President Donald Trump acknowledged criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “crazy” in a phone call that involved expletives. Trump discussed the tension between the two leaders in an interview released Wednesday. He said he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran. But the president insisted that his relationship with Netanyahu was solid and that they connected, in part, because they are both wartime leaders. The interview with The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” offered a sign of the growing pressure Trump faces to resolve the Iran war.

Oil prices rose following the latest fighting to threaten the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but Wall Street isn’t very worried, and U.S. stocks ticked to more records. The S&P 500 added 0.3% Monday to its prior all-time high set on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.4% to likewise set records. The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose more than 4%, which pushed up Treasury yields and hurt companies with big fuel bills. But strong profit reports from U.S. companies and continued strength for big technology stocks kept Wall Street's momentum going.

U.S. President Donald Trump says Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to dial back fighting after he held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and communicated with the Lebanon-militant group through mediators. Trump announced the development Monday in a social media post following a call with Netanyahu. Israeli forces recently made their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century. Trump’s comments emerged after Israel’s government ordered strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut and as Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, including the outskirts of the coastal city of Haifa.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will not attend an annual parade honoring Israel. The fierce defender of Palestinian human rights is skipping the event as he remains under heavy scrutiny from some of the city’s Jewish population over his longstanding criticism of Israel. Sunday's Israel Day parade in Manhattan has for years drawn mayors and political leaders. It also attracts a crowd of thousands of blue-and-white flag-waving revelers celebrating the birth of the Jewish state in 1948. Mamdani’s absence has long been expected. But it has riled opponents who view his criticism of Israeli policy as antisemitic.

Iranians have begun to regain internet access after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users say service is slow and spotty in some areas, with apps like YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted, as they were before the cutoff began during nationwide protests in January. Authorities justified the outage as a military imperative after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Their decision to lift some restrictions this week came as negotiators appeared to be closing in on a more permanent truce. But many Iranians feared access could be cut off again at a moment’s notice.