Iran launches strikes on Israel after announcing 'special plans' in response to Trump's claim of peace talks
It comes following a weekend of mixed messages from President Trump over the prospect of ending the war
Iran and Israel have launched strikes against each other just hours after Donald Trump piled pressure on Tehran to make a deal to end the war despite previously threatening to strike the nation's energy sites.
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Iran claimed it had "special plans" for Tel Aviv and its "regional allies" on Monday, which would all but remove any hopes of a peace treaty between the nations.
It comes after mixed signals came from President Trump, who backed down on earlier threats to "obliterate" Iranian power plants but later claimed his opposition had "one more chance at peace."
A source told Iran's state-run Fars News Agency on Monday evening: "Tonight, special events are planned for Tel Aviv and some regional allies of the US and Israel that will completely remove the hope of negotiations from the minds of the aggressors."
Read more: Trump says Iran has 'one more chance at peace' as Tehran denies claim of ceasefire talks
Iran appeared to carried out its threat as missiles were fired towards the Eilat area of southern Isreal. Strikes have also been reported in the cities of Dimona and Yeruham.
Residents in the Jerusalem have heard loud explosions, it is also claimed.
The agency posted a message on Telegram which appeared to dismiss claims made by Trump that the two sides had undergone the first stage of negotiations.
The message read: "Informed officials in Iran announced that there were no negotiations and emphasised that until the US completely withdrew, evacuated its bases in the region, paid compensation, and received valid guarantees not to repeat the aggression, neither would the war end nor would the Strait of Hormuz be reopened.
"According to this report, even after the possible end of the war, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to the pre-war situation".
However, the IDF also posted on X it had "just begun another wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran".
The Israeli military said it would continue operations in line with the country's Government directives until further notice.
Earlier on Monday, Trump posted a typo-ridden update on TruthSocial where he stated his pause will last for five days, but added that it depends on "the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions".
Over the weekend, the President laid down a 48-hour ultimatum which demanded Iran reopen the Strait or face new strikes on key energy sites.
Asked who would in charge of the passage following any deal to end the conflict, Trump said: "Maybe me, me and whoever the next ayatollah (is)."
However, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, also called the Trump administration's claims of talks as "fake news".
Air raid sirens have been heard in multiple Israeli cities with alarms being raised in heard in the town of Nahariya, as well as Avivim and Bir'on, which comes after heavy explosions were reported in Tehran, Iran's capital city.
Loud blasts have also been heard in Jerusalem, where rescue teams were sent to a damaged building.
The IDF said: "Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat."
His rebuttal followed reports that Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been negotiating with Mr Ghalibaf.
The conflicting reports were again emphasised by Trump also going as far as to say the US would “keep bombing its little heart out” if a peace agreement isn’t reached.
Iran has been blocking the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels, since the war started on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked the country.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: "If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"
In response, Iran warned on Monday that it will target electrical plants in Israel and across the Middle East if Trump follows through on his threat.