Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday that any Israeli forces remaining in southern Lebanon, or any Israeli strikes on that country, would constitute a violation of the deal recently struck between the United States and Iran. Israeli officials pushed back, saying Monday that their troops would stay in Lebanon and that the agreement does not bind them.
The dispute added a new layer of tension to an already complicated regional situation. According to CBS News, President Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of Israel's conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday, saying the parallel war was complicating his efforts to end the larger conflict with Iran.
The two countries agreed to a memorandum of understanding that extends their ceasefire, reopens the Strait of Hormuz, and launches longer-term nuclear talks over the next 60 days. A formal signing ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, which is expected to spark a second phase of direct negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and other issues.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told CBS News he has reservations about where the talks go from here. "I mean, I like the idea of opening the straits and ending the conflict," he said. "In terms of how the negotiations work long term … let's wait and see. I reserve judgment, but I don't mind jumpstarting the process."
Graham added: "When it comes to Iran, I'm pretty skeptical, but you never know till you try, so it's worth a try." His comments came after he and other Republican lawmakers met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss Iran and the Pentagon's request for additional funding.
Not everyone in Congress viewed the outcome positively. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia argued the result of months of war with Iran looks like it returned to roughly where things stood before the conflict began. "I hope the war is over, but the question is, why were we in the war in the first place?" Warnock told CBS News. "The Strait of Hormuz, they're saying, will be reopened. Well, it was open before he started the war. And, we are a long way from what Donald Trump promised and what it looks like he's going to deliver."
At the outset of the war in late February, Trump had stated his goals included degrading Iran's conventional military, preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and suggested the conflict could lead to the collapse of Iran's government. Trump has argued the U.S. succeeded in damaging Iran's military, but the Iranian government remains in place.
