Iran targets Israel, Gulf states after Trump says negotiations underway

Iran launched a new wave of strikes against Israel and neighboring Gulf States late Monday, just hours after President Trump said negotiations were underway to end the conflict.

The attacks continued into Tuesday morning, with The Associated Press reporting that a missile with a 220-pound warhead slammed into a street in the center of Tel Aviv, injuring four people.

Partial power outages were reported in Kuwait after power lines were hit by air defense shrapnel, and missile alerts blared in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed multiple incoming Iranian drones targeting the oil-rich Eastern Province, according to the AP.

Israel’s military also said early Monday morning that more than 50 targets in Iran, including ballistic missile storage and launch sites, were hit in overnight strikes.

The raging conflict overshadowed Trump’s claim on Monday that his administration held “very good” and “productive” talks with leaders in Tehran, signaling potential deescalation.

He pledged to hold off on strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for five days, which he earlier threatened to pursue if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.   

“Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions,” he wrote on Truth Social post.

Global financial markets rallied following the president’s announcement, sending oil prices tumbling after they reached as high as $119 per barrel last week amid ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.  

Iran has denied any involvement in talks with the Trump administration, with a senior security official suggesting Trump “backed down” from further attacks partly because of market pressure.

“Trump backed down from attacking critical infrastructure as Iran’s military threats became credible,” the senior official told Iran’s Fars News Agency in translated remarks. “Financial market pressure and the threat of bonds within the U.S. and the West have increased, and this has been another important factor in this retreat.”

On Tuesday, the spokesperson of Iran’s top military command, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, said armed forces would fight “until complete victory,” the AP reported.

At least 1,500 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in Iran since the first wave of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, according to figures shared with state TV from Iran’s health ministry.

At least 15 people in Israel, over 1,000 people in Lebanon, and 13 U.S. servicemembers have also been killed in the conflict. Hundreds of others throughout the Gulf region are dead or injured, according to Al Jazeera.  

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