JERUSALEM, Israel – Leaders in Iran, Israel, and the United States are signaling very different visions for what comes next, even as a fragile ceasefire holds for now. Control of key strategic waterways, ongoing strikes in Lebanon, and renewed warnings from Washington are all raising the stakes.
Tehran’s nuclear chief made it clear through the state-run Iranian Students’ News Agency that it has no intention of backing off from its nuclear program. Mohammad Eslami stated, “The enemies’ (U.S. and Israel) claims that they can stop (it) are wishes that will go to the grave.”
Eslami also claimed that the war has failed to achieve its intended results, saying, “After decades of hostility and hostile actions, the enemies have reached the stage of desperation today, and a request for a ceasefire indicates their defeat.”
Those remarks come as a fragile ceasefire hangs in the balance. President Donald Trump is warning that military force remains on the table.
In a strongly worded statement on Truth Social, he declared, “All U.S. ships, aircraft, and military personnel, with additional ammunition, weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded enemy, will remain in place in and around Iran, until such time as the real agreement reached is fully complied with.”
The center of the standoff continues to be the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global trade. Dr. Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, insists that the waterway is open.
He announced, “So, safe passage is secured. (The) Strait of Hormuz is open, but of course, every each tankers and every each vessel should make necessary arrangements with the Iranian authorities to be able to securely pass the Strait.”
That requirement to make arrangements suggests that Iran may be looking to charge ships for passage through the Strait. However, President Trump pushed back in another strongly worded Truth Social post.
He wrote, “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait. They better not be, and if they are, they better stop now!”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte indicated that a coalition of nations is considering how to join the United States in helping secure the passageway.
“And so each country is now looking for what it can do to contribute to this, to make sure that the Strait of Hormuz stays open…This is not only NATO nations, this is including Japan, Korea, Australia, being part of this, countries like Bahrain and the U.A.E. in the Gulf, part of this, but, of course, the overwhelming amount of countries (are) from NATO.”
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Here in Israel, fighting is escalating in the north as the country moves toward negotiations with Lebanon while continuing its military campaign against Hezbollah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made Israel’s current position unmistakably clear. “
“There is no ceasefire in Lebanon,” he insisted to the people of the north. “We continue to strike Hezbollah with force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.”
Lebanon’s government has declared a national day of mourning after what it called unprecedented Israeli attacks this week resulted in heavy casualties. Leaders are calling for international intervention, even as diplomatic channels remain open.
Meanwhile, Israeli public opinion reflects deep uncertainty over the recent conflict with Iran. A new poll, commissioned by the publications Walla and Maariv, shows that half of Israelis do not believe Israel and the United States achieved victory, underscoring the unresolved nature of the confrontation.
