Calm down and use your head: Trump says he pushed Israel into Hezbollah ceasefire Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire after a deadly escalation in Lebanon, easing pressure on fragile US-Iran diplomacy and helping preserve negotiations aimed at a broader Middle East peace deal. US President Donald Trump said he personally urged Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, revealing that he intervened as escalating violence in Lebanon threatened to derail broader diplomatic efforts tied to the fragile peace process with Iran. In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said he spoke with Israeli officials and pressed for restraint, arguing that continued fighting risked undermining a wider regional agreement. "You just gotta calm down sometimes and use your head," Trump said, according to an NBC News reporter who posted details of the interview on X. Trump declined to say whether he spoke directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The comments came hours after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon following a surge in hostilities that had raised fears of a wider regional conflict and cast doubt over efforts to transform the interim US-Iran agreement into a lasting Middle East peace deal. CEASEFIRE AFTER DEADLY ESCALATION A senior US official said the ceasefire came into effect around 4 p.m. local time in Lebanon after an exchange of fire between the two sides. The official said American and Qatari negotiators, with assistance from Iran, helped broker the agreement. Two Hezbollah sources and a senior Israeli official confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters. "If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time of war," the Israeli official said, adding that Israeli forces would remain deployed in southern Lebanon. Lebanese security sources said Israel carried out several airstrikes during the first hour of the ceasefire, though no strikes were reported after 5 p.m. LEBANON FIGHTING THREATENS IRAN TALKS The outbreak of violence in Lebanon forced the postponement of planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland that were considered crucial to advancing negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme and the future of the Strait of Hormuz. Under the interim agreement signed earlier this week, Washington and Tehran have given themselves 60 days to negotiate a broader settlement covering Iran's nuclear activities, sanctions relief and regional security issues. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Iran had made clear that further negotiations depended on a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also warned that Washington would be responsible for ensuring commitments under the agreement were upheld. TRUMP DEFENDS IRAN DEAL Trump's comments on Israel came as he mounted a fresh defence of the interim accord with Iran, which has faced criticism from some Republican allies who argue that Tehran received too many concessions. Writing on social media, Trump insisted the conflict had severely weakened Iran. "The War has diminished Iran!" Trump wrote. "We didn't meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED!" He also rejected suggestions that Tehran would benefit financially from the agreement. "We'll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!" Trump said.
Calm down and use your head: Trump says he pushed Israel into Hezbollah ceasefire Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire after a deadly escalation in Lebanon, easing pressure on fragile US-Iran diplomacy and helping preserve negotiations aimed at a broader Middle East peace d…
See this event through different lenses
Compare how Western, Iranian, Israeli, Global South, and Pro-Peace perspectives frame this event.
Compare PerspectivesLoading notes...
A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.