TOI correspondent from Washington: Just hours after US President Donald Trump assured Americans that Iran “really wants to make a deal” and urged “negatively chirping” critics to “sit back (because) everything will be fine in the end”, the Middle East moved in the opposite direction.The three-month-old conflict again edged toward open war on Monday as both sides reported fresh military attacks, Tehran suspended communications with Washington, and oil markets expressed concern over the possibility that diplomacy could once again collapse. The immediate trigger was Iran’s decision to stop indirect exchanges with the US through intermediaries it attributed to ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Iranian officials argued that the ceasefire in Lebanon was part of a broader understanding to end the conflict and accused Washington of being unable or unwilling to control its closest Middle Eastern ally. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “The ceasefire between Iran and the US is clearly a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation.” The US said it had launched strikes on Iranian military facilities after Tehran reportedly targeted US assets and downed an American drone. Meanwhile, Iran has claimed responsibility for attacks on US military installations in the Gulf region, including an attack targeting a US base in Kuwait. The result is a familiar but increasingly dangerous pattern: diplomacy by day, missiles by night. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai accused Washington of sending contradictory signals, saying the US calls for talks while continuing military operations and supporting Israeli actions in Lebanon. He said such inconsistency was either a negotiating tactic or evidence of confusion within the administration. The criticism is odd for Trump, who has insisted in recent days that success is within reach and imminent. “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it would be good for the United States. And those who are with us. But don’t the Democrats and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans understand that it is very hard for me to do my job properly and negotiate, when political hacks keep “chirping” negatively, at a level never seen before, over and over again, that I should move faster, or move slower, or go to war, or Don’t go to war, or anything.Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Just sit back and relax, everything will work out in the end – it always does!” He added. Yet markets and other countries are less certain than the US President. Oil prices rose sharply after reports that Tehran had suspended communications with Washington and was discussing options that could include renewed pressure on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. This matters far more than the Middle East, including the US.Higher oil prices around the world are beginning to impact transportation costs, manufacturing expenses and gas prices. Even for Americans who polled overwhelmingly on concerns about affordability and inflation, rising fuel costs threaten to become an increasingly sensitive political issue. The conflict is also causing concern in Asia and Europe, where economies are far more dependent on Middle Eastern energy supplies than the US.What is striking is how isolated Washington and Jerusalem appear to be in their appetite for confrontation. Across Europe, Asia and the Gulf, governments are urging de-escalation, a notable example coming on Monday when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takachi spoke by telephone with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and stressed that “the tension in the situation can be reduced through dialogue” without blaming Iran for the tensions. The Japanese intervention reflected the broader international mood. While few governments are sympathetic to Iran’s regional activities, much less its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons, even fewer appear openly enthusiastic about a US-Iran war that threatens global commerce, energy markets, and economic growth.