The Israeli military launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut on Sunday, despite ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the US-Iran war. The strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel, according to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

US-Iran Deal Negotiations

The deal, which is expected to be signed electronically, aims to halt hostilities that have killed thousands of people and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has thrown world markets into disarray. However, the deal does not solve the thorniest issues between the US and Iran, including Iran’s nuclear program and frozen assets.

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful and has not publicly committed to giving up its enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried under three nuclear sites that were badly damaged by US strikes last year. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran has 972 pounds of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

International Response

Qatari mediators traveled to Tehran on Sunday to finalize the agreement, and US President Donald Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after the signing. However, critics in Trump’s own Republican Party have expressed disappointment with the deal, saying it does not improve on the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew the US from during his first term.

Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.