Tensions escalate in Middle East amid renewed attacks, Lebanon offensive and deadlock over Hormuz Strait
The United States and Iran on Monday traded fresh accusations and military strikes, further straining an already fragile ceasefire as diplomatic negotiations between both countries over Tehran’s nuclear program and regional security issues remained deadlocked.
The renewed exchange of hostilities comes amid escalating tensions across the Middle East, with Israel simultaneously expanding its military operations in Lebanon and global concerns mounting over the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.
Weeks of indirect negotiations involving Washington and Tehran have failed to produce a breakthrough, despite intense diplomatic engagements aimed at ending the conflict and restoring stability in the Gulf region.
The latest flare-up has heightened fears of a broader regional confrontation involving Iran, the United States, Israel and armed groups allied with Tehran across the Middle East.
The United States military confirmed that it carried out what it described as “self-defence strikes” against Iranian radar installations and drone control facilities located in southern Iran over the weekend.
According to US officials, the strikes marked the third wave of military action launched against Iranian targets within just over a week.
Washington said the attacks were carried out in response to the downing of an American MQ-1 surveillance drone allegedly targeted by Iranian forces.
Shortly after the American operation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that they had launched retaliatory strikes targeting what they described as “an air base from which the attack originated.”
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported the development on Monday but did not disclose the exact location of the facility allegedly attacked by Iranian forces.
The Guards’ statement came shortly after Kuwait’s military announced that its air defence systems intercepted what it described as “hostile missile and drone attacks,” although the Kuwaiti authorities did not identify the source of the projectiles.
The latest military exchanges underscore the growing fragility of ongoing diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington.
Iran and the United States had already been engaged in negotiations over the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme before hostilities escalated earlier this year following coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes that reportedly eliminated several senior Iranian military and security figures.
While Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is designed solely for peaceful civilian purposes, the United States and its Western allies continue to express concerns that Tehran may be attempting to develop nuclear weapons capability.
Reports by The New York Times and Axios at the weekend indicated that former US President Donald Trump had forwarded a revised and reportedly “tougher” framework proposal to Iranian negotiators, although details of the new terms have not been publicly disclosed.
Trump, who has remained vocal on the crisis, reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained a top priority for the United States.
“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons,” Trump said during an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Fox News.
“They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he added.
In a separate post on Truth Social late Sunday, Trump stressed that any proposed agreement with Tehran would clearly ensure that Iran does not possess nuclear weapons.
However, Iranian officials have continued to cast doubt on Trump’s claims, insisting that negotiations remain unresolved and that major differences still exist between both sides.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, declared that Tehran would not approve any agreement unless the rights and interests of the Iranian people were fully protected.
“We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Ghalibaf said in remarks broadcast on Iranian state television.
Iranian news agency Tasnim also reported that discussions on the draft agreement were still ongoing, with both parties reportedly proposing fresh amendments during negotiations.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi similarly cautioned against premature conclusions, saying ongoing reports surrounding the negotiations remained speculative until a final agreement is reached.
Iran has also reportedly demanded the release of about $12 billion in frozen assets before it fully engages in substantive discussions on its nuclear activities.
Tehran has further rejected earlier claims by Trump suggesting that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile would be dismantled under a future agreement, describing such assertions as “baseless.”
The continued closure and blockade around the Strait of Hormuz remains another major sticking point in the negotiations.
The strategic waterway is regarded as one of the world’s most important oil transit routes, with a significant percentage of global crude oil exports passing through the corridor.
Trump recently stated that Iran would not impose tolls on vessels navigating the strait under any future agreement, but Iranian media outlets quickly contradicted the claim.
Iran’s Fars news agency quoted officials as saying that no such provision currently exists in the negotiation documents.
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmaker Alireza Salimi disclosed that parliament would soon consider proposals aimed at strengthening Iran’s “management and sovereignty” over the Strait of Hormuz, including possible administrative charges on international shipping activities.
Beyond the Gulf crisis, tensions have also intensified in Lebanon, where Israel has continued military operations against Hezbollah despite an earlier ceasefire arrangement announced in April.
Tehran has insisted that any broader peace agreement with the United States and its allies must also address the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities have accused Israel of implementing a “scorched-earth policy” as military offensives intensify in southern parts of the country.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least eight people, including three women, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Sunday.
Diplomatic sources also confirmed that the United Nations Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the worsening situation following Israel’s reported capture of the strategic medieval Beaufort Castle.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the military advance as “a dramatic shift” in Israel’s operations against Hezbollah.
