Trump pauses Iran strikes, allows talks space
Vance, top general, warned against escalation
Iran-US messages continue through diplomatic mediators
Tehran accuses Washington of betraying negotiations
Iran blames Ukraine over Caspian Sea attack
Yemen’s Houthi group claimed drone attacks on key oil facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted “a number of sensitive targets and points for the supply and transport of crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu” with drones.
It claimed that the attack was in response to what it called repeated violations of Yemeni airspace by Saudi Arabia.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu departed to Washington, where he said he would meet US President Donald Trump for their first face-to-face talks since the start of their conflict with Iran.
It will be Netanyahu's eighth meeting with Trump since the US president returned to office, and their first since February, right before Israel and the United States launched a joint aerial campaign against Iran.
"In these complex times, you need to act with both great determination and great wisdom. We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, primarily Iran. Of course, our goal is to protect our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us," Netanyahu said in a video statement upon departure.
Saudi Arabia said that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraqi territory targeting oil facilities in the kingdom.
A defence ministry statement said the drones were shot down over the past several hours before they could reach petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region.
The attempted attacks originated from Iraqi territory and were carried out by “Iran-backed terrorist militias,” the statement added.
Oil prices tumbled as a pause in tit-for-tat strikes between the United States and Iran boosted hopes for a return to their ceasefire and negotiations on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Crude prices soared on the flare-up, with Brent breaking back above $100 a barrel last week for the first time since May.
Iran's foreign ministry said it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, despite a halt in recent fighting between the two sides.
"Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing.
"Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are fabrications that the other side circulates from time to time," he added.
Jordan's armed forces said they intercepted and downed two drones on Monday morning, adding that there were no casualties or material damage.
The statement did not identify who launched the drones.
Iran has not asked to resume talks with the United States to end the war, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has not changed, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said.
The Israeli military said it intercepted two drones near the Jordanian border and was investigating where they had been launched from.
Earlier this month, the military said Israeli and Jordanian forces had intercepted an Iranian missile fired toward the Jordanian city of Aqaba.
"A short while ago, the IDF intercepted two UAVs identified in the area of the Jordan border," the military said.
"The UAVs did not cross into Israeli territory. The origin of the launch is under review," it added.
Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday it had summoned the French ambassador to Tehran to protest what it described as "interference in Iran's internal affairs" by two diplomats who were briefly detained earlier this month.
"Yesterday, the French ambassador in Tehran was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where it was stressed that the French government must cease such actions and such interference in Iran's internal affairs under misleading labels," said the ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing, adding that the diplomats had carried out activities "that were in no way justified".
Iran's foreign ministry said the United States was not involved in recent talks with Oman over the administration of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
"These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing," said the ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing, adding that the waterway "remains closed".
Iran will not let the US decide when war or peace takes place, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said.
"We will not allow the United States to determine the time of peace and war," Baqaei said at a weekly news conference, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.
He also said the US was "stuck in a self-made quagmire after five months."
Iran's foreign ministry warned of "unforeseen" consequences following Ukraine's attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea over the weekend.
"This action by Ukraine was an absolutely illegal and unjustified act, contrary to the Charter of the United Nations, as well as a dangerous act of adventurism that will certainly not go unanswered by us," the ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing, adding that the consequences of Ukraine's action "will certainly be unforeseen".
Iran said six vessels attempted to pass through an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz early Monday after switching off their navigation and positioning systems, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
The vessels tried to cross the southern route of the strategic waterway “illegally and unsafely,” a well-informed source told IRIB. The source claimed the ships were attempting to “provoke” US forces in the area.
Iran and the United States held their fire, handing Gulf shipping and the oil industry a respite from missile strikes as Donald Trump's UN envoy said the president was "giving talks some space".
Tehran said it had halted retaliatory attacks against Washington's allies in the Middle East, and US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told "Fox News Sunday" that, while forces remained "locked and loaded", Trump would give negotiations "a little bit of room".
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.
Trump pauses Iran strikes, allows talks space
Vance, top general, warned against escalation
Iran-US messages continue through diplomatic mediators
Tehran accuses Washington of betraying negotiations
Iran blames Ukraine over Caspian Sea attack





