Trump: Has Coordinated Ceasefire with Lebanon and Will Reach Agreement with Iran Within a Week

[Global Times Special Correspondent in the U.S. Feng Yaren and Jing Kuan] On the 1st, U.S. President Trump stated that he believes the U.S. will reach an agreement with Iran "within the next week" to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On the same day, he mentioned on social media that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and a representative of Hezbollah, and both sides agreed to cease fire. Reports indicate that Iran has suspended peace negotiations with the U.S. due to Israel's ongoing military actions in Lebanon. U.S. media reported that Trump decided to restrain Netanyahu, sending a clear signal that he does not want his key ally to obstruct the U.S.-Iran agreement. However, exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon continued on the 2nd, with the Israeli military issuing emergency evacuation warnings to residents of Nabatieh, Lebanon. The Israeli military stated that, given Hezbollah's "violation of the ceasefire agreement," they would take retaliatory actions.

Israel's stance is somewhat reserved

On the 1st, Trump revealed to ABC News that he believes an agreement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and extending the ceasefire with Iran is expected to be reached "within the next week." Trump also said, "There was a little hiccup today, but I quickly turned it around." Reports indicate that this hiccup refers to Iran's dissatisfaction with Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

On the 1st, Iran's Tasnim News Agency quoted sources as saying that due to Israel's ongoing military actions in Lebanon and Gaza, and the fact that ending the conflict in Lebanon was one of the conditions for the previous ceasefire arrangement, "the ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, has been violated." The Iranian negotiating team will suspend dialogue and text exchanges with the U.S. through intermediaries and plans to "completely block the Strait of Hormuz."

On the same day, Trump stated on social media that he had a "productive" call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the Israeli military would not go to Beirut, with troops already en route being recalled. Trump also mentioned that he had "good" communication with Hezbollah, and they agreed to cease fire.

However, the Israeli side seemed to reserve its stance on the ceasefire. Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying that the Prime Minister had made it clear to Trump that if Hezbollah continued to attack Israeli towns and civilians, the Israeli military would strike "terrorist targets" within Beirut.

The U.S. Axios news site quoted sources as saying that Trump harshly criticized Netanyahu during their call, calling him "crazy" and accusing him of being ungrateful. The U.S. President emphasized that if the Israeli military bombed Beirut, it would only further isolate Israel globally. A source indicated that this was one of the "worst calls" between Trump and Netanyahu since Trump returned to the White House.

"A foolish and futile waste of life"

After Trump announced the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, the leader of the Israeli opposition party Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, posted on social media, criticizing Netanyahu for yielding to U.S. demands. He accused Netanyahu, the Israeli government, and the cabinet of harming national interests, saying, "Don't try to fabricate any stories related to negotiations with the U.S. and Iran." Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also publicly called on Netanyahu to say "no" to Trump's ceasefire proposal.

According to the Israel Times, on the morning of the 2nd local time, multiple communities in northern Israel sounded alarms, with the Israeli military claiming to have intercepted two rockets fired by Hezbollah towards the area. Meanwhile, Lebanon's National News Agency reported that the Israeli military conducted multiple airstrikes in southern Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on the 2nd that if Hezbollah militants attacked northern Israeli communities, the U.S. had expressed support for the Israeli military to strike Dahiyeh in southern Beirut, which is a Hezbollah stronghold.

"A foolish and futile waste of life" and "hollow victories," described the Israeli newspaper Haaretz regarding the Israeli military's recent intensified offensive against Lebanon and the operation to occupy the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. The newspaper stated that there is indeed a serious problem: residents in northern Israel cannot survive under continuous shelling, but occupying Beaufort Castle is clearly not a solution. We keep increasing our military presence, yet achieve nothing.

On the 1st, Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly Speaker Mohammad Bagheri stated during a call with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that the bond between Iran and Lebanon is unbreakable. If Israel continues to attack Lebanon, Tehran will halt peace negotiations with the U.S. and confront Israel directly. He believes that any agreement reached between Iran and the U.S. must include a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, especially attacks on Lebanon.

"We may be facing a long, hot, and unpredictable summer"

According to reports from Tasnim News Agency and other Iranian media, on the 1st, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy used cruise missiles to attack a cargo ship near Iraq that is associated with the U.S. and Israel. The IRGC Navy stated that this attack was a direct response to the U.S. military's attack on an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on May 29, and warned that any further acts of aggression by the U.S. military in the region would be met with resolute retaliation. According to Iran's Press TV on the 2nd, the Deputy Inspector General of the Iranian Armed Forces' Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Asadi, stated that Iran has not revealed all its cards, "If necessary, we still have many cards to play."

Additionally, according to a report from Iran's Mehr News Agency on the 2nd, a source close to the Iranian negotiating team revealed that Iran has not yet responded to the U.S. final agreement draft aimed at ending the U.S.-Iran conflict, and Tehran is still negotiating the final text. CNN believes that this report from Mehr News Agency indicates that U.S.-Iran negotiations have returned to the right track.

"The latest series of events raises more doubts about whether the conditions for reaching a diplomatic solution have matured. However, it seems that neither the U.S. nor Iran intends to re-engage in full-scale war." Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told The Hill, "We may be facing a long, hot, and unpredictable summer. During this time, the U.S. and Iran will be caught in a tug-of-war of wills, alternating between pinpoint military strikes and rounds of diplomatic negotiations."