The conflict between Iran and the United States continued on Tuesday after Tehran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East, while President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for talks centred on Iran and regional security.
The meeting marked Netanyahu's first visit to Washington since the U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran.
Although Israel has not participated in the latest exchange of hostilities, fighting between Washington and Tehran earlier this month remains paused as diplomatic efforts continue to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump expressed confidence that negotiations could succeed but warned the military campaign could resume if diplomacy fails.
"If the U.S. and Iran can't make a deal, we go back to doing what we were doing," Trump said.
Meanwhile, Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at U.S. military positions, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which described the strike as an "attempted surprise attack".
CENTCOM said all incoming missiles were successfully intercepted and no damage was reported.
"U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," CENTCOM said.
Separately, CENTCOM said the renewed U.S. naval blockade has prevented 18 commercial vessels from entering or leaving Iranian ports, up from 17 ships reported a day earlier.
The military said two vessels have been boarded and two disabled since the operation began, with more than 20 U.S. warships participating in what President Trump last week described as a "steel wall".
Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted following the collapse of the ceasefire and Iranian attacks on vessels earlier this month.
According to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, only 29 verified transits were recorded between 24 and 26 July, compared with roughly 100 daily crossings before the conflict.
A senior Israeli official told CBS News that Tuesday's White House meeting was constructive, saying the leaders focused primarily on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"It was an extremely positive meeting," the source said. "The Prime Minister and President held an excellent and comprehensive discussion on the key issues of the day, first and foremost Iran. The leaders reaffirmed their ironclad commitment to ensuring that Iran never has nuclear weapons."
Before the meeting, Trump dismissed suggestions Netanyahu would need to convince him about reports surrounding the so-called Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility.
"Bibi's telling me that because he wants me to stay involved," Trump told Fox News. "I said, 'Why didn't you just tell it to me, why did you have to announce it to the world?'"
"I know exactly what's going on at Pickaxe. It's not a big problem," Trump added.
The leaders reportedly met for just over an hour.
