Iran has offered to on the in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the war, two regional officials said Monday. Under the proposal, discussions on the larger question of Iran’s nuclear program would come later.
U.S. President seems unlikely to accept the offer. The existing ceasefire keeps the U.S. and Iran in a fragile standoff over the strait.
Iran鈥檚 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Russia Monday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin as part of a trip that included two stops in Pakistan, where leaders are scrambling to reignite stalled talks between Tehran and Washington.
have begun canceling flights as the war in the Middle East and . Here鈥檚 what to know
Here is the latest:
Rubio says preventing Iran from a nuclear weapon 鈥榬emains the core issue鈥�
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked in a Fox 草莓传媒 interview about Iran鈥檚 latest proposal, which would postpone discussions on its nuclear program but end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade and ends the war.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon,鈥� Rubio said.
鈥淭hat fundamental issue still has to be confronted,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat still remains the core issue here.鈥�
Asked whether he thinks the Iranians are serious about making a deal, Rubio said they鈥檙e skilled negotiators looking to buy time.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 let them get away with it,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淲e have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.鈥�
Bessent says doing business with Iranian airlines risks exposure to sanctions
After Iran recently resumed commercial flights, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that nations should not provide jet fuel, catering, landing fees or maintenance to Iranian commercial jets, otherwise Treasury 鈥渨ill not hesitate to act against any third parties that facilitate or conduct business with Iranian entities.鈥�
鈥淚ran鈥檚 creaking oil industry is starting to shut in production thanks to the U.S. BLOCKADE,鈥� Bessent said. 鈥淧umping will soon collapse. GASOLINE SHORTAGES NEXT!鈥�
Netanyahu says Hezbollah is down to about 10% of its arsenal
Meeting with army commanders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah鈥檚 ability to fire into Israel has been sharply degraded, estimating the group retains about 10% of its arsenal. He did not clarify whether that figure refers to the Lebanese militant group鈥檚 stockpile from before the current war, or since the Gaza war began back in 2023.
Iran-backed Hezbollah is believed to still have tens of thousands of rockets, missiles and drones despite decades of efforts by Israel, U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanon鈥檚 government to disarm it. Despite Israeli pressure, it鈥檚 unclear whether Lebanese authorities have the capacity or political will to disarm Hezbollah.
Netanyahu said Israeli forces鈥� occupation of parts of southern Lebanon 鈥� which he described as a 鈥渟ecurity zone鈥� 鈥� has made northern Israel safer. He said deals brokered with the U.S. and Lebanon gave Israel a 鈥渇reedom of action鈥� to counter threats inside that country. Beirut has not acknowledged any such right, and Hezbollah says it will keep firing as long as Israel does.
Trump national security team met and discussed Iranian proposal on Strait of Hormuz
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump鈥檚 national security team met Monday and was discussing Iran鈥檚 proposal on reopening the key waterway. But she offered no detail on what came of the discussion and how the proposal was being received. She instead said that Trump would address it later.
Israel cancels major holiday gatherings over fears of a Hezbollah attack
Typically, next week on Mount Meron in northern Israel to celebrate the Lag BaOmer holiday.
However, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the large festival will replaced with a smaller symbolic ceremony, citing concerns about the gathering being attacked by Hezbollah. Similar restrictions were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and previous wars.
Mount Meron is only about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the border with Lebanon. People normally light bonfires, dance and have large meals there in honor Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a 2nd-century sage and mystic who is believed to be buried on the mountain.
Across Israel, even in secular areas, people often celebrate Lag BaOmer with barbecues and bonfires in parks and forests.
US and Iranian officials clash during a UN nuclear weapons conference
Officials from the United States and Iran clashed over the Islamic Republic鈥檚 nuclear ambitions at the opening of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review, a dispute almost certain to continue during the four-week meeting.
At issue was the election of Iran as one of 34 vice-presidents of the conference. Iran was a candidate of the Nonaligned Movement, comprising 121 mainly developing countries.
The United States was backed by Australia and the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, France and Germany also expressed 鈥渃oncern.鈥� Russia objected to singling out Iran.
The U.S. representative, whose name was not immediately available, said the Trump administration was 鈥渄eeply shocked鈥� that a country that has demonstrated 鈥渃ontempt鈥� for the treaty is now a vice-president.
Iran鈥檚 Ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, Reza Najafi, categorically rejected the U.S. statement, calling the allegations 鈥渂aseless and politically motivated.鈥�
Iran鈥檚 top diplomat says the US wants to negotiate because it failed to achieve its war aims
Iran鈥檚 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a Russian state TV reporter on Monday that despite the U.S. being a superpower, its leaders 鈥渉ave achieved none of their goals鈥� in the war against his country.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why they ask for negotiation,鈥� Iran鈥檚 top diplomat said. 鈥淲e are now considering it.鈥�
Araghchi was in St. Petersburg on Monday, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials.
Asked by another reporter about Russia鈥檚 support, the minister said only that 鈥淚ran and Russia are strategic partners,鈥� and that the two counties 鈥渉ave always supported鈥� each other. 鈥淥ur cooperation would continue,鈥� Araghchi said.
French FM says international waterways are 鈥榥ot for sale鈥� while blaming the US, Israel and Iran for Hormuz crisis
At a U.N. Security Council meeting on maritime security, French Foreign Minister Jean-No毛l Barrot said the energy and humanitarian crisis caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz began after 鈥渙perations launched by the United States and Israel without a clearly set of goal, which were conducted in a manner that flouts international law.鈥�
But Barrot added that Iran now holds responsibility for what it is doing with the critical waterway.
鈥淪traits are the arteries of the world. They are not the property of any individual. They are not for sale, therefore, they cannot be impeded by any obstacles, tolls, nor bribery, neither by Iran, nor by any other party, and under no pretext,鈥� he said.
UN officials and dozens of countries call for immediate action in releasing Iran鈥檚 hold over the Strait of Hormuz
In a joint statement led by Bahrain, dozens of countries reiterated their weekslong 鈥渃all for the urgent and unimpeded opening鈥� of the critical waterway as negotiations between the U.S. and Iran remain stalled.
Antonio Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, told the Security Council on Monday that given the impasse in the negotiations, the world body should support an emergency framework in the meantime put forth by the International Maritime Organization.
The U.N. chief warned about the consequences of waiting to address the 鈥渨orst supply chain disruption since COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.鈥�
鈥淭hese pressures are cascading into empty fuel tanks, empty shelves 鈥� and empty plates,鈥� he told the 15-member council. 鈥淭he humanitarian toll is mounting.鈥�
UK doesn鈥檛 support US blockade of Iranian ports, deputy minister says
Stephen Doughty, minister of state for Europe and North America, said that while the U.K. doesn鈥檛 support the U.S. blockade, it supports working with the United States and others to reopen the Strait of Hormuz 鈥� where he said the Iran is holding 鈥渢he rest of the world to ransom.鈥�
Maritime traffic must flow safely and unimpeded through the strait, he said, 鈥渁nd that includes no tolls, no security risk and, of course, adherence to the international laws on freedom of navigation.鈥�
Diplomacy is crucial, Doughty told a small group of U.N. reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting Monday on the safety of navigation in the critical waterway, through which around 20% of the world鈥檚 crude oil normally passes.
He said de-escalation and a ceasefire are also crucial, stressing that Iran can鈥檛 be allowed to block the strait, attack its Gulf neighbors and civilian infrastructure, and develop nuclear weapons.
Rubio says a purported Iranian offer on the Strait of Hormuz is not acceptable
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a purported offer from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under strict conditions is not acceptable to the United States or others.
Speaking in a Monday interview with Fox 草莓传媒, Rubio said Iran has a different view of the strategic waterway than most of the rest of the world.
鈥淲hat they mean by opening the straits is, yes, the straits are open, as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we鈥檒l blow you up and you pay us,鈥� Rubio said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not opening the straits. Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use
Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry raises death toll there to 2,521
The ministry added Monday that 7,804 people were wounded since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war started March 2.
Despite a ceasefire that鈥檚 been in place since April 17, there have been repeated violations by both sides.
Merz says the American nation 鈥榠s being humiliated鈥� by the Iranian leadership
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday criticized the U.S. for going into the Iran war without any strategy, saying this also makes it harder to end the conflict.
鈥淭he problem with conflicts like these is always the same: it鈥檚 not just about getting in; you also have to get out. We saw that all too painfully in Afghanistan, for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq,鈥� the chancellor said while speaking Monday to students in Marsberg in the Sauerland region of Germany.
The lack of U.S. strategy and the fact that the Iranians are stronger than previously thought made it hard to end the conflict now, he said.
鈥淓specially since the Iranians are negotiating very skillfully 鈥� or rather, very skillfully not negotiating,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd then letting the Americans travel to Islamabad, only to send them back without any results. An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards.鈥�
Germany, he said, maintains its offer to send minesweepers in order to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but only after the fighting is over.
Pakistan clears transit of third-country goods to Iran
Pakistan has cleared the way for Iran to import goods from third countries through its territory by opening new transit routes.
According to a government notification issued Saturday, six routes have been designated linking ports including Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar with key border crossings in southwestern Balochistan province.
The notification was issued during a visit to Islamabad by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met Pakistani officials for talks amid tensions between the United States and Iran.
The order took immediate effect.
Analysts said Monday the new policy allows cargo bound for Iran to move across Pakistan swiftly without facing delays due to bureaucratic hurdles. They said it could also help Pakistan strengthen its role as a regional transit route and improve connectivity with Iran and beyond the region in future.
Iran turns to the Caspian Sea for food with Persian Gulf routes choked by the US blockade
With the United States trying to squeeze Iran by blockading goods from entering or exiting its ports, food suppliers are rerouting imports via the Caspian Sea to ensure food keeps getting into the country.
The head of the Association of Iran鈥檚 Food Industries said Monday that alternative import routes are being 鈥渋ncorporated into the supply chain for essential goods.鈥�
鈥淎t present, there is no problem with the country鈥檚 food security, but maintaining this situation requires careful planning,鈥� Mohammad Reza Mortazavi said, according to the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
The Caspian is the world鈥檚 largest inland body of water and its southern coastline stretches more than 430 miles (700 kilometers) in northern Iran. Iran is a net importer of food staples like grain and cooking oil.
US stocks are mixed as their record-breaking rally slows, while oil prices rise
The U.S. stock market鈥檚 record-breaking rally is slowing Monday after uncertainty rose about what will happen next in , while oil prices are rising.
The S&P 500 edged down by less than 0.1%, coming off driven by from U.S. companies and hopes that the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the economy because of their war. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 86 points, or 0.2%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq was 0.3% lower after setting its own record.
The moves were stronger in the oil market, where prices climbed more than 1.5% as tankers still find the effectively closed. That鈥檚 keeping crude stuck in the Middle East and away from customers worldwide, including crude produced by Iran that鈥檚 being blockaded by the U.S. Navy.
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Israeli military videos show weapons discovered and homes leveled as fighting in Lebanon grinds on
It released videos Monday showing troops operating in Lebanon, including coordinated explosions in unnamed villages, toppling homes it said were infrastructure used by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Footage also showed a brigade discovering a cache of rifles and missile launchers stashed in a children鈥檚 room, which it said were hidden beneath toys, beds and elsewhere in kids鈥� rooms.
Despite a ceasefire nominally in place in Lebanon, both Israel and Hezbollah continue to strike each other, while Israeli forces occupy a buffer zone in Lebanon and have been demolishing neighborhoods in towns and villages in that area.
The military says it destroys buildings that were used as outposts by the Iran-backed militant group, but the wide scale of destruction has Lebanese officials and residents increasingly worried that displaced people will have nowhere to return.
Bahrain strips 69 people of citizenship
The island kingdom鈥檚 interior ministry said it revoked citizenship rights 鈥渙f those who expressed sympathy and praise for Iran鈥檚 hostile and criminal acts.鈥� It noted the move also applied to the families of individuals accused.
is among several countries in the region that tightly controlled information about Iranian strikes during the war, arresting residents and foreigners who filmed them. The Sunni-ruled monarchy, like Iran, has a majority Shiite population and saw pro-Iran demonstrations early in the conflict. Authorities arrested protesters and those who filmed demonstrations en masse, charging dozens with misusing social media, inciting hatred or treason, an offense that can carry the death penalty.
The country is also one of several in the Gulf with laws allowing courts to strip citizenship from people convicted of certain crimes, potentially rendering them stateless. Such measures in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have drawn criticism from rights groups, which say the laws are tools of repression, used to squash and punish dissent.
For ships stuck in the Gulf, crew changes are difficult
Fleet Management Limited usually communicates multiple times a day with dozens of stranded ships that are staffed by more than 400 seafarers, its CEO Capt. Rajalingam Subramaniam said.
Stock checks are regularly maintained for food supply, and pickups have been arranged to ensure availability by moving vessels to the nearest points where they can pick up fresh and dry provisions, he said.
Some crew changes were still happening, but in limited numbers. 鈥淲ho wants to go on the ship?鈥� Subramaniam said. 鈥淭he inbound crew has the right to refuse and we respect (that).鈥�
Most of the stranded mariners have been in the Gulf since the war began. 鈥�(For) mariners who did not sign up to be in warlike area, they also (need) to be respected so that they do not become the unintended collateral,鈥� he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
The meeting happened Monday in Saint Petersburg, Russian state news agency Tass said.
Putin praised the Iranian people as bravely fighting for their sovereignty and said Russia would do everything possible in the interest of Iran and other countries in the region to bring peace to the Middle East, Tass reported.
Tired and worried, seafarers have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for weeks
on hundreds of vessels, including oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Gulf, unable to cross the . Normally about a fifth of the world鈥檚 oil and liquefied natural gas transits the waterway.
Roughly 80 vessels passed through the strait in the week of April 13-19, according to the maritime data firm Lloyd鈥檚 List Intelligence, compared to approximately 130 or more transits per day before the war. Dozens of ships have come under attack since the war started, and the U.N. says at least 10 seafarers were killed.
Even as U.S. President Donald Trump last week extended the ceasefire indefinitely, the U.S. kept the blockade of Iranian ports. In response, Iran in the strait and .
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Israel and Iran spent less on defense in 2025 than 2024, tracker says
Military spending in the Middle East plateaued in 2025, even as it climbed in other parts of the world, according to a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The think tank, which goes by the acronym SIPRI, said regionwide spending increased 0.1% but actually fell in both Israel and Iran.
Israel鈥檚 military spending fell 4.9% to $48.3 billion, reflecting a less intense year of fighting than in 2024 after it entered ceasefires in Lebanon in November 2024 and in Gaza in October 2025. Even as large-scale combat subsided, Israel continued carrying out lethal strikes and maintained a ground presence in both. Spending remains sharply elevated 鈥� up 97% compared with 2022 鈥� and the war has strained public finances, with Israel reporting wider deficits and increased borrowing since it began.
Iran鈥檚 spending fell 5.6% to $7.4 billion. SIPRI attributed that to inflation and broader economic strain, though researchers warned that government reports are likely understated.
鈥淚ran also uses off-budget oil revenues to finance its military, including the production of missiles and drones,鈥� SIPRI researcher Zubaida Karim said.
Lebanon president blasts Hezbollah for rejecting talks
Lebanon President Joseph Aoun blasted militant group Hezbollah on Monday over its rejection of direct talks with Israel.
Lebanon鈥檚 decision to hold negotiations with Israel is not 鈥渢reason,鈥� Aoun said in a statement, adding that treason is when 鈥渟omeone takes the country to war to achieve foreign interests.鈥�
Harshly criticizing Hezbollah without naming it, Aoun asked whether there was a 鈥渘ational accord鈥� when the Iran-backed group took Lebanon to war last month.
Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. The fighting has killed over 2,500 people, wounded more than 7,000 and displaced over 1 million people.
Aoun asked how long people in south Lebanon will pay for the wars of other nations or groups, 鈥渢he latest of which was the war for backing up Gaza and the war for backing up Iran.鈥�
鈥淚 totally reject this war鈥� when the goal is to benefit others, he said.
Aoun said he wants to end the state of war with Israel in the manner of the 1949 Armistice Agreements that brought calm along the border for years without normalizing relations.
鈥淲as the armistice agreement humiliation? I will not accept reaching a humiliating deal,鈥� Aoun said.
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