Strait of Hormuz stuck in limbo as Trump mulls Iran's latest offer
Strait of Hormuz stuck in limbo as Trump mulls Iran's latest offer
Tucker RealsWed, April 29, 2026 at 3:37 AM UTC
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What to know about the Iran war today:President Trump said Tuesday, without offering further context, that Iran "informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse.'" He made the comment on social media as his administration discusses an Iranian proposal for both countries to drop restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz but delay talks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.Oil prices continue ticking up. International benchmark Brent Crude topped $112 a barrel Tuesday with no clear indication of an imminent resolution to the war that has severely constrained shipping traffic through the strait.Fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been a major sticking point in efforts to cement a wider peace deal between the U.S. and Iran, continues. Israel warned more Lebanese civilians to flee their homes Tuesday ahead of military operations. U.S. budget airlines seek billions in federal aid amid soaring fuel costs
The trade group for American budget airlines is asking the Trump administration for $2.5 billion to offset rising jet fuel costs and keep ticket prices affordable.
The Association of Value Airlines said smaller carriers are being hit hardest by the jump in fuel prices, despite carrying more than 90 million passengers last year.
"Temporary government support" would help "preserve vital industry competition," the association said.
The trade group represents Frontier, Allegiant, Avelo and Sun Country. Another member, Spirit Airlines, is separately in talks with the U.S. government on a potential financing deal aimed at keeping the struggling carrier flying as it navigates fuel price shocks during its second bankruptcy since 2024.
The Trump administration is also exploring using the Defense Production Act in its strategy to save the Spirit Airlines, U.S. officials familiar with the discussions told CBS News last week.
The Defense Production Act is an emergency power typically used to compel private sector companies to prioritize government contracts and increase supplies of critical goods.
CBS/AP
Trump says King Charles agrees Iran shouldn't have nuclear weapon
At the start of Tuesday's White House state dinner, President Trump said King Charles agrees with the U.S.' position that Iran shouldn't have a nuclear weapon.
"Charles agrees with me even more than I do. We're never gonna let that opponent have a nuclear weapon. They know that, and they've known it right now very powerfully," Mr. Trump said after alluding to the conflict in the Middle East, without mentioning Iran by name.
The king and Queen Camilla are in the U.S. to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
At the dinner, Mr. Trump also lauded the nation's relationship with the U.K., saying the two countries share a "nobility of spirit and heroic soul."
Rising oil prices pull Wall Street off its record highs
Another climb in oil prices because of the Iran war helped pull Wall Street off its record highs on Tuesday.
The S&P 500 fell 0.5% from its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 25 points, or 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.9% from its own record.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil to be delivered in June climbed 2.8% to settle at $111.26. Brent to be delivered in July, which is where more of the trading is happening in the oil market, rose 2.7% to $104.40.
After sitting around $70 in late February, Brent prices are moving closer to their peak of $119 reached when worries about the war have been at their heights.
Meanwhile, the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States reached $4.18 on Tuesday, the most since 2022, according to AAA.
U.K. ambassador, in leaked remarks, said the "one country" with a "special relationship" with the U.S. is "probably Israel"
Britain's Ambassador to the U.S., Sir Christian Turner, said in February, before the U.S. and Israel launched their joint war with Iran, that to him it seemed the "only country" to have a "special relationship" with the U.S. was "probably Israel."
Turner made the remarks to a group of British high-school age students visiting the U.S. A recording of the comments was obtained by the Financial Times and reported by the newspaper on Tuesday.
Turner said that he didn't like the term "special relationship," coined by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the wake of World War II, to describe the U.S.-U.K. bond, calling it "quite nostalgic" and "backwards-looking," according to the FT.
"I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States," he said, "and that is probably Israel."
CBS News has not reviewed the audio of his remarks, but the British government has not denied their authenticity.
Read more here.
U.S. issues new sanctions targeting Iran's "covert financial network"
The U.S. Treasury announced new sanctions against 35 entities and individuals accused of operating in Iran's "covert financial network."
"Iran's shadow banking system serves as a critical financial lifeline for its armed forces, enabling activities that disrupt global trade and fuel violence across the Middle East," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday in a statement posted to social media.
The Treasury said Iranian banks rely on private companies, known as "rahbars," to execute payments for Iran's sanctioned trades through shell company accounts held at foreign banks. The payments are often made on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's National Iranian Oil Company and other sanctioned entities, according to the Treasury.
"Financial institutions are on notice: Any institution that facilitates or engages with these networks is at risk of severe consequences," Bessent warned.
Trump lashes out at Germany's leader: "He doesn't know what he's talking about!"
President Trump lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Tuesday, a day after Merz said Tehran is "humiliating" Washington at the negotiating table.
"The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn't know what he's talking about!" Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Merz made the comments Monday during a visit to a school in Marsberg, western Germany.
"The Americans obviously have no strategy. And the problem with such conflicts is always that you not only have to get in, you also have to get out again," Merz said. "We saw that in a very painful way in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq … So this whole thing is, as I said, at the very least ill-considered."
Merz said he could not see "what strategic exit the Americans are going to choose, especially since the Iranians are obviously negotiating very skillfully — or very skillfully not negotiating."
"An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards," he said.
U.S. targets Iran's "shadow banking architecture" with sanctions
The U.S. on Tuesday said it was imposing sanctions on 35 people and entities that "oversee Iran's shadow banking architecture," accusing them of facilitating the movement of billions of dollars tied to Tehran's evasion of sanctions.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control accused the networks of allowing Iran's armed forces to "receive payment for illicit oil sales, purchase sensitive components for missiles and other weapons systems, and transfer money to Iran's terrorist proxies."
"Iran's shadow banking system serves as a critical financial lifeline for its armed forces, enabling activities that disrupt global trade and fuel violence across the Middle East," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "Illicit funds funneled through this network support the regime's ongoing terrorist operations, posing a direct threat to U.S. personnel, regional allies, and the global economy."
Bessent warned that anyone who helped these networks could face "severe consequences."
Israel destroys alleged Hezbollah tunnel network in Lebanon
The Israeli military detonated a large explosion late Tuesday in Qantara. Israel's Geological Survey said the blast was so powerful it registered as a "seismic event."
The army said the network included two large tunnels that were equipped with sleeping rooms, toilets, kitchen facilities and launchers aimed at Israel. It released photos and video footage of what it said were the tunnels. The town is roughly 6 miles from the Israeli border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said "we are not done yet." He said he gave instructions a few weeks ago for a "special project" to eliminate drone threats.
"It will take time, but we will blow that up, too," he said in a video statement.
Israel has come under heavy international criticism for widespread destruction of homes and buildings in Lebanese towns near the border. It says Hezbollah uses civilian infrastructure to hide its weapons and fighters.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the army has been instructed to destroy any Hezbollah infrastructure it finds in southern Lebanon "just like in Gaza."
Gas prices jump to their highest level since start of war
The average cost for a gallon of gasoline hit $4.18 on Tuesday, according to AAA, the highest level since the war in the Middle East began.
Gasoline prices, which have risen by $1.20 a gallon since Feb. 28, climbed nearly 7 cents overnight, according to AAA.
The latest increase follows a brief period of relief, when prices eased after hitting a recent high of $4.17 on April 9 as the U.S. and Iran appeared to be making progress toward a deal to end the war. The countries agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, which President Trump has since extended.
However, negotiations appear to have lost momentum in recent days, dashing hopes for a quick resolution to the war and sending oil prices higher.
Read more here.
U.S. military: Marines boarded ship in Arabian Sea suspected of heading toward Iran
Marines boarded a commercial vessel in the Arabian Sea that was suspected of trying to go to Iran, the U.S. military said Tuesday. American forces later "released" the ship after a search was conducted, according to U.S. Central Command.
"U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded M/V Blue Star III, a commercial ship suspected of attempting to transit to Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports," U.S. Central Command posted on X.
"U.S. forces released the vessel after conducting a search and confirming the ship's voyage would not include an Iranian port call," it said.
Central Command said 39 vessels "have been redirected to ensure compliance" with the U.S. blockade and that American forces are continuing to enforce it across the region.
Gulf leaders meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss war's fallout
Saudi Arabia welcomed leaders and officials from across the Gulf on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crisis in the region triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Leaders and officials from across the Gulf region were greeted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as they arrived in Jeddah, according to images released by Saudi state media.
"During the summit, a number of topics and issues related to regional and international developments were discussed, as well as the coordination of efforts in response to them," the Saudi Press Agency reported.
A source close to the government told AFP that "the current political and security situation in the region" was being discussed during the summit.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani later said in a message posted on social media that the gathering "embodied the unified Gulf position toward the current situation and what it requires in terms of intensified coordination and consultation."
Iran launched waves of missiles and drones targeting the Gulf states in response to U.S-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic that began on Feb. 28, badly damaging major energy installations across the region.
Red Cross aims to assess humanitarian situation in Iran
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived in Iran Tuesday to meet with officials and local affiliates and assess the war's humanitarian consequences.
Mirjana Spoljaric will discuss efforts of the Geneva-based humanitarian organization to ship more relief supplies to Iran, notably through the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Her visit is part of a trip through the region that involves bilateral discussions to help ensure respect for the rules of war, the organization said.
ICRC says it delivered more than 170 tons of essential relief items to help people affected by the conflict this month, with more medical items and forensic supplies on their way.
Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli operations have killed more than 2,530 people during Iran war
Israel's military operations have killed more than 2,530 people in Lebanon since Israel dramatically ramped up operations against the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah in the country at the beginning of March, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The ministry said Tuesday that 2,534 people had been killed in Lebanon as a result of Israeli operations, which began with massive air strikes on March 2 and later expanded to include a ground invasion. At least 7,863 people have been wounded in that time, and at least 100 health care workers are among those killed, the ministry said.
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia based in Lebanon, drew the country into the regional war by striking Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed between the two countries in mid-April has been challenged by repeated accusations of violations by both Israel and Hezbollah, which has formally rejected the negotiations that lead to the strained truce.
According to the independent Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, at least 40 Israelis have been killed since the start of the Iran war, including 16 military members.
CBS News producer in Tehran says country does not appear to be in a "state of collapse, by any standards at all"
CBS News producer Seyed Rahim Bathaei in Tehran said Tuesday that, as far as he can see on the ground, the government remains fully in control and the country is not in a "state of collapse, by any standards at all."
President Trump said in a brief social media post earlier Tuesday that Iran had "just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse,'" without offering any further context on who had conveyed the message or what it was referring to.
"There are serious consequences coming due to the war, as we see there are shortages and high inflation and lack of supply [of some basic goods], however, what some sources outside the country don't take into consideration is that Iran is used to harsh conditions in all aspects of economic, social and political" life after decades of international sanctions and tension with the West, said Bathaei.
Nonetheless, he said it was clear inside Iran that if the U.S. naval blockade continues preventing Iran from exporting its oil and gas, it "cannot be ignored" by the country's rulers.
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Mr. Trump and other senior administration officials portrayed the Iranian government as deeply fractured and without clear leadership, even claiming there has been "regime change" following the killing of many senior figures, including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been named the new supreme leader, but he has not been seen or heard from directly since the war began, and he's believed to have been seriously wounded in the same U.S. or Israeli strike that killed his father on the first day of the war.
But Bathaei said the "leadership matter is not what some people in the West think."
"It is a manageable issue" for Tehran, he said, alluding to the multiple layers of authority built into the Islamic Republic system over 47 years.
Iran war to "spark biggest energy price surge in four years," says World Bank
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is set to push energy prices up by nearly a quarter, to their highest level since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the World Bank said Tuesday.
Attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East and shipping disruptions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a quarter of the world's seaborne crude oil typically passed before the war, have sparked "the largest oil supply shock on record," according to the World Bank's latest Commodity Markets Outlook.
The crisis is pushing energy prices up globally, but the bank said poor nations would feel the impact most acutely.
"The war is hitting the global economy in cumulative waves: first through higher energy prices, then higher food prices, and finally, higher inflation, which will push up interest rates and make debt even more expensive," said Indermit Gill, the World Bank Group's Chief Economist. "The poorest people, who spend the highest share of their income on food and fuels, will be hit the hardest, as will developing economies already struggling under heavy debt burdens. All of this is a reminder of a stark truth: war is development in reverse."
Oil prices could go as high at $115 a barrel in 2026, the report warned. International benchmark Brent Crude topped $112 dollars on Tuesday.
While developing nations may feel it more sharply, the conflict has also driven gas prices above $4 a gallon in the U.S., strained homebuyers and pushed inflation to its highest level in nearly two years. And even if the war ends soon, economists say Americans are likely to feel the financial sting for months.
In March, the World Food Program said that with fertilizer prices climbing, if the conflict does not end soon, "these pressures on food supply and affordability could push up to 45 million more people into acute food insecurity this year."
Israeli military says no casualties in Hezbollah drone attack on troops in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah "launched a number of explosive drones that detonated adjacent to IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon" on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Force said in a brief statement, adding that no injuries were reported.
The IDF said the incident occurred "south of the Forward Defense Line," a boundary the military has established across southern Lebanon, and south of which it has ordered civilians to evacuate and not return indefinitely as it carries out operations against Hezbollah.
In addition, the military said Israeli forces launched interceptors on Tuesday "toward a suspicious aerial target that was identified in the area in which IDF soldiers are operating in southern Lebanon," adding that the "results of the interception are under review."
This picture taken from a position in Upper Galilee in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows smoke rising as the Israeli army demolishes buildings and homes in southern Lebanon, April 27, 2026. / Credit: Jalaa MAREY/AFP/Getty
"These incidents constitute a violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terrorist organization," the IDF said.
Iranian media say authorities have barred export of steel products in latest economic blow to regime
Iran has banned the export of steel products, local media on Tuesday reported customs authorities as saying, after airstrikes targeted its steel industry in the war with Israel and the United States.
Fars news agency reported a directive from the Islamic republic's customs authorities "regarding the prohibition of the export" of steel, including slab, sheet and strip products, effective from April 26.
Steel is a strategically important material, vital for a range of industries as well as military production, including missiles, drones and ships.
Israel said days before a ceasefire took effect on April 8 that its airstrikes had destroyed 70% of Iran's steel production capacity while also hitting petrochemical facilities and transport infrastructure.
The damage could have a long-term impact on Iran's economy, which was already struggling under sanctions before the war, with inflation at nearly 50%.
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Economic hardship and devaluations of the rial were key factors behind major anti-government protests at the start of the year.
The strain has only increased since the war started on Feb. 28, according to Iranians who have spoken with CBS News' producer in Tehran, with many reporting sharp rises in the prices of basic necessities including food and medicine, as well as shortages of some such goods.
CBS/AFP
Trump says "Iran has just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse'"
President Trump asserted in a brief social media post on Tuesday that Iran had "informed" his administration that its theocratic regime, which has ruled the country for almost 50 years, was collapsing and looking for a way to end the two countries standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
"Iran has just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse.' They want us to 'Open the Hormuz Strait,' as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!)," said Mr. Trump.
He did not indicate who in or from Iran had conveyed the message to him, or what exactly it entailed.
President Trump has insisted repeatedly that the joint war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Iran on Feb. 28 has already succeeded in changing the regime, though despite mixed signals from military and political leaders, there has been no indication of a real regime change.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking Monday with Fox News, said he had no doubt that "at some point in the future if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon."
"That fundamental issue still has to be confronted. That still remains the core issue here," Rubio said.
"Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon," foreign minister says
Israel's foreign minister said Tuesday that the country is not seeking to permanently seize territory from neighboring Lebanon, as its military forces occupy a portion of southern Lebanon and push operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah deeper into the country despite an ongoing U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
"Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a news conference Tuesday. "Our presence in the areas by our northern border serves one purpose: protecting our citizens."
The Israeli military has said forces will remain in a security buffer zone extending at least six miles into Lebanese territory from the border indefinitely, with residents not allowed to return to their homes, until the threat posed by Hezbollah to citizens in northern Israel is removed.
Lebanese authorities say Israel's ongoing military operations since the beginning of March have killed more than 2,500 people and displaced more than 1 million from their homes.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah started launching drones and rockets at Israel just two days after Israel and the U.S. launched their joint war on Iran on Feb. 28. At least 23 people have been killed in Israel by Iranian and Hezbollah attacks since then.
UAE announces withdrawal from OPEC, vows to boost production amid "urgent needs of the market"
The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that it would be withdrawing from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the wider OPEC + on May 1.
The UAE, in a statement conveyed by its official news agency, indicated that the move was to give the country greater flexibility to boost oil production to meet market demand, saying the decision was "in line with the UAE's long-term strategic and economic vision and the development of its energy sector, including accelerating investment in local energy production."
The statement said the decision came "after an extensive review of the UAE's production policy and current and future capacity and given the requirements of the national interest and the state's commitment to contribute effectively to meeting the urgent needs of the market, while geopolitical fluctuations continue in the short term through the disturbances in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which affects supply dynamics."
"The UAE will continue its responsible role by gradually and thoughtfully increasing production, in line with demand and market conditions," the statement said.
The move, in the mid to longer term, could help bring global oil prices down if the UAE increases production significantly, as it will no longer be beholden to the OPEC group's collective production and pricing.
U.S. and global benchmark oil prices surge, with West Texas Intermediate up 5%
Oil prices rose sharply Tuesday amid a lack of progress in re-opening the key Strait of Hormuz.
The benchmark U.S. oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surged 4.94% to $101.1 dollars a barrel just after 7 a.m. Eastern, after earlier edging above 5%.
International benchmark Brent Crude rose 3.79% to $112.3 a barrel.
The rise came after Qatar warned on Tuesday of the possibility of a "frozen conflict" in the Gulf, as talks between the U.S. and Iran for a peace deal appeared to be at a stalemate.
CBS/AFP
Iran says Japanese tanker transited Strait of Hormuz with permission
A Japanese oil tanker has "passed through the Strait of Hormuz with coordination from Iran," a semi-official Iranian news agency linked to the country's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard said Tuesday.
According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, the Idemitsu Maru tanker departed from Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura industrial port on April 17.
The report confirmed tracking data reported earlier by CBS News that showed the Idemitsu Maru leaving the Persian Gulf via the strait on Tuesday morning.
Tasnim said the ship was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil.
It was unclear whether the ship's Japanese owners paid a fee to Iran for safe passage.
Tasnim announced on April 21, amid a disagreement between Iran and the U.S. over the terms of their ongoing ceasefire, that the Iranian military was reimposing a complete blockade on all shipping traffic through the strait.
The U.S. has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports and vessels linked to the regime, and those subject to U.S. sanctions, but the restrictions do not apply to other commercial ships.
Sweden warns of potential jet fuel shortage amid supply disruptions caused by Iran war
Sweden's government warned Tuesday of a potential jet fuel shortage in the Scandinavian country due to supply disruptions caused by the Middle East war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
"We want to provide an early warning that there is a risk of a jet fuel shortage. This is based on an assessment by the Swedish Energy Agency," Energy Minister Ebba Busch said at a press conference.
"Even if a lasting peace deal (between the United States and Iran) were to be in place tomorrow, it would likely still take time before oil and gas supplies are restored," Busch said, speaking alongside Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Energy Agency director Caroline Asserup.
There is currently no systemic shortage of jet fuel in the European Union. But concerns are rising as 20% of the jet fuel used by the EU normally transits through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kristersson said Sweden was less affected by the current energy crisis than many other countries overall, noting Swedish electricity production is largely based on nuclear, hydro and renewable energies. But it could be affected down the road if the conflict were to deteriorate and continue for a long time.
"We have seen no delivery disruptions" for now, she said. "What we are seeing, however, are price fluctuations, and it is due to these price movements that some companies, for commercial reasons, may sometimes decide to cancel flights."
Sweden and the Nordic countries have a relatively large refining capacity, mainly thanks to North Sea oil. This oil is now in higher demand, which has led to higher prices.
Japanese supertanker among 4 ships tracked entering Strait of Hormuz despite Iranian blockade
Four civilian ships appeared to leave the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday without Iranian interference, including a Japanese oil tanker carrying some two million barrels of crude from Saudi Arabia.
The Panama-flagged crude oil tanker Idemitsu Maru called at Saudi Arabia's Juamyah industrial port in early March, according to open source data from the MarineTraffic ship tracking website. For the past week it had remained anchored off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf, until late Monday, when it sailed toward Iran's Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday morning, tracking data showed the vessel passing south of Iran's Larak island, which analysts say the regime had used as a "toll booth" to collect fees from some ships before military authorities declared the strait entirely closed again last week.
It was unclear whether the tanker's Japanese owner, Idemitsu Kosan Co, paid Tehran to secure the ship's transit.
The other three ships that appear to have left the Gulf via the strait include a Chinese-owned tanker, a container ship with links to Iran through its management company, and a Turkish cargo ship that had been stuck in Iraqi ports since the start of the war on Feb. 28. All three were at least partially loaded, according to the tracking data.
The Chinese oil/chemical tanker, which is part of the shadow fleet of ships used by Russia to transport Russian oil in breach of Western sanctions, switched off its location transponder before exiting the strait.
All four appeared to have passed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident by Tuesday, less than a week after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked and seized at least two commercial ships in the same part of the narrow waterway.
Israeli military warns residents in 16 more Lebanese towns and villages to evacuate
In its latest warning to Lebanese civilians to flee their homes, Israel's military told people in 16 towns and villages in the neighboring country to evacuate on Tuesday ahead of military operations.
Most of the locations appeared to be about 10 miles north of the border between northern Israel and southern Lebanon, over which Israeli forces have sent a significant ground force to occupy a swath of territory in recent weeks, which Israeli leaders say is necessary to remove the threat posed by the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah and Israel have accused each other of violating a tenuous ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration between the Israeli and Lebanese governments since it was first signed several weeks ago.
"In light of Hezbollah's terrorist organization violating the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is forced to act against it with force," Israel Defense Forces spokesman Avichay Adraee said in his warning to residents of the Lebanese towns and villages, issued Tuesday via social media.
He said the Israeli army did not intend to harm civilians, and "for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the specified area" to the north.
Lebanese authorities say Israel's aerial and ground assault in the country has killed more than 2,500 people and displaced more than 1 million from their homes.
The Israeli government and military have said forces will remain in a buffer zone that spans the countries' border and extends at least six miles into Lebanese territory, and that residents will not be allowed to return home, until the Hezbollah threat is removed.
Oil prices keep ticking up, stocks mixed as White House mulls Iran's latest proposal
Oil prices jumped and stocks sank Tuesday as the White House cast doubt on President Trump's willingness to accept an Iranian proposal to mutually lift restrictions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to end the eight-week-old war.
Oil prices rallied more than 2%, with Brent topping to top $111, to extend Tuesday's gains.
The White House said Mr. Trump and his team met Monday to discuss the offer, but spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the president had made his "red lines" clear. Sources told CBS News that Iran's offer did not include any immediate concessions on its contentious nuclear program, which Mr. Trump has made the cornerstone of his demands for a peace deal.
Hopes for a deal had been rising before last weekend, but Mr. Trump then scrapped plans for his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to travel to Islamabad for talks as it became clear Iran wasn't willing to engage on Washington's terms.
Iran's envoy to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani told a Security Council session the country would first need guarantees Washington and Israel would not attack again if it was to offer security assurances in the Gulf.
Stock prices were more mixed on Tuesday, with European shares opening with gains after a retreat in Asia.
The price of Brent crude before the war was around $70 per barrel, and it briefly shot to nearly $120 earlier in the conflict. Benchmark U.S. crude added $2.18 on Tuesday to trade at $98.55 a barrel.
In the U.S., the S&P 500 rose a modest 0.1% on Monday to another all-time high, while the Dow industrials dipped 0.1%. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.2%. The outlook for Tuesday was slightly less optimistic, with futures for the S&P 500 slipping 0.1% and the Nasdaq down 0.4%.
CBS/AFP
Israeli spy chief says operations in Iran and Lebanon bringing info "from the heart of the enemy's secrets"
The head of Israel's Mossad has praised the spy agency's "groundbreaking" operations in the war against Iran and Hezbollah, saying it acquired intelligence "from the heart of the enemy's secrets."
"In the campaigns against Iran and Hezbollah, we worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the IDF, on both defense and offense," David Barnea said, referring to the Israeli military.
His remarks were delivered during a commendation ceremony at Mossad headquarters on Monday and published Tuesday.
"We acquired strategic and tactical intelligence from the heart of the enemy's secrets," Barnea said, adding that Mossad had "proved new, groundbreaking operational capabilities in target countries."
A ceasefire in the war with Iran, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, has so far held.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the initial U.S.-Israel strikes.
President Trump announced a ceasefire on the Lebanese front earlier this month, which has since been extended, though Hezbollah and Israel have continued exchanging fire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah's rockets and drones remained a key threat that demanded ongoing action by the Israeli military, adding that Israel would continue to carry out strikes.
Hezbollah has said it is responding to what it considers Israeli ceasefire violations.
Barnea said the military and Mossad had changed Israel's "strategic posture" and "strengthened its might," but added that the agency would "not rest on our laurels."
"When we see a threat, we will act with full force," he said.
CBS/AFP
Deputy Iranian defense chief says war shows U.S. can no longer "impose its policies on independent nations"
Iran's deputy defense minister said Tuesday that his country's ability to withstand the U.S.-Israel attack reflected "a broader global shift away from a 'unipolar unjust order' toward a multipolar world," according to Iran's ANA news agency.
ANA said General Reza Talaei-Nik made the remarks during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, where he held meetings with the defense ministers of that country, Russia, Pakistan and Belarus.
"The United States is no longer in a position to impose its policies on independent nations," the agency quoted him as saying. "Iran's resistance has made this clear globally."
It said Talaei-Nik claimed Washington would "eventually be forced to abandon its 'illegal and irrational demands'" and accept an agreement to end the war.
Iran revises death toll from elementary school strike down to 155 from over 175
Iranian state media shared a breakdown on Tuesday of the death toll from an airstrike that hit an elementary school on the first day of the U.S.-Israel war against the Islamic Republic.
Seventy-three boys and 47 girls were killed in the Feb. 28 strike on an elementary school in the southern city of Minab, state broadcaster IRIB and local media reported.
Twenty-six teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, and a pharmacy technician at the clinic next to the school were also killed, IRIB said in a Telegram post.
That put the death toll at 155 instead of the more than 175 that had been reported earlier by Iranian officials.
An American Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school, and a preliminary U.S. assessment suggested last month that the U.S. was "likely" responsible for the attack but that the school was not intentionally targeted. It may have been hit due to the use of dated intelligence which wrongly identified the area as still part of an Iranian military installation, a person briefed on the preliminary intelligence told CBS News in March.
President Trump initially suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible, despite Iran not having Tomahawk missiles.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack in a video address to the United Nations Human Rights Council as a "calculated, phased assault."
CBS/AFP
Rubio says "core issue" remains preventing Iran regime from "sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point"
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked in a Fox News interview about Iran's latest proposal to postpone discussions on its nuclear program but end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade and ends the war.
"It's better than what we thought they were going to submit," Rubio said of the offer, while questioning whether it was genuine.
"They're very good negotiators," he said, "and we have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point."
"There's no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon," Rubio said. "That fundamental issue still has to be confronted. That still remains the core issue here."
CBS/AP
White House says Iranian proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz "being discussed"
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump met with his national security team Monday morning after Iran proposed a deal that would see both countries agree to the mutual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but delay the nuclear conversation.
"The proposal was being discussed. I don't want to get ahead of the president or his national security team," Leavitt said. "What I will reiterate is that the president's red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear."
Mr. Trump has been adamant that the objective of the war is now to ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. He's indicated that any deal to end the conflict must include a handover of the Islamic Republic's enriched uranium, which is currently thought to be buried under facilities badly damaged by U.S. strikes in June 2025, and an end to Iran's domestic enrichment program.
Leavitt said she didn't want to go so far as to say the administration was "considering" the Iranian proposal.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
