Iran launched multiple missiles at Israel on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Israeli military. Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had postponed the bombing of the Islamic Republic’s power plants and other energy infrastructure because of what he claimed were productive negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Iran, however, denied talks with Washington.
Israel Targets Iranian Intelligence
The missiles triggered air raid sirens in Israel, including Tel Aviv, where a multi-storied apartment building was heavily damaged. It was not immediately clear if the destruction was caused by a direct hit or debris from an interception.
Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said they are searching for civilians trapped in one of the buildings in Tel Aviv and discovered civilians in a shelter in another damaged building.
On Tuesday, Israel’s military said its fighter jets had carried out a large wave of strikes in central Tehran, targeting key command centres, including facilities associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) intelligence arm and the Iranian Intelligence Ministry. It said more than 50 additional targets were hit overnight, including ballistic missile storage and launch sites.
U.S. And Iran Negotiations?
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday that the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and productive” discussions about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities” in West Asia.
As a result, Trump announced that he will be postponing a plan to hit Iran’s power plants for five days, which he had threatened to execute as part of an ultimatum for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. However, the pause only applies to Iran’s energy infrastructure, reported U.S. news outlet Semafor, citing a U.S. official.
Trump told reporters his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had been in talks with Iran prior to the war, had held discussions with a top Iranian official on Sunday and would continue on Monday.
“We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. We have major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement,” he said on Monday.
Trump’s step back sent share prices higher, and oil prices saw a sharp decline to below $100 a barrel, a sudden reversal to a market swoon caused by this weekend’s threats and Iran’s vows to respond.
No Direct Communication
Those gains were in jeopardy on Tuesday, however, after Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf—who an Israeli official and two other sources claim is the interlocutor in the talks from Iran’s side—said no negotiations with the U.S. had taken place.
“No negotiations have been held with the U.S., and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” he wrote on X.
The IRGC said they are launching fresh attacks on U.S. targets, and described Trump’s words as “psychological operations” that were “worn out” and had no impact on Tehran’s fight.
A European official said that while there had been no direct communication between Iran and the U.S., Egypt, Pakistan, and the Gulf states were relaying messages.
Islamabad To Host End Of War Discussions?
A Pakistani official and a second source told Reuters that direct talks on ending the war could be held in Islamabad as soon as this week.
The Pakistani official said U.S. Vice President JD Vance, as well as Witkoff and Kushner, were expected to meet Iranian officials in Islamabad this week, following a call between Trump and Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir. The White House confirmed Trump’s call with Munir.
Iranian media reported that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed the impact of the war on regional and global security.
Iran’s foreign ministry said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had reviewed developments related to the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani counterpart and agreed to continue consultations between the two countries.
(With inputs from Reuters)
