More than 400 US service members have been medically evacuated from the Middle East since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, CBS News reported, quoting US officials.

The network reported that officials said most of the cases were not related to combat injuries.

Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, began on February 28.

Foreign Ministry describes recent US strikes as a continuation of an "illegal war" against Iran, arguing that they reflected Washington's failure to honour its commitments.

President Donald Trump has rejected reports that the US is running low on munitions in its war with Iran, saying Washington has "far more munitions than anyone in the world".

The Wall Street Journal reported that General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the White House about declining stocks of air defence interceptors.

Oil prices dropped sharply at Monday's opening of Asian markets as investors breathed cautious sighs of relief following two consecutive nights without US strikes on Iran, leaving the door open for new talks.

The price of a barrel of international benchmark North Sea Brent crude fell 5.58 percent to $91.38, while its US counterpart West Texas Intermediate slid $5.46 percent to $84.43.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has urged full implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, including guaranteeing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, during talks with Oman's foreign minister.

The two leaders discussed joint efforts to reduce regional tensions. Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed Qatar's support for dialogue and diplomacy, calling for a comprehensive agreement to secure lasting peace across the region.

The US military leadership advised pausing the bombardment of Iran after concluding that the current air campaign had achieved its immediate goals and was no longer producing operational results, Axios reported.

CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper reportedly informed the White House that two weeks of intensive strikes in the Strait of Hormuz area had “significantly degraded” Tehran’s ability to target commercial vessels. Sources indicated that Cooper noted the designated bombing targets were "mostly exhausted", arguing that continuing the strikes would serve no strategic purpose without a major escalation into full-scale combat.

This military assessment played a critical role in US President Donald Trump’s decision on Friday to suspend offensives. Additionally, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the US president and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that a dwindling supply of air defence interceptors could leave American personnel and regional allies exposed to retaliation.

CENTCOM declined to comment on the internal briefing, Axios said.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reaffirmed Tehran’s support for Hezbollah and called for a “complete and unconditional” end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

His statement came on X in response to a letter pledging allegiance from Hezbollah’s secretary-general and the group’s members.

“Iran has designated the preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the absolute, unconditional termination of the Zionist regime’s aggression as the primary condition for any agreement to end the imposed war against the aggressive US,” he said.

Mojtaba said Hezbollah stands as “an unyielding rock as a forerunner of groups” fighting against Israeli assaults.

The Iranian leader said nations of the world “have grown weary of the tyranny and oppression” of the US government and Israel, “who are the destroyers of lives and generations.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is not communicating with any party or person for “specific reasons", his father-in-law said.​​​​

​​Khamenei "is not communicating with any party or individual for specific reasons", Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said in statements carried by ISNA News Agency. He, however, did not give any further details.

Haddad-Adel said Mojtaba is like his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, “in every way,” expressing hope that he is “in good health.”

The Iranian foreign minister says he conveyed Iran’s position during separate phone calls with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

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.

US President Donald Trump is allowing "some space" for diplomatic discussions with Iran, according to the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, as regional strikes remained halted for a second consecutive night.

“The president is keeping all options on the table,” Waltz told NBC News.

He clarified that while negotiations are proceeding at "every level", the Iranian leadership should take the US president very seriously. "I wouldn't go that far at all," said Waltz when asked if Trump has currently decided against escalation.

Waltz asserted that the US military is “locked and loaded", adding that additional assets have been deployed to the region to target those who "illegally struck civilian shipping".

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).

The report says the decision follows concerns over shrinking US missile stockpiles, regional escalation and risks to Gulf allies.