As the Iran war drags on, Oman — a U.S. ally and mediator with Iran — has found itself at odds with the Trump administration and some of its own neighbors.
With the cease-fire proving tenuous, negotiations between the two nations are in flux, but have advanced to outline potential paths forward on difficult questions about Iran’s nuclear program.
The bombardment followed Israeli evacuation warning for the entire city, a day after Iran threatened to attack Israel again if it kept up its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Opponents attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for halting strikes against Iran after a call with President Trump, saying that he was letting the United States make Israel’s decisions.
Washington and Tehran would need to defend any potential deal as a win for their side. And each has a leader whose approach to talks is vexing mediators.
President Trump insists that he has not violated his campaign pledge to avoid “endless wars,” even though a conflict he called “a little excursion” in March has entered its fourth month.
President Trump has voiced his frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, but it is not clear how able he is to rein in Israeli military action.
Iran’s leaders want to show they are serious about defending their Hezbollah allies in Lebanon and maintaining the regional balance of power, analysts say.
As it braces for a possible U.S.-Iranian peace deal, Israel now knows that if it responds forcefully to attacks by Hezbollah, Iran may strike Israel with missiles.
Pope Leo XIV and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain, who meet on Monday, have recently clashed with President Trump. Their motivations, however, may be different.
Oil prices jumped and stocks plunged after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes, raising doubts about the future of fragile cease-fire in the Middle East.
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