Here's the latest
• Lebanon clashes: High-stakes talks between Israel and Lebanon are taking place at the US State Department after Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and the Israeli military continued to trade strikes overnight. Lebanese authorities said Hezbollah agreed to a US proposal for a ceasefire with Israel in which strikes on Beirut would stop.
• US-Israel tension: US President Donald Trump declared Israeli forces would not move on Beirut after a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The call became heated, according to sources, as he pressed Israel to scale back its Lebanon offensive, which threatened to upend negotiations with Iran.
• Status of Iran talks: Meanwhile, Trump said he believes a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire with Iran is reachable “over the next week.” Iran’s final draft proposal is under review, Iranian media reported, indicating that negotiations are ongoing a day after reports that Iran suspended them over Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.
Rubio says he believes Iranian supreme leader is alive and “increasingly engaging”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he believes Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive and is “increasingly engaging.”
“I think there are indications out there that he is increasingly engaging at some level,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he sustained serious injuries during an attack that killed his father and several of the country’s top military leaders at the beginning of the war, leading to speculation about his health and role in the Iranian leadership structure.
CNN has reported that US intelligence assesses Khamenei is playing a critical role in shaping war strategy alongside senior Iranian officials.
Rubio says “highly technical” negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program could take months
Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program would be “highly technical” and could take months, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.
The top US diplomat said such a phase would be predicated on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“Phase 2 is they have to commit to very specific negotiations on … the disposition of the highly enriched uranium that still is buried deep in a mountain somewhere,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “They have to agree on negotiating severe and long-term limitations, and/or cancellation of enrichment activity in their country.”
He said first Iran must announce the strait is open, with no tolls, and that it will remove mines and not fire on ships. The US has not offered sanctions relief to Iran for opening the strait, Rubio said, noting that the lifting of sanctions would be conditions-based.
Lebanese prime minister says US talks are best option to return residents to south Lebanon
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam backed the resumption of Washington negotiations on Tuesday, touting the talks as a route to returning civilians to their homes after Israel-issued evacuation orders caused hundreds of thousands to flee south Lebanon ahead of Israeli strikes.
“What remains required is to consolidate the ceasefire across all of Lebanon,” Salam said in a post on X expressing support for today’s Israel-Lebanon talks in the US: “I reiterate that negotiations are the least costly option for Lebanon and the Lebanese.”
The leader urged optimism from the nation amid the uncertainty.
Iran still has "a lot" of drones, Rubio says while touting US military achievements
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday acknowledged that the Iranians “still have a lot of drones,” while adding that the cheapness of the technology makes it a difficult threat to address.
America’s top diplomat used the public appearance to tout the US military’s degradation of Iran’s military defenses during the war that President Donald Trump launched against Iran in late February.
What Rubio called Iran’s “conventional shield” — the use of missiles and drones to protect its nuclear program — has been “substantially eroded,” he said.
What’s left of Iran’s navy is a “bunch of Boston Whalers with machine guns on them,” Rubio said.
The US blockade of Iranian ports, he added, was costing Iran “hundreds of millions” of dollars in lost revenue each day.
Dozens reported killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, after clashes continue in south
Talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials are currently taking place in Washington, as the Israeli military and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah continued to trade attacks in southern Lebanon overnight.
Here are the latest developments on the ground in Lebanon:
- At least 3,468 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said today, an increase of 35 people killed since yesterday’s toll was released.
- Hours after Trump declared yesterday that Israeli forces would not move into Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military would keep striking southern Lebanon “as planned.”
- Four people were killed and 127 others injured in an Israeli attack near Jabal Amel hospital yesterday in Tyre, southern Lebanon, the country’s Health Ministry said. A World Health Organization representative said the attacks caused “significant damage” to the hospital’s emergency department and intensive care unit.
- Rescue teams in the country worked through the night to rescue people and recover bodies, after a residential building was struck in the village of Marwaniyeh, the country’s National News Agency (NNA) reported, citing Lebanon’s Civil Defense.
- Israeli airstrikes have targeted areas across the south of Lebanon today, according to NNA, including the towns of Srifa, Borj Qalaouiyeh, Ghandoorieh and Dbaal.
- Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee earlier said residents in the city of Nabatieh should evacuate north of the Zahrani river, as the army said it is “compelled to act” against Hezbollah attacks.
- Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli tank in the Nabatieh district early today, despite the Lebanese Embassy in Washington saying that the militant group had confirmed it would refrain from attacking Israel in exchange for Israel ceasing strikes in Beirut.
CNN’s Sarah Tamimi, Dana Karni, Oren Liebermann and Charbel Mallo contributed to this reporting.
Four killed in Israeli attack near hospital in southern Lebanon, news agency says
Four people were killed and 127 others were injured in an Israeli attack near Jabal Amel hospital in Tyre, southern Lebanon, on Monday.
Among those injured were 39 members of the hospital staff, with four in “critical condition.”
The World Health Organization’s representative in Lebanon, Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, expressed serious concern about the ongoing damage inflicted by the latest wave of Israeli attacks in the country. “These attacks kill and maim, they also deprive people of the health services they need,” Abubakar said.
Video published by Lebanon’s Health Ministry shows damage across the hospital premises.
Abubakar called for an end to attacks on healthcare providers and stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire as hospitals continue to be overwhelmed by an influx of injured patients.
Since the start of the current escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah fighters on March 2, thousands have been killed in Lebanon and more injured, most of them civilians.
“These have been among the deadliest months for Lebanon since the start of the conflict in October 2023,” Abubakar explained.
The Israeli military told CNN in a statement that the hospital was not targeted but rather affected as a result of strikes aimed at what they said is Hezbollah infrastructure in a nearby area.
“The IDF emphasizes that it operates solely against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and operates to the extent possible to mitigate harm to civilian infrastructure, medical facilities and medical personnel,” the military said in a statement.
Attacks on southern Lebanon continued even after Lebanon’s embassy in Washington said Hezbollah had confirmed it would refrain from attacking Israel in exchange for Israel ceasing strikes in Beirut.
This post has been updated with additional developments.
Israel-Lebanon talks begin at US State Department
High-stakes talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off at the US State Department on Tuesday as ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah threaten to derail US-Iran negotiations.
The latest round of talks are being led on the US side by new deputy national security adviser Mike Needham as well as his successor to the State Department counselor role, Dan Holler. Israel and Lebanon are represented by their respective ambassadors to the US.
Officials did not answer shouted questions during a brief photo spray at the start of the meeting.
Strikes between Israel and Hezbollah have continued despite an ostensible ceasefire extension between Israel and Lebanon. On Friday, military delegations from Israel and Lebanon launched working-level security talks at the Pentagon.
Iranian state media said Monday that the country’s officials were suspending peace talks with the US due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Lebanon. On Tuesday, Iranian media outlets signaled that talks between Tehran and Washington were ongoing, but the country’s top negotiator threatened escalation if Israel’s attacks on Lebanon continue.
Netanyahu said Monday that the Israeli military would keep striking southern Lebanon “as planned,” hours after President Donald Trump declared that Israeli forces would not move on Beirut. A call between the two leaders on Monday became heated, according to people familiar with the conversation, with the US president pressing his counterpart to scale back plans for operations in Lebanon.
Trump also claimed on Monday that he held a call “representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel.”
According to a statement from the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, Lebanese authorities have received confirmation of Hezbollah’s agreement to a US proposal calling for a ceasefire with Israel.
24 boats have passed through Strait of Hormuz in last day, Iran's IRGC says
A total of 24 boats have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the last day, according to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The two dozen vessels were able to transit the strait — effectively closed by Iran since the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28 — after “obtaining authorization, coordination, and security support” from the IRGC navy, Iran’s state-linked Tasnim News Agency reported today.
Data from the maritime intelligence provider MarineTraffic shows dozens of vessels in and around the strait. The tracking of one vessel, the Curacao-flagged Lumina Ocean, shows that it traveled through the Strait of Hormuz in the past day.
Some context: The US and Iran regard agreement on navigation through the strait as a first step toward reaching agreement on a memorandum of understanding, after months of paralysis in the critical waterway that has caused a sharp spike in the price of crude oil and other commodities.
Israeli defense minister claims Trump administration backs retaliatory strikes in Lebanon
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed on Tuesday that the United States backed a move by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to strike the Dahiyeh district in Beirut if attacks from Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah on northern Israel persist.
“At the request of the United States, until yesterday the IDF refrained from carrying out major strikes in Beirut … due to US efforts to reach an agreement with Iran,” Katz explained.
Katz alleged that Netanyahu told US President Donald Trump of Israel’s intention to retaliate against Hezbollah by launching strikes on Lebanon during a conversation between the two leaders on Monday.
“The Americans endorsed this principle and informed the Lebanese government and all relevant parties: Israeli communities will be matched by Beirut,” Katz asserted.
CNN has reached out to the White House for response on Katz’s comments.
CNN reported Monday that Trump pressed Netanyahu to scale back plans for military operations in Lebanon, according to two people familiar with the conversation. The sources said Trump at points used expletives to convey his disapproval of the planned offensive, which threatened to upend his efforts to broker a preliminary agreement with Iran.
The White House has not commented publicly on the contents of the Trump’s call with Netanyahu.
Katz suggested Tuesday that the southern Lebanon region should prepare for imminent assault as Israel’s position changes.
“If Israeli communities continue to be attacked, we will strike the Shiite Dahiyeh district in Beirut,” he said, adding, “There will no longer be a situation in which Beirut remains quiet while Israeli communities are under attack.”
Netanyahu faces a growing dilemma in Lebanon as Trump reins him in
Facing intense pressure at home to act against Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced plans to strike the group in the Lebanese capital. Hours later, following an intervention by US President Donald Trump, the operation was shelved.
In the morning, Netanyahu said he would not accept a scenario “in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and our citizens, and its terrorist headquarters in Beirut, in Dahiyeh, remains out of bounds.” In the afternoon, the military issued an evacuation warning for Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.
The prime minister has been under increasing pressure to escalate the conflict in Lebanon as Hezbollah rockets have reached deeper into Israel and its explosive drones have injured and killed Israeli soldiers. Opposition lawmaker Avigdor Liberman said on Monday that Israel should have bombed Dahiyeh “long ago,” claiming “every second house there is connected to Hezbollah.” The Israeli military has also pushed to renew strikes on Beirut.
Since the ceasefire with Iran went into effect in April, the US had largely barred Israel from striking Beirut. Instead, Israel carried out waves of strikes against southern Lebanon, and recently the Beqaa Valley. During the truce, Israel only struck Beirut twice, targeting senior Hezbollah commanders.
As the hours passed on Monday, there was no Israeli strike on Beirut, raising speculation that it did not have the White House’s approval.
By the evening, Trump made his instructions to Netanyahu clear after a heated call. “There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” he said on social media. (There was no declared plan to send Israeli ground troops to Beirut.)
Netanyahu vowed strikes on southern Lebanon would continue “as planned.” But Trump forced Netanyahu into a difficult political dilemma at a critical moment: much of the Israeli public is demanding escalation in Lebanon exactly when Trump won’t allow it. Netanyahu, who has repeatedly celebrated his relationship with Trump, is unlikely to defy the US president publicly.
And all this is happening with a looming election in Israel, one for which Netanyahu does not have a decisive victory to offer voters. Not in Lebanon, Gaza, or Iran.
US gas prices fall by the most in a week since 2008
US gas prices plunged another 3.2 cents Tuesday, the fifth time in the past week that prices have fallen by 3 cents or more in a single day.
The latest drop left prices 20.1 cents lower over the past week, the largest weekly decline since the 2008 financial crisis.
The steady drops over the last week could slow or reverse in coming days. Oil futures rose 4% or more in trading Monday on reports that Iran had broken off negotiations with the United States on ending the war and a promised reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Gasoline futures also rose 1% as a result on Monday.
But both oil and gas futures were slightly lower early Tuesday on comments by President Donald Trump told ABC News that he expects a deal to reopen the strait within the next week.
Iran seeks immediate access to $12 billion in frozen funds once deal is signed with the US
Iran is demanding the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen funds once an interim agreement is signed with the United States, semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a member of the media team accompanying Iran’s delegation to Qatar last week.
The journalist explained that of the total amount, $6 billion “consists of Iran’s previously frozen funds,” while the other $6 billion “is a new amount that must be released during this phase.”
State-linked Tasnim news agency had previously said that if Tehran and Washington agree to an interim deal, a total of $24 billion in Iranian assets could be released. Half of that would be released when the deal is announced, it said.
Qatar has committed to acting as the “guarantor” for these funds, Fars said, citing Ajorlu.
Qatar has denied media reports that it “offered” $12 billion to Iran to ensure the conclusion of an agreement.
What to watch for in a potential US-Iran memo to end the war
For a relatively short “memorandum of understanding” (MoU), the draft agreement between the US and Iran is taking a very long time to finalize.
That’s because language and sequencing is everything; every last word will be parsed and debated; every connection between one element and another scrutinized.
Iran and the US reached a tentative agreement to turn the existing ceasefire into a more long-lasting settlement, US officials said last Thursday, though this was threatened with derailment yesterday when Iranian media reported Tehran was suspending talks over intensified Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
Here’s what to watch for in any potential memorandum to end the war:
- Strait of Hormuz: Both sides regard agreement on navigation through the strait as a first step, after months of paralysis in the critical waterway that has caused a sharp spike in the price of crude oil and other commodities.
- The nuclear file: It’s only when the MoU is signed that the clock starts ticking on a 60-day negotiation period to address Iran’s nuclear program, including the fate of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. This was the main issue during negotiations both last year and in February.
- Iran’s frozen assets: Iran is demanding the immediate unfreezing of billions of dollars in assets held in banks overseas. But a senior US official told CNN last month that the unfreezing of Iranian assets would occur only once the Strait of Hormuz has reopened.
- Sanctions: As with Iran’s frozen assets, sanctions imposed on Iran will only be lifted once the Strait of Hormuz is open and fully functioning again, a US official told CNN.
- Lebanon: Iranian officials have stressed that the MoU will apply to the “end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.” After Iran said it would suspend talks yesterday because of Israel’s attacks in Lebanon, US President Donald Trump said “there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.”
Hezbollah and Israel continue to clash as talks between Lebanon and Israel set to resume
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, and the Israeli military continued to exchange strikes overnight in southern Lebanon, as delegations from both countries prepare for another round of negotiations on Tuesday.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee ordered residents of Nabatieh to evacuate to north of Zahrani river as the army says it is “compelled to act” against Hezbollah attacks.
Israel continued to launch strikes on areas in the south of Lebanon, according to the Lebanese state news agency (NNA). Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced it targeted an Israeli tank in Nabatieh district in the early hours of Tuesday.
Lebanon’s embassy in Washington said Hezbollah had confirmed it would refrain from attacking Israel in exchange for Israel ceasing strikes in Beirut.
While US President Donald Trump said that “all shooting will stop,” Israel said in a statement that it would continue operations in southern Lebanon but tacitly announced that, for now at least, it would not strike Beirut.
US-Iran talks believed back on track after Israeli attacks in Lebanon threatened diplomacy
Talks between the US and Iran are now believed to be back on track after what President Donald Trump called a “little glitch” yesterday, when Iranian media reported Tehran was suspending talks over intensified Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what’s been going on with the talks:
- After the Iranian media reports, Trump said he held a “very productive call” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and claimed no Israeli troops would be going to the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Two people familiar with the conversation told CNN the call was heated and that Trump used expletives.
- Shortly after his first announcement, Trump posted to social media that “talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
- For his part, Netanyahu said after Trump’s statements that the Israeli military “will continue to operate in southern Lebanon as planned.”
- The Lebanese Embassy in Washington also said that the militant group Hezbollah had agreed to a US proposal calling for a ceasefire with Israel.
- Tehran’s final draft proposal for an interim ceasefire agreement with the US is still under review and has not yet been sent back to mediators, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported, citing an “informed source.”
- Oil prices are falling today, reversing some of yesterday’s gains, following indications that talks between the United States and Iran are ongoing.
- Meanwhile in Lebanon, at least 3,433 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said yesterday.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Kit Maher, Dana Karni, Oren Liebermann, Charbel Mallo, Zeena Saifi, Aida Karimi, Nadeen Ebrahim and Hanna Ziady contributed to this reporting.
Iran signals diplomacy is back on track after threatening to quit talks over Lebanon
Iranian media outlets have signaled that talks between Tehran and Washington are ongoing, but the country’s top negotiator threatened escalation if Israel’s attacks on Lebanon continue.
On Tuesday, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Iran’s final draft proposal for an interim ceasefire agreement with the US is “still under discussion,” indicating that talks are back on track after a state-linked Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that they had been suspended over Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon.
But in a post on X on Tuesday, top Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf suggested that Iran would move beyond diplomacy and confront Israel if its strikes on Lebanon continue.
“Long live the brotherhood between the peoples of Iran and Lebanon!” he said.
Oil prices fall on signs of renewed diplomacy
Oil prices are falling today, reversing some of yesterday’s gains, following indications that talks between the United States and Iran are ongoing.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 2% to $93.08 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, slipped by a similar margin to $90.43 a barrel.
Brent settled 4.24% higher on Monday, after Iran said it had suspended talks with the United States over Israel’s weekend offensive in Lebanon. But a regional source has since told CNN that talks are back on track.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told ABC News he believes a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire with Iran is reachable “over the next week.”
Mohit Kumar, chief European economist at investment bank Jefferies, said that both sides were seeking to gain an “upper hand” in negotiations, as reflected by an exchange of fire in recent days.
“We do not see either the US or Iran going back to square one and restarting attacks or a bombing campaign,” he wrote in a note.
Analysts at Deutsche Bank cautioned, however, that “uncertainty over the possible US-Iran deal persists, with growing doubts that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen soon.”
Stock markets are mixed. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures are broadly flat, while Dow futures point to a modestly weaker open. The S&P 500 notched a fifth consecutive record high Monday, “as AI optimism persisted,” Deutsche Bank analysts said.
Iran is still discussing its final draft proposal, Iranian media says
Iran’s final draft proposal for an interim ceasefire agreement with the United States is still under review and has not yet been sent back to mediators, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported Tuesday, citing an unidentified “informed source.”
The source said that “Iran’s final draft is still under discussion in Tehran and that no official response has yet been delivered,” Mehr News reported, adding that the United States’ “history of failing to honor commitments, along with longstanding distrust, has led Iran to approach the matter with extreme caution.”
Iran is seeking “real and tangible benefits” from any potential agreement,” Mehr News said.
This comes a day after state-linked Tasnim news agency said Iran was suspending talks with the US over Israeli attacks in Lebanon. US President Donald Trump later said the talks continue at a “rapid pace.”
A regional source with knowledge of the talks told CNN Monday night that talks are back on track.
Cargo ship left with hole in side after purported Iran attack, state media shows
A cargo ship was seen with a large hole in its side in state media video, after a purported Iranian attack.
The video published by the state-affiliated Fars news agency, showed an MSC branded vessel with a hole starboard side at waterline level.
Iran’s revolutionary guards claimed late Monday to have used a cruise missile to strike a ship they identified as the “MSC Sariska.”
The maritime authority that monitors shipping in the region, the UKMTO, had earlier said a vessel had been struck in the Persian Gulf, about 40 nautical miles southeast of the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.
The ship reported two explosions and a fire onboard, that was subsequently put out, UKMTO said, adding that no crew were hurt.
UKMTO did not name the vessel, but ship tracking datas showed the MSC Sariska V in the same area. CNN has reached out to MSC for comment
Authorities are investigating and have urged other ships to transit with caution.
Iran is unearthing its missile arsenal
Satellite imagery analyzed by CNN shows Iran is regaining access to vast quantities of missiles in its underground facilities, casting doubt on President Trump’s claims about obliterating Tehran’s arsenal. CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi reports.
New satellite imagery analyzed by CNN shows Iran is regaining access to vast quantities of missiles in its underground facilities, casting doubt on President Trump’s claims about obliterating Tehran’s arsenal. The Pentagon stands by the success of its campaign. CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi reports with analysis from Thomas Bordeaux.
