US strikes Iranian targets as Israel intensifies Lebanon campaign, clouding deal talks

The United States carried out fresh airstrikes on Iranian targets it described as self-defense operations, while Israel signaled it will intensify its campaign in Lebanon, sharpening tensions across the region even as Washington and Tehran continue talks over a possible deal. The strikes hit missile launch sites and mine-laying boats near the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Independent and Bloomberg, raising fresh questions about whether diplomacy can hold.

The US action came after days of reporting that a framework was taking shape to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reduce the risk of wider conflict. Bloomberg has reported that oil prices had been moving lower on hopes of progress in US-Iran negotiations, but they rebounded after the new strikes clouded the outlook for an interim agreement. Reuters-style market coverage in Bloomberg’s reports showed traders recalibrating quickly as the military situation changed.

The Strait of Hormuz is at the center of the dispute because it is one of the world’s most important energy routes, carrying roughly a fifth of global oil traffic. Marco Rubio said the waterway would be reopened “one way or the other,” according to The Independent, underscoring how central the shipping lane has become to US policy and to global energy markets. Bloomberg reported that the renewed strikes made the path to a deal less certain, even as talks were expected to continue for several more days.

At the same time, the conflict is affecting markets well beyond the Middle East. Bloomberg’s market reports said crude oil, gold, wheat, copper, stocks and US Treasuries all moved on changing expectations about whether an agreement could be reached, with investors balancing the promise of de-escalation against the risk that the fighting could spread. The reports also noted that higher energy prices could feed inflation worries in import-dependent economies.

Separately, Israel is preparing to step up strikes in Lebanon, adding another front to an already volatile regional picture, according to Bloomberg’s audio coverage. That development comes as US officials continue to present the Iran negotiations as active and potentially promising, while public statements from President Donald Trump have suggested the talks were “proceeding nicely,” according to Bloomberg and The Independent.

The diplomacy remains uncertain, however. Bloomberg has described the deal as still incomplete, with disagreements remaining over core issues, while The Independent reported that the ceasefire environment is fragile. For now, the combination of fresh US military action, continued negotiations with Iran, and a more aggressive Israeli posture in Lebanon leaves the region in a tense holding pattern, with the next few days likely to shape whether the conflict broadens or whether the talks can still produce a workable agreement.