President Trump hinted that the conflict in Iran could be over soon, but that was met with immediate pushback from Iran. The U.S.-Israeli strikes continued on Monday, and Iran retaliated with missiles and drones across the region. Nick Schifrin reports from Israel.

Trump says Iran wants 'deal' to end war, but regime denies talks and strikes continue

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Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

We are following two major ongoing stories tonight. The troubles facing air travel continue to be compounded first by the congressional funding fight and now by a fatal collision at a New York City airport.

But we start with the latest in the war with Iran. President Trump today hinted the conflict could be over soon, something met with immediate pushback from Iran. That's as the U.S. and Israel continue their strikes and Iran retaliates.

Our Nick Schifrin reports tonight from Israel.

Nick Schifrin:

Today, following Israeli strikes on Tehran and U.S. threats to target Iran's energy facilities, President Trump signaled an off-rack.

President Donald Trump:

We have points, major points of agreement, I would say almost all points of agreement.

Nick Schifrin:

President Trump said that top envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had spoken to an official that he hoped would prove a possible Iranian Delcy Rodriguez, the Venezuelan leader largely following U.S. direction.

President Donald Trump:

We are doing so well in Venezuela with oil and with the relationship between the president-elect. And maybe we find somebody like that in Iran. And if it goes well, we're going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we will just keep bombing our little hearts out.

Nick Schifrin:

But Tehran denied any diplomacy.

Powerful speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X: "Iranian people demand complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors, and no negotiations have been held with the U.S. And fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the U.S. and Israel are trapped."

The president's signaling rallied the market and drove down the price of Brent crude by nearly 20 percent.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency:

No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis.

Nick Schifrin:

Before the president's announcement, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol laid out the toll paid by the energy market, 40 oil institutions severely damaged across nine countries, including long-term physical damage predicted to reduce natural gas exports for years.

Fatih Birol:

The global economy is facing a major, major threat. I thought I should say a few things, because I thought the depth of the problem was not well appreciated by the decision makers around the world.

Nick Schifrin:

Today, the U.S. military continued its campaign targeting Iranian drones and missiles. And the military accused Iran of hiding launchers among civilians, leading the military's top Middle East commander to urge civilians to stay home for now.

Adm. Brad Cooper, Central Command Commander:

There will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out.

Nick Schifrin:

In his first interview of the war, Admiral Brad Cooper also told the anti-regime channel Iran International that Israel is helping defend Arab countries from Iranian attacks.

Adm. Brad Cooper:

We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in what has been established as the largest umbrella of air defense in the Middle East history. Israel is attacking drones and ballistic missiles that are aimed at Arab countries and attacking and defeating them.

Nick Schifrin:

But Israel itself has faced more than 400 missile attacks, including ones this weekend it could not prevent. On Saturday night, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the city of Dimona, home to Israel's nuclear facility, as well as an apartment building in the nearby city of Arad, with both strikes injuring more than 100.

By day, the missile's blast radius revealed, entire families' daily lives crushed in what used to be a home, and this community still in shock.

Israel says it has blocked more than 90 percent of Iran's ballistic missiles, and that Iran has fired fewer weapons in the last three weeks than it did during 12 days of war last summer. But the residents of this part of Israel did not think they would be targeted. The people who lived here believed that they were safe, and so this damage here with a high number of casualties pierces Israelis' sense of their own security.

Olga Naumov is a Russian immigrant who's lived here for 26 years.

Olga Naumov, Arad, Israel, Resident (through interpreter):

It's a bomb, a really loud boom sound, and we were all scared. Some people started crying. Some people started yelling. It was really loud. Everything fell from the ceiling.

Nick Schifrin:

Does this make you feel less safe? Does this make you think that anywhere in Israel isn't safe right now?

Olga Naumov (through interpreter):

There isn't a single place in this country that we can say is OK and safe. There's nowhere to run. People have to think. first and keep themselves safe.

Nick Schifrin:

This city has long been home to Russian emigres. Now it's also filled with the ultraorthodox, many of whom have historically ignored bomb shelters, believing God would protect them.

Col. Nadav Shoshani, IDF Spokesperson:

We want to learn, we want to be perfect, but no aerial defense system in the world is perfect.

Nick Schifrin:

Colonel Nadav Shoshani is the military's international spokesperson. He acknowledged the military's failure to shoot down this missile, but blamed Iran.

Col. Nadav Shoshani:

In the direct proximity of this area, there's no military installations. And throughout this war, we have seen Iran, both in intelligence and in actions, we have seen them strike civilian areas.

Nick Schifrin:

Including this street in downtown Tel Aviv, where Iran used an increasingly common weapon.

The majority of missiles that Iran is now firing at Israel have cluster munitions. That's when a missile actually releases tiny bombs that fly across five to 10 miles and are designed to penetrate through a roof before exploding. And that's what happened here. A bomb exploded inside that apartment.

Luckily, no one was home, no casualties here, but it shows the ongoing risk to Israeli civilians. Last week, a cluster munition pierced this roof south of Tel Aviv to explode inside. It was a school whose students, like all students here, are studying from home. And so Tel Aviv and Israel are shaken today, even as they also clean up and try to remain resilient.

Geoff Bennett:

And Nick joins us now from Tel Aviv.

Nick, how is Israel reacting to President Trump's statement today that the U.S. and Iran are close to a deal?

Nick Schifrin:

They were surprised, according to an Israeli official and a regional official I spoke to. They were surprised by this announcement, taken aback a little bit by the fact that suddenly President Trump was moving so rapidly toward diplomacy.

And you can see a little bit of that in the tone of a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which reads in part: "Trump believes there is an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the U.S. military, to realize the goals of the war through an agreement, an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests."

But it goes on to say: "Just a few days ago, we eliminated two more nuclear scientists and we are still active."

And that reflects a little bit, Geoff, what I'm hearing from Israeli officials that, on the one hand, they have been trying to prepare this country to be at war through the Passover holiday. That means through the next two weeks, a holiday that usually Israelis spend traveling with other family. Possibly, they won't be able to do that. That was the preparation.

But at the same time, the army was preparing not to be able to continue this operation. They were trying to speed up their targeting, knowing that President Trump could declare some kind of victory quickly. So that's been happening in Israel, but, definitely, this announcement catching Israel by surprise.

Geoff Bennett:

And what more have you learned about these negotiations, Nick?

Nick Schifrin:

Three diplomatic officials tonight tell my colleague Liz Landers and I that Pakistan has emerged as the possible intermediary, in fact sees itself as responsible to be that intermediary between its relationship with the president and with Iran.

But as one diplomatic official puts it to me, the U.S. does not need, or at least the Trump administration does not feel it needs any kind of intermediary. This would be a venue, presumably, that Pakistan or another country would offer to the United States. And so Pakistan playing a part, other diplomats telling us that Egypt and Turkey are trying to play a part.

And, again, the president, as you heard earlier today trying to find the equivalent of a Delcy Rodriguez, trying to find a leader inside Iran already who he can make a deal with, Geoff.

Geoff Bennett:

Nick Schifrin reporting tonight from Tel Aviv.

Nick, our thanks to you.

Nick Schifrin:

Thank you.