JERUSALEM, Israel – The on-again, off-again talks between Washington and Tehran are off again, even as Iran puts forward a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pause the conflict.
President Donald Trump has called off plans to send U.S. envoys to Pakistan for talks with Iran after the negotiations broke down. Speaking on Fox News, Trump underscored America’s position, saying, “We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us.”
The move follows the collapse of talks over the weekend, after Iran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and U.S. officials canceled travel plans to Islamabad.
However, today, new details reveal that Iran has floated a bid to open the Strait, while postponing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program to a later stage.
Some U.S. officials say that the plan could weaken Washington’s leverage, particularly efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The president is expected to meet with top advisors in the Situation Room to weigh the next steps, as his administration signals that it intends to maintain the naval blockade pressuring Iran’s oil exports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded by demanding that Washington lift the blockade before negotiations can resume. He called the American maritime restrictions a “clear breach of the ceasefire understandings.”
Meanwhile, in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was shocked by the attempted assassination of President Trump, condemning political violence and expressing gratitude that the president and first lady were unharmed.
Turning to the north, Netanyahu reaffirmed his government’s determination to confront Hezbollah.
“In the last two weeks … we have eliminated 46 terrorists, and we will act with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, because we are not willing to accept this lawlessness,” he declared.
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At the same time, former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced a new joint political alliance.
“I am taking the most Zionist and most patriotic step we have ever taken, for the sake of our country. This evening, we are uniting and establishing the ‘Together’ party under my leadership,” Bennett announced.
This alliance comes after their 2021 coalition ended a decade of rule by Netanyahu, with Bennett first serving as prime minister and Lapid later serving for the shortest period of any Israeli prime minister. Now, their renewed partnership aims to challenge Netanyahu’s leadership in the elections later this year.
A just-released Channel 14 poll shows the conservative bloc headed by Netanyahu with a 64-seat majority.
