the best deal … I want to have it everlasting.”
What do you think the three-week Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extension could mean for wider peace talks involving Iran?
