Iran has fired a new wave of missiles at Israel, hitting parts of Tel Aviv and injuring several people, as confusion deepens over reported talks to end the three week old Middle East war. Streets in Israel’s commercial capital were left strewn with rubble after a building in an upscale neighbourhood suffered a direct hit.
Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai said the strike tore open the facade of a three storey block in the city. Israeli media, citing police, reported that the damage was caused by a cluster munition missile believed to carry three to four warheads, each loaded with about 100 kilograms of explosives.
The missile barrage came hours after Iranian outlets reported that US Israeli warplanes had struck two gas facilities and a pipeline inside Iran. Those strikes followed United States President Donald Trump’s earlier threats to attack Iranian energy infrastructure before he briefly stepped back, citing what he called very good talks to end the war.
Trump said his administration had been speaking with a top person in Iran and that the United States was seeking a complete resolution of hostilities. He warned that if negotiations did not succeed within five days, US forces would keep bombing our little hearts out.
However, senior Iranian officials have publicly denied holding any talks with Washington. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf insisted there were no negotiations and accused Trump of trying to manipulate financial and oil markets with his statements.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had only received messages from some friendly countries indicating a US request for talks, but maintained that no such negotiations were under way.
Despite the denials, US media outlet Axios reported that American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could meet an Iranian delegation in Pakistan as early as this week, with Vice President JD Vance possibly joining. The White House did not confirm the report, saying any meeting would be announced formally if agreed.
Stock markets and oil prices swung sharply on Trump’s changing tone. Prices jumped above 100 dollars per barrel as the conflict escalated but then briefly fell after he paused threatened strikes on Iran’s power plants and gave Tehran a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handles about one fifth of global crude shipments.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken with Trump and acknowledged that Washington believed a deal might be possible. But he vowed that Israel would continue hitting targets in Iran and Lebanon to protect its citizens, praising what he called the tremendous achievements of Israeli and US forces.
Israel has kept up heavy bombardment of Hezbollah linked areas in Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs. Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 1,000 people have been killed and over a million displaced by Israeli strikes, which have also hit fuel stations linked to the Iran backed group.
In Iran, at least 3,230 people, including more than 1,400 civilians, have been killed since the conflict began, according to the US based Human Rights Activists News Agency. AFP noted it could not independently verify casualty figures inside Iran because access to strike sites is restricted.
Regional governments initially welcomed Trump’s decision to delay direct attacks on Iran’s power grid, fearing Tehran would respond by mining sea lanes and targeting water and energy infrastructure across the Gulf. Analysts say the war has already pushed energy markets to crisis levels and could trigger a shock worse than the 1970s oil crises and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine if it drags on.
International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned that prolonged supply disruptions could cause daily oil losses on a scale that would severely hurt the global economy. Iran has already throttled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and hit Gulf energy facilities and US diplomatic sites, while Washington is sending thousands of additional Marines to the region amid talk of possible ground operations.
Commentators say Trump’s rapid shifts between threats and de escalation have added to uncertainty. Some question whether there is a clear strategy or mostly improvisation, even as the human and economic cost of the conflict continues to mount across Iran, Israel, Lebanon and beyond.
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