Trump insists Iran deal close despite strikes – The Latest
episodePreviously titled “‘Sit back and relax’: Trump insists Iran deal close despite strikes – The Latest” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026
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What recent events have escalated tensions in the Middle East?
This is The Guardian.
I do think there's a clock ticking. The more he says here, we sit back and relax, something's going to go hysterically wrong. The tensions inside Iran are palpable. It's always been the Iranian position that if there's to be a ceasefire, it's a ceasefire on all fronts. I still think both sides don't want to go back to full-fledged war.
From The Guardian's Today In Focus, this is The Latest with me, Lucy Hoth. So Patrick, it's been a week of strikes and counter strikes in the Middle East over the weekend. You as our diplomatic editor have been right across this. We've had strikes from the US on Iran, but also counter strikes on Kuwait. But more recently, we have strikes on southern Beirut that's led to mass evacuation orders. What's been going on? Because it's been met by a very strong response from Iran.
Yes, I think the Israelis are stepping up all their activity in Lebanon. They've gone north the Litani River, which is seen to be the kind of bridge point. And as you say, they're probably now heading into the southern suburbs of Beirut. And there is a mass sort of cars rushing to get out. And no one quite knows exactly whether Netanyahu has got permission from the Americans to really be active in Beirut. It's certainly influencing and affecting a great deal of what the negotiations about Iran because the Iranians have always said they will protect Hezbollah and the level of attrition of their senior military commanders is now kind of quite remarkable. And the death tolls over 3,000. And evacuations, I think, of about 20% of the whole population.
And I think there's so much pressure now on the Iranians to say that they won't permit this to go on.
And that it would be a violation of what is already a very fragile ceasefire. So there has been this very strong response from Iran. But what is the justification from Israel? What's it sort of up to?
Well, the justification from Israel is that they believe Hezbollah have made the life in northern Israel impossible because of the drone attacks and because of the missile launches. I mean, Hezbollah is a reduced organization in comparison with what it was. I mean, some people have compared it more to a kind of guerrilla army than a sort of terrorist army. But they're still causing a lot of damage and including to death toll of Israeli soldiers there. But it's always been the Iranian position that if there's to be a ceasefire, it's a ceasefire on all fronts. And so that means there's a ceasefire in Iran, but there's also a ceasefire in Lebanon. And it's very difficult from the Iranian perspective just to sit back and watch this happen.
For instance, the speaker who's the chief negotiator, Galibaf, has said there will be a price to pay. And the foreign minister, Arachi, has also said no. Ceasefire is required on all fronts and the tone is becoming more threatening.
How is Israel responding to Hezbollah's actions in Lebanon?
Right. Well, that doesn't sound hugely encouraging because we've also had these US strikes on southern Iran over the weekend. Again, something that puts the ceasefire in real jeopardy. Iran have countered that with strikes on Kuwait, which is a US ally. It's also home to a number of US military bases. We've had a very strong response from the Kuwaiti government as well. So what are the potential consequences of all of this?
Well, I think this is the second or third time there's been this kind of minor breach of the ceasefire, which I call it minor because it hasn't stopped the negotiations continuing about what the final outcome would be. But if they continue, I think it will be the moment they're contained. And I think they're understood on both sides, as it were. It's one attack by the Americans, then a reprisal by the Americans. Iranians into Kuwait, where they say the missiles have come into Iran. If it continues, the argument that the Americans are making these are acts of self-defense becomes difficult to sustain. I still think both sides don't want to go back to fully pledged war. But now you've got these problems both in Lebanon and in Kuwait.
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