Netanyahu said he and Minister of Settlements Orit Strook had approved new settlements just minutes before his remarks.

“The Abraham Accords with four Arab countries were born not because we went to the Palestinians and said, we recognize a Palestinian country… No, we did not do that,” Netanyahu said. “We made peace for peace, but peace for strength.”

He said regional countries sought alliances with Israel because cooperation strengthened both sides economically and militarily against what he described as a shared Iranian threat, adding that states in the region feared being “conquered by Iran.”

Netanyahu also dismissed concessions toward Palestinian statehood as a sign of “weakness.”

If the warfare of the future is to live up to the moral values of our ancestors, decisions over life and death must be made by humans, and not machines.

Nothing can justify the ongoing assaults on my regions of Tyre and Nabatieh and the destruction of their historical landmarks, nor the continuous threats targeting our peaceful people there, nor the repeated calls for them to leave their homes and abandon their livelihoods, amounting to collective punishment condemned by all international norms and laws.

This only strengthens our resolve for the necessity of an immediate ceasefire, working toward a complete Israeli withdrawal from our land, and extending the State's authority over all its territories, allowing all the displaced to return to their homes in safety and dignity.

And we continue to rally all Arab and international support to achieve that. For this is our national duty and our unwavering right, on which we will not compromise under any circumstances.

Brent crude fell to a low of $93.36 from an earlier high of $98, before rebounding to about $94. Prices had jumped earlier after the U.S. carried out new strikes on a military site in Bandar Abbas — the second attack in three days — which Washington said were conducted in self-defense.

CENTCOM confirmed it also shot down four Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran called the strikes "a grave violation of the ceasefire" and vowed not to leave any hostility unanswered. Kuwait's military separately reported intercepting hostile missile and drone threats.

Oil had already fallen sharply this week on hopes of a deal to reopen the strait, which has been effectively closed since the war began on February 28, choking off roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies. Before the conflict, Brent was trading closer to $70 a barrel.

Exchange of messages with the US is underway.

If Trump wants to get out of the deadlock, he has no choice but to surrender to the will of the Iranian nation.

Americans must first accept Iran's five conditions. At this stage, they accepted, but so far they have not taken any action.

Actually, oil prices are down about 10% in May.

The Strait of Hormuz has to have free transit navigations of the sea; the sea has to be free and open, as it was before.

Trump will not take a bad deal. He's going to make a great deal for the American people.