Trump touts Republican support for Iran deal amid bipartisan criticism

Israeli officials are increasingly concerned that President Donald Trump's emerging agreement with Iran could strengthen Tehran's position in Lebanon and limit Israel's ability to act against Hezbollah, Axios reported.

The concerns center on the Lebanon provisions included in the US-Iran understanding and a new deconfliction mechanism announced after talks in Switzerland.

Under the plan, a cell involving the parties, Lebanon, Pakistan and Qatar would be established to support the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and prevent further escalation.

Israeli officials told Axios they fear the arrangement effectively gives Iran a recognized role in discussions over Lebanon's security future despite Tehran's decades-long backing of Hezbollah.

One Israeli official told Axios that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently more concerned about the Lebanon element of the agreement than the nuclear component.

Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has defended his participation in talks with US officials in Switzerland, arguing that diplomacy helped prevent further bloodshed in Lebanon.

"I saw on a state TV program that they said Mehrabad Airport should have been closed so the negotiating team could not travel to Switzerland," he wrote on X.

"If we had not gone to Switzerland, more Muslim and Shiite blood would have been shed in Lebanon every moment."

The remarks appear to be one of Ghalibaf's clearest public defenses of the talks since returning from Switzerland.

Oil prices slipped and global stock markets were largely unchanged on Monday as optimism over progress in US-Iran negotiations was tempered by expectations of higher interest rates.

The market reaction came after US Vice President JD Vance said in Switzerland that Iran had agreed to allow nuclear inspectors back into the country, with discussions on inspections potentially beginning as soon as this week.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed lower, weighed down by communication services and consumer discretionary stocks, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted modest gains.

Oman's foreign minister said discussions with senior Iranian officials in Muscat focused on ensuring toll-free safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key element of the recently agreed US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

The minister said he met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday following their return from talks with US officials in Switzerland.

"Welcomed Iran's Speaker of Parliament HE Dr. Ghalibaf and FM Dr. Araghchi in Muscat this evening," he wrote on X, describing the discussions as constructive and focused particularly on the Hormuz provisions of the agreement.

He said the sides affirmed their commitment to international law and to toll-free safe passage for commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.

Iran's central bank governor said funds released under the emerging agreement with the United States will not necessarily be restricted to essential goods, suggesting Tehran expects broader access to international trade than previously understood.

According to Tasnim News Agency, the governor said Iran would be able to use the released assets to purchase other non-sanctioned goods in addition to basic necessities.

The comments come just hours after Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said arrangements for the release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets had been finalized during talks with US officials in Switzerland.