Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that joint military offensives with the US have crippled Iran’s nuclear ambitions "quite a bit", pushing the programme back several years.

"We knocked out 20 of their chief nuclear scientists in the two operations that we did with the United States," Netanyahu told Fox News.

He asserted that while Tehran's capabilities were severely degraded, the international community must remain on "constant watch" to prevent any attempts to restore the programme.

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has discussed the negotiation process between Tehran and Washington with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Fidan held separate calls with Al Thani and Munir, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of US intentions, a senior Iranian source told Reuters.

"Iran’s position remains ‘attack for attack’: if the attacks stop, Iran will also halt its operations. That message has already been conveyed to the United States," the source told Reuters, a day after Washington halted attacks following 13 successive nights of air strikes.

"There is more scepticism than optimism about the halt in attacks. The prevailing view is that the pause is tactical rather than genuine," the source added.

Lebanon's army has condemned ongoing Israeli military activities in the country's south that it said were preventing its full deployment under a framework deal reached with Israel last month.

"Israeli occupation forces continue their attacks and violations of current understandings and of international laws through the systematic destruction and bulldozing of homes, bombardment and sweeps with automatic weapons in several southern areas," an army statement said.

"The continuation of these attacks obstructs the army's full deployment according to current agreements and prevents the return of residents to their villages and towns," it added.

Pope Leo XIV has voiced concern over escalating violence in the Middle East and renewed his call for negotiations and peace, according to Vatican News.

The pope said intensified military operations across the Middle East have brought "violence and destruction," putting civilians' lives in grave danger.

"I urge all parties involved to suspend their attacks and urgently reopen avenues of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the peace so greatly desired by the entire region may be achieved without delay," he said.

"I continue to follow with deep concern the ongoing and escalating violence in the Holy Land," Pope Leo said during his Angelus address in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.

The pontiff pointed to the situation in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and said many civilians had recently fallen victim to the violence.

A tanker has exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after striking a naval mine when it deviated from the route designated by Iran to pass the waterway, Mehr News Agency has reported.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency also reported that an oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with a naval mine.

There was no immediate official statement from Iranian authorities regarding the incident.

Iran said it had made progress in talks with Oman on management of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway crucial for oil and gas trade that both countries border.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said several rounds of negotiations were held in Iranian capital Tehran on Friday and Saturday between Iranian and Omani deputy foreign ministers.

The discussions focused on "common principles and operational mechanisms" for ensuring the safe passage of shipping through the strait while respecting the sovereign rights of the two states, Baqaei said.

He described the talks as "useful" and said progress had been made, adding that "technical and political consultations between the two sides were continuing".

Iran's army warned that the Middle East war would widen if the United States chose to press ahead with attacks on the Islamic republic, ahead of the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.

"I believe that if the Americans once again fall for the Zionists' deception, or move in line with them, and insist on continuing the war, particularly through air strikes, geographically this will expand further," army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia told state television.

He said the war had already expanded to the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, referencing the recent military flare-up between Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.

Iran passed a second consecutive night without reported US air strikes after two weeks of sustained bombardment, as Pakistan and Qatar intensified mediation efforts to secure a broader de-escalation between Washington and Tehran.

No explosions or air raid reports were recorded across Iran overnight into Sunday, according to an Anadolu tracking of developments after the previous night also passed without announced strikes.

The pause follows two weeks of US attacks targeting military infrastructure, coastal surveillance systems, missile and drone facilities, naval assets and logistics sites, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).