Ceasefire Day 54: Trump Says Agreement Is ‘Close’

Prospects for a peace deal to end the Iran War remained alive but uncertain as the conflict’s ceasefire entered its 54th day Sunday. 

President Donald Trump told Fox News Saturday that the U.S. is “close to a very good agreement with Iran,” but said he is in “no hurry” and was willing to resort to military action. 

The New York Times, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported Saturday that Trump has “toughened the terms” of the proposed framework to end the war and sent a revised text of the deal back to Iran for their consideration.

Iran said it downed a U.S. MQ-1 drone Sunday for entering Iranian airspace.

Israel heavily bombed the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon Sunday morning and seized a 12th-century castle, expanding beyond the “yellow line” Israel established in April. Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed dozens of people over the weekend, while the IDF said a Hezbollah drone killed one Israeli soldier. At least 3,412 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2 while  25 Israelis—24 IDF soldiers and one civilian military contractor—have been killed over the same period. UNICEF reports that an average of 11 children in Lebanon have been killed each day by Israel over the past week.

Gas prices remained elevated, with AAA reporting the national average price of regular gas at $4.34 per gallon.