The White House had signaled Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, though Tehran denied there was a final agreement on ending the conflict.US sources had told AFP the deal was waiting on Trump's sign-off, but he made no decision after a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday.Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, while attending a defense summit in Singapore, said on Saturday that Washington was "more than capable" of restarting the war if necessary, adding "our stockpiles are more than suited for that."US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X that American forces "remain present and vigilant across the region."Despite a ceasefire that has largely held since April, there have been occasional flare-ups.Iran's IRNA state news agency said air defenses shot down a drone "belonging to the US-Zionist aggressor enemy" on Saturday, citing the army.
Destroyed buildings are pictured in the village of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon as seen from across the border in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel on May 29 © Jalaa MAREY / AFP
Nevertheless diplomacy has continued, including to stop parallel fighting in Lebanon, which Iran has insisted be part of any deal to end the war and where Israeli forces have advanced further even as military delegations from both nations met at the Pentagon Friday.Trump said his priorities for any deal included Iran agreeing to never develop nuclear weapons and the re-opening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz."President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines," a White House official told AFP, adding: "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."Competing conditionsIranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei pushed back on Trump's conditions, saying the Islamic republic "said goodbye to the language of 'must' 47 years ago."Exchanges of messages were continuing, he added, but "no final agreement has been reached."
