Trump said in a post on Truth Social that both sides were looking to stop hostilities and that negotiations on a peace agreement were proceeding, while adding that a U.S.-led blockade would remain in force until a final deal was reached.

The comments came after Iran and Israel exchanged attacks for the first time since a truce took effect in April, raising concerns over the durability of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the wider Middle East war.

Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya military command later announced that armed forces operations against Israel had ceased, saying Tehran had delivered what it described as a “painful response” and was ending military action accordingly. The statement was carried by Iranian state television.

An Israeli official said Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone on Monday before the U.S. president publicly stated that both sides were seeking an immediate ceasefire.

Iran’s government, however, blamed Washington for the renewed fighting. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters in Tehran that Israeli military actions could not be separated from U.S. policy and said no one believed Israel would undertake such actions without coordination with Washington.

Baqaei said the renewed hostilities could affect diplomatic efforts launched to end what Tehran describes as an imposed war.

Israel said it struck a petrochemical facility in Iran’s southwestern city of Mahshahr and carried out additional attacks against military targets. Israeli military officials said the operation also targeted and dismantled air-defense capabilities that Tehran had been attempting to restore.

A provincial Iranian official told the semi-official Fars news agency that parts of the Mahshahr petrochemical complex were damaged.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by launching missiles toward a petrochemical facility in Haifa, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. The Israeli military said Iran had fired nearly 30 missiles at Israel since Sunday night.

In Tehran, a large explosion was heard near the Foreign Ministry during a press conference attended by journalists, including AFP reporters. Iranian media reported that air-defense systems were activated in parts of the capital and later said a drone described as belonging to the “American-Zionist enemy” had been shot down over the city.

The Israeli military warned later on Monday that another wave of Iranian missiles was approaching and instructed residents in affected areas to seek shelter.

Earlier, Trump said the latest attacks would not undermine ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations and asserted that Netanyahu did not determine the course of diplomacy. According to Axios, citing a U.S. official, Trump urged the Israeli leader during a phone call to avoid further strikes because negotiators were close to securing a breakthrough.

The renewed tensions followed Israeli strikes near Beirut on Sunday, the first in the area since Washington unveiled a Lebanon truce proposal last week. Iran responded with missile salvos against Israeli targets, placing fresh pressure on negotiations intended to end the broader conflict.

Trump has repeatedly said Washington and Tehran are nearing an agreement. In an interview broadcast on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” he said the sides were very close to a deal while warning of severe consequences if diplomacy failed.

The conflict has increasingly drawn in regional actors. The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, marking the first such attack since the ceasefire began in April.

Yemen’s Houthi movement later claimed responsibility for missile strikes against what it called sensitive Israeli targets in the Tel Aviv area. The group said the attacks were coordinated with members of the Iran-aligned “axis of resistance” and announced a complete ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, warning that Israeli-linked vessels would be considered military targets.

The wider conflict has remained largely frozen since April, when U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran were paused. Tehran subsequently disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports, while Washington imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports.

Israel has continued military operations in Lebanon throughout the period, while Hezbollah has maintained attacks against Israel and rejected calls to disarm unless Israeli forces halt strikes and withdraw from Lebanese territory.

Netanyahu said Sunday’s strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs were ordered in response to Hezbollah fire toward Israel, underscoring the fragile state of regional ceasefire efforts as diplomatic negotiations continue.

The latest exchange of fire marked the most direct confrontation between the two adversaries since an April ceasefire, underscoring the fragility of diplomatic progress and highlighting the risk that violence elsewhere in the region could reignite the conflict.

Iran’s military headquarters announced that armed forces operations against Israel had been halted after what it described as a “painful response” to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. The statement, however, warned that Tehran would resume military action if Israeli operations continued, including in southern Lebanon.

A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that Israel had also decided to suspend attacks on Iran, although Israeli officials maintained that the military remained prepared to continue operations if required.

The confrontation began after Iran launched missiles toward Israeli territory late on Sunday, which Tehran said was retaliation for Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds on the outskirts of Beirut. Israel responded with attacks on Iranian targets, including a petrochemical facility in the southwestern city of Mahshahr.

Israeli officials said the site was used to produce and export raw materials for Iran’s ballistic missile program. A provincial Iranian official told local media that sections of the complex had sustained damage.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it retaliated by targeting a similar petrochemical facility in the Israeli port city of Haifa.

The flare-up reverberated through global markets. Oil prices surged as much as 5% before retreating after Iran signaled that its initial military response had concluded. The U.S. dollar also eased after reaching its highest level in nearly two months.

The renewed violence has complicated Trump’s efforts to secure a broader agreement with Tehran. The conflict, launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28, has remained largely frozen since an April 8 ceasefire paused full-scale warfare.

In a social media post, Trump said Israel and Iran were seeking “an immediate CEASEFIRE” and that final negotiations toward peace were progressing. He added that a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a comprehensive agreement was reached.

An Israeli official confirmed that Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as Washington sought to prevent the latest escalation from derailing diplomacy.

Despite indications of restraint, officials on both sides maintained a hardened stance. An Israeli military official said the armed forces were prepared to continue operations “for as long as it takes” and confirmed strikes on newly rebuilt Iranian air-defense systems in addition to the petrochemical facility.

Iranian officials likewise signaled readiness for a prolonged confrontation. A military source quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Tehran could renew attacks, including against U.S. interests in the region, if circumstances warranted.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Washington were taking place in an atmosphere of “extreme suspicion” and accused Israel of attempting to sabotage diplomatic efforts through its military actions in Lebanon.

In Tehran, state media reported explosions and said air-defense systems had shot down a drone over the capital. No significant casualties or major damage were immediately reported.

The conflict also drew in Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who announced plans to prevent Israeli maritime navigation through the Red Sea and claimed responsibility for missile launches against Israel.

An Israeli military official said Iran had fired nearly 30 ballistic missiles toward Israel since Sunday evening, while the Houthis launched an additional two missiles.

Iran’s National Emergency Organization said 15 people were injured in the latest Israeli strikes, including 14 in Mahshahr County. No fatalities were reported. Israel’s ambulance service said there were no reported casualties from the missile attacks on Israeli territory.

The latest exchange has reinforced the central role of Lebanon in regional diplomacy. Israel has continued military operations against Hezbollah despite the Iran ceasefire, arguing that the Lebanese front is separate from its conflict with Tehran.

Hezbollah has maintained attacks against Israel and insists it will not disarm unless Israeli operations cease. Tehran has repeatedly stated that any comprehensive peace agreement with Washington depends on an end to fighting in Lebanon.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said Lebanese-Israeli negotiations were scheduled to resume in Washington, offering a potential diplomatic channel as efforts continue to prevent the conflict from expanding further.

The war has also reshaped regional trade routes. Iran continues to block most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy supplies, while Washington has maintained a blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump has said any final settlement must ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has demanded the lifting of international sanctions, access to frozen assets and recognition of its influence over the strategically important waterway.

IRGC commanders are very afraid of the people of these cities populated with an Arabic-speaking minority…

Khuzestan plain, located in southwestern Iran, is one of the oldest regions on the Iranian plateau, where the Aryan nations have lived since 2700 BC and one of the first civilizations of that era had formed. The existence of five rivers, all of which originate from The Zagros Mountains and irrigate the Khuzestan Plain and flow into the Persian Gulf after a few hundred kilometers had made this province the most water-rich province in Iran. The Karun River was the largest of these rivers and the only navigable river in Iran that ships entered from the Persian Gulf and anchored at the ports of Abadan, Khorramshahr, and Ahvaz.

The existence of this number of rivers has played a decisive role in the development of this region. The people of this region have been engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing since ancient times, using the fertile lands around these rivers.

After the discovery of Iran’s first oil reserves in this region, it became the richest province in Iran and the largest refinery in the Middle East was built in the city of Abadan.

But due to inadequate governments both during the Pahlavi era or after the arrival of Khomeini, the people of this province throughout these years has always been deprived of this wealth. The former government ceded oil to Britain almost for free in order to maintain its rule and the latter followed so-called Islamic expansionist policies to export its so-called Islamic revolution, cause the war between Iran and Iraq, which destroyed most of the cities in this province

After Khamenei came to power, since his most important agenda was to maintain his grip on power, he gradually handed over most of the country’s affairs, including Iran’s important economic institutions, to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a military force loyal to and dependent on him.

Today 90% of Iran’s economy is under IRGC’s control. But since the commanders and officials of the IRGC are mostly people without classical education and expertise, their control over the Iranian economy destroyed Iran’s economic infrastructure. In addition to plundering Iran’s capital and wealth, they are only concerned with expanding the regime’s military, missile, and nuclear industries and financing proxy and terrorist forces in the region. Thus, they have not paid attention to the reconstruction of any other infrastructures in the country.

But since the Dam construction was one of the profitable projects for the IRGC, during the last 30 years, the IRGC has built hundreds of dams in different parts of Iran through its Khatam al-Anbia construction base. However, since the construction of these dams was without any study or research on the climatic and geographical effects and is done only for the financial interests of the IRGC (for use in industries or irrigation of agricultural lands of companies and factories affiliated to the IRGC) in most cases the construction of these dams has caused irreparable damage to environment and the villages around them.

During the last 30 years, 170 dams have been built on the Karun and Karkheh rivers, which are the most important rivers in this province and Iran. Due to the extreme heat in this region in summer, with temperatures of above 45 degrees Celsius for a few months, a large amount of water collected behind these dams evaporates due to heat and is wasted without any use.

The construction of this number of dams on these rivers have caused a shortage of running water in the lower parts of these rivers and 25% of the population of this province of five million who have been engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry in the villages are facing severe water shortage for irrigation and their livestock are dying due to severe dehydration. Last winter and spring, the amount of rainfall in Iran was almost half of the previous year, this problem was exacerbated so that now in large parts of the province there is no water even for drinking and other essential uses.

Prior to this problem, the people of this province were facing continuous power outages in the scorching heat above 50 degrees. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread deaths due to the incompetence of the regime and the lack of vaccines. These factors, in addition to unemployment and skyrocketing prices due to inflation rate above 50% and corruption in all governing institutions have exhausted the patience of the people of this province, which has resulted in the revolt of young people in different cities of the province in recent days.

The protests began on July 16, lasted for four days in a row, and still continues. In many cities of the province, young people have taken to the streets in protest of the current situation, which has made life almost unbearable, blocking various traffic routes between the cities by burning tires and clashing with police. In the city of Susangerd on July 18, the people chanted slogans calling for the overthrow of the regime.

Reports indicate that the situation is critical in the cities of Susangerd, Shousha, Mahshahr, Dasht-e Azadegan, Shadegan, Hamidiyeh, Zargan, Behbahan, and other cities of the province, and counter-insurgency forces have been deployed in all these cities. Up to now, four young men, 26-year-old Mustafa Naimavi in Shadegan, 17-year-old Qassem Kheziri in Kut Abdullah, Seyed Hossein Al-Nasser in Susangard, and Ali Mazrae in Zoyeh quarter in Ahvaz were killed by direct fire by security forces.

It is worth mentioning that the cities of this province, especially Behbahan, Mahshahr, Masjed Soleiman, Hamidiyeh in the November 2019 uprising, which took place due to the increase in gasoline prices, witnessed widespread protests against the regime, calling to overthrow Khamenei. But in the end, Khamenei, using bloodied suppression by his security forces and the Revolutionary Guards, and even helicopters and tanks, and killing dozens of people managed to regain control of these cities.

For this reason, IRGC commanders are very afraid of the people of these cities populated with an Arabic-speaking minority. Considering the dissatisfaction of people of other cities in Iran with their current situation, IRGC is afraid that the people of other cities will rise up in support of the people of Khuzestan and join them. The youth of Mashhad and Isfahan already supported the uprising of the people of Khuzestan in their protest rallies in recent days. It seems, with the heat of protests momentarily rising, repression will no longer be easily possible.

As a result, the regime is trying to prevent the uprising from spreading on the one hand by quickly suppressing the people, and on the other hand, by making promises and opening the dams and pouring some water in the rivers to temporarily calm the situation in this area.

But since the entire regime is based on corruption and incompetence, such solutions will not be able to satisfy the people who clearly demonstrated their opposition to the regime in the recent sham presidential election with massive boycotts. One will have to wait for uprisings of this kind in other parts of Iran in the near future as well.

Cyrus Yaqubi is a Research Analyst and Iranian Foreign Affairs Commentator investigating the social issues and economy of the middle east countries in general and Iran in particular.