Iran sends waves of missiles into Israel, dismisses Trump s talk of negotiations as fake news

Iran fired several waves of missiles at Israel, according to the Israeli military. This action came after U.S. President Donald Trump delayed a threat to attack Iran's power grid. He described his discussions with Iranian officials as positive. The missile strikes set off air raid sirens in various parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv, where people heard explosions from interceptions. In one incident, falling debris damaged homes in northern Israel, but there were no reported fatalities. On Monday, Trump shared on his Truth Social platform that the U.S. and Iran had engaged in "very good and productive" talks aimed at achieving a "complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East." He announced that he would postpone the plan to strike Iran’s energy grid for five days. This news caused stock prices to rise and oil prices to drop sharply below $100 a barrel, reversing a previous decline that had followed his weekend threats and Iran's promise to retaliate. However, on Tuesday, those gains were at risk. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who was identified as the main contact in the discussions by an Israeli official and two other sources, stated that no negotiations had occurred. He claimed, "No negotiations have been held with the U.S., and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the problems in which the U.S. and Israel are stuck." The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) announced they would launch new attacks on U.S. targets, dismissing Trump’s statements as "psychological operations" that were ineffective in Tehran's ongoing struggle. Global markets initially reacted positively after Trump extended his Saturday ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, by 48 hours. But on Tuesday, the markets faced uncertainty due to the mixed messages from Tehran and Washington. U.S. Treasury yields increased, and the dollar regained its strength as the global community continued to deal with an energy crisis caused by Iran's threats to shipping in the strait.