Here are Monday’s updates from the Iran–U.S. negotiations, regional escalation and the Israel–Hezbollah front:
■ The U.S. Central Command said a naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman has begun, while the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed restrictions on Iranian ports and surrounding waters. More than 15 U.S. warships, including an aircraft carrier and destroyers, have been deployed to enforce the operation, according to a senior U.S. official.
■ U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Iranian vessels approaching blockade zones would be “immediately eliminated,” while Iran’s Armed Forces said U.S. measures amount to “piracy” and vowed a “permanent mechanism” to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. The International Maritime Organization warned of a “grave concern” over stranded seafarers in the region.
■ Iran–U.S. nuclear tensions continued, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the central issue is removal of enriched uranium and long-term prevention of Iranian enrichment. A senior U.S. official said Iran continues to reject demands to halt enrichment and dismantle key facilities, while Pakistan’s defense minister said there are still “prospects” for renewed talks.
■ Iranian state media said rail infrastructure damaged in airstrikes across five provinces has been repaired, including key lines linking Tehran, Tabriz and Mashhad.
■ In Lebanon, the IDF said it intercepted more than ten drones launched toward northern Israel and forces operating in southern Lebanon, while a rocket struck a home in Nahariya, lightly wounding a woman. The army said it killed more than 250 Hezbollah operatives in a large-scale strike across Beirut, the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon, and separately reported over 100 killed in the Bint Jbeil area, where forces encircled the town and continued operations.
■ The International Committee of the Red Cross said attacks on medical workers in Lebanon are “gravely concerning,” following a strike on a Red Cross center and the killing of a volunteer.
■ In Gaza, at least eight people were reported killed in separate incidents across the Strip, while aid trucks entered via the Zikim Crossing for the first time since the Iran war began. In the West Bank, Palestinian reports said IDF forces fired tear gas at schoolchildren in Masafer Yatta.