Senior Iranian officer says renewed war with US 'inevitable'

A senior Iranian military officer said Tuesday that a resumption of hostilities with the United States was inevitable, as negotiations between Tehran and Washington appeared to stall.

"The United States demands our total surrender, and the Iranian nation will never surrender," said Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy head of Iran's central military command, Khatam al-Anbiya. "Without surrender, war is inevitable."

US demands our total surrender, but the Iranian nation will never surrender.

Since surrender is not an option, war is inevitable. We are prepared for it and have no issue with war; therefore, even if NATO enters the conflict, we have no concerns.

— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) June 2, 2026

Iran deal could happen 'over the next week', says Trump

US President Donald Trump has hinted that an agreement with Iran to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz may be sealed “over the next week".

In an interview with ABC News, Trump said a peace agreement with Iran could be “even better than a military victory".

When asked when the deal would happen, Trump said, “I think you’re talking about over the next week."

"Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said.

Earlier on Monday, the US leader had given decidedly mixed signals about his enthusiasm for the talks to end the Iran war, which the United States and Israel launched on February 28.

Trump told US broadcaster CNBC in a telephone interview shortly before his Truth Social posts that "I don't care" if the Iran talks collapsed.

"Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring," Trump told CNBC.

Trump separately told NBC News on Monday that he had not been informed that Iran was suspending negotiations but that, "I think we've been talking too much if you want to know the truth."

"I think going silent would be very good, and that could be that could be for a long time," he told NBC.

Iran had earlier called off the negotiations over Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon. However, Trump intervened and spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah representatives. He later announced that Israel and Hezbollah would not attack each other.

“There was a little glitch today, but I turned that one around very quickly, as you probably noticed earlier. So, I spoke with Hezbollah, and I said no shooting, and I talked to Bibi [Netanyahu], and said, no shooting, and they both stopped shooting each other," Trump said.

???? SHOTS FIRED: TRUMP JUST WENT OFF ON NETANYAHU: “YOU’RE F**KING CRAZY” ???? pic.twitter.com/Y4ludu8jS2

— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) June 2, 2026

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he asked Netanyahu not to go into a major raid of Beirut. He further said Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to stop shooting and expressed hope that it would be for “eternity".

“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his troops around. Thank you Bibi! I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!" he said.

I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back. Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah,… pic.twitter.com/RGKd9tQiCD

— Commentary Donald J Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) June 1, 2026

- 'Direct war' -

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the US naval blockade and Lebanon escalation were "clear evidence of US non-compliance with the ceasefire".

Late Monday, Tasnim reported that Iran was suspending "dialogues and exchange of texts through mediators" over Israel's actions in Lebanon.

In a message carried by state TV, the Revolutionary Guards intelligence body said "crossing the red lines in Lebanon and Gaza" would mean "direct war".

It said Iran was determined to preserve what it called the "Strait of Hormuz equation" and to take "meaningful actions" by opening other fronts.

Trump told NBC that did not mean Washington would "start dropping bombs all over there", but insisted the US naval blockade would remain.

Tasnim reported that Iran would keep Hormuz blocked and, with its allies, "activate other fronts", including the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.

Tehran's Houthi allies in Yemen have previously attacked shipping near Bab al-Mandab, whose closure could disrupt millions more barrels of oil exported daily by Saudi Arabia through its Red Sea port of Yanbu.

In another sign of danger to Gulf shipping, the UKMTO maritime agency reported a "large explosion" on a cargo vessel off Iraq "following a hit from an unknown projectile".

Israel orders residents to evacuate Lebanon city

The Israeli military has warned residents of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh to evacuate ahead of planned strikes in the area.

“In light of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is compelled to act against it with force,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, posted on X.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River.”

Lebanon says man, son, daughter killed in Israeli strike

Lebanese official media has said an Israeli strike a day earlier killed a man, his son and daughter in the country’s south, while a local priest told AFP they were returning from doing university exams.

The man, a dentist from the border village of Qlayaa, “was killed with his son and daughter when an enemy drone targeted his car on the Nabatieh-Khardali road”, citing Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Father Antonios Farah, a priest for the Qlayaa parish where some people are still holding out despite sweeping Israeli evacuation orders to leave, told AFP that the man had been returning home with his son and daughter, both in their early 20s, after they did university exams.

“The man and his two children went to the university in the morning so they could do their examinations, and on their way back the Israeli drone hit their car,” he said.

- Nuclear impasse -

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said: "No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear file. At this stage, our priority is ending the war."

Trump insists Iran's nuclear programme must be part of any deal, saying Tehran must not get nuclear weapons -- ambitions Iran denies.

"We insist that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war," Baqaei said, adding that the United States was also violating the ceasefire.

The US military said it carried out "self-defence strikes" on Iranian radar and drone control sites over the weekend -- its third such wave in just over a week -- after a US MQ-1 drone was downed.

The Revolutionary Guards later told state media they had targeted an airbase used by the US military for the attack.

They did not identify the country hosting the base, but Kuwait's military said its air defences intercepted "hostile missile and drone attacks".

The Israeli army also announced that two more soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon, bringing Israeli military deaths since early March to 27.