Even after a cease-fire, Iran is keeping a chokehold on traffic, forcing countries to cut deals that could put them at odds with the U.S.
Vice President JD Vance said 21 hours of peace talks between the United States and Iran had failed to produce a deal to end the war.
The Mediterranean nation is reeling after Israel struck more than 100 targets in 10 minutes, heightening fears that the tenuous cease-fire with Iran could unravel.
The U.S. says the deal didn’t include the country, but Iran says it did. Israel is bombarding Lebanon, and Iran wants to show it supports its allies.
After careening from one diplomatic extreme to another, President Trump finds himself with a fragile deal that is already showing signs of fraying.
The first day of a tentative cease-fire had the region on edge.
The vice president sought to downplay Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon, which he insisted had “nothing to do with” Iran.
A day after a pause in fighting was announced between the United States and Iran, many questions remained, including the status of the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts said oil and natural gas energy companies would not quickly restore production unless attacks stopped and ships started moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
The plan, which reasserts Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz and maintains the country’s right to nuclear enrichment, is not the same as the one President Trump said was a “workable basis” for negotiations.