Trump Says New Iran Talks Will Begin as U.S. Pauses Massive Strikes/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump said new negotiations to end the Iran war would begin Monday after he suspended plans for a massive U.S. attack. Iran denied that direct talks were underway, saying its discussions with Oman focused only on temporarily restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed at least 17 people in Gaza, Iran executed two men accused of spying for Israel and regional leaders discussed growing security threats.
Quick Look
- Trump said negotiations with Iran would begin Monday afternoon.
- He did not identify the participants or provide details.
- Trump said Gulf allies persuaded him to cancel planned U.S. strikes.
- He described the proposed operation as “the biggest attack since World War II.”
- Iran said it was not currently negotiating with the United States.
- Tehran confirmed talks with Oman about safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Nine vessels traveled through the strait Sunday.
- Iran’s trade minister traveled to Pakistan to address shipping bottlenecks.
- Iran’s foreign minister visited Najaf, Iraq.
- Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish leaders discussed regional security.
- Iran executed two men convicted of spying for Israel.
- Israeli strikes killed at least 17 people in Gaza over the weekend.
- The Gaza victims included children, according to local hospitals.
- Israel said it targeted militants.
- Extreme heat is worsening conditions in Gaza’s displacement camps.
Deep Look
Trump announces new negotiations with Iran
CAIRO — President Donald Trump said new negotiations intended to end the Iran war would begin Monday after he decided against ordering another major round of U.S. strikes.
The proposed talks would seek to end the five-month conflict and restore regular commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Before the war, approximately one-fifth of globally traded oil and natural gas passed through the strategic waterway.
Iranian attacks, naval restrictions and military operations have sharply reduced traffic, contributing to higher energy prices and broader inflation.
Iran denies direct talks are underway
Trump’s announcement was immediately complicated by a contradictory statement from Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tehran was not currently negotiating with the United States.
Iran acknowledged discussions with Oman but said those talks concerned only the establishment of a temporary route for safe commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
The conflicting accounts raised questions about whether formal peace negotiations were scheduled or whether Trump was referring to indirect contacts through regional mediators.
Trump says Gulf allies prevented major attack
Trump said Sunday that Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates urged him to avoid another military escalation.
He said the United States had prepared “the biggest attack since World War II.”
The president also said unnamed Iranian officials asked him to give diplomacy more time.
“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” Trump said.
He did not disclose where the talks would be held, who would attend or whether the negotiations would be direct or conducted through intermediaries.
Trump continues pattern of threats and reversals
The latest announcement follows a pattern seen throughout the conflict.
Trump has repeatedly threatened large-scale attacks against Iran and set deadlines for its leaders to accept American demands.
He has then postponed the operations, often saying Gulf allies or signs of diplomatic progress justified additional negotiations.
Some of those announcements were followed by renewed attacks and the collapse of temporary agreements.
The rapid changes have contributed to uncertainty in the Middle East and significant volatility in oil and financial markets.
Talks seek to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Restoring commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most urgent objectives of the proposed diplomacy.
The narrow channel connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and international shipping routes.
Before the war, it carried roughly one-fifth of traded global oil and natural gas.
Restrictions have forced exporters and shipping companies to search for alternative routes while paying higher insurance and security costs.
A reliable navigation agreement could increase energy supplies and reduce pressure on oil prices.
Oman discusses temporary shipping route
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran’s current discussions with Oman were limited in scope.
Oman is located across the strait from Iran and has frequently acted as an intermediary in regional diplomacy.
According to Baghaei, the negotiations focus on creating a temporary route that would allow ships to move safely through the channel.
The statement did not confirm broader negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program, military operations or a permanent peace agreement.
Nine vessels pass through strait
Nine ships traveled through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to Kpler, a trade-data and analytics company.
Most used a route controlled by Iran.
The limited movement demonstrated that some shipping remains possible despite the conflict and U.S. naval blockade.
It also underscored Tehran’s continued influence over access to the waterway.
A lasting reopening would require clear security guarantees for commercial vessels and agreement over who supervises maritime traffic.
Iranian foreign minister travels to Iraq
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived Monday in Najaf, Iraq.
His office said he was attending the Arbaeen commemorations, an annual Shiite Muslim pilgrimage.
The visit came as Iraq attempts to balance its relationships with Iran and the United States.
That position has become more difficult since Washington and Israel launched the war against Iran in February.
Iraq hosts American personnel while also maintaining political, economic and religious ties with Tehran.
Iraq caught between U.S. and Iran
Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups have conducted drone attacks against American interests throughout Iraq.
Some attacks have targeted facilities in the semiautonomous Kurdish region.
The United States and Saudi Arabia recently retaliated against Iran-aligned militias by striking weapons and logistics sites in Iraq.
Those operations drew criticism from Iraqi officials and added pressure to a government attempting to prevent the regional conflict from expanding further onto its territory.
Araghchi’s visit placed renewed attention on Iraq’s role as both a neighbor of Iran and a partner of Washington.
Iran trade minister visits Pakistan
Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Atabak traveled to Pakistan on Monday for a two-day official visit.
The talks were expected to focus partly on reducing transit delays and increasing the number of Iranian shipping containers moving through Pakistani ports.
Iran is seeking alternative trade routes while the U.S. naval blockade and restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz disrupt its normal shipping.
Atabak was scheduled to attend a meeting of the Iran-Pakistan Joint Trade Committee in Islamabad.
He also planned to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan offers potential route around blockade
Greater use of Pakistani ports could help Iran move goods that might otherwise face delays or restrictions in the Persian Gulf.
Pakistan shares a land border with Iran and has access to the Arabian Sea.
Expanding overland and port connections would require solutions involving customs procedures, transportation capacity and security.
The trip reflects Tehran’s effort to reduce the economic effects of the conflict even as Trump claims negotiations to end the war are beginning.
Syrian and Kurdish leaders discuss security
Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa met Iraqi Kurdish regional President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday.
The leaders discussed improving cooperation and supporting regional security.
Their meeting occurred amid concerns about attacks by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias and weapons smuggling across regional borders.
The Kurdish region of Iraq has hosted American interests and has faced drone attacks during the conflict.
Syria is also attempting to secure its borders and prevent armed groups from moving weapons through its territory.
Syria reports attempted Hezbollah arms shipment
Syrian state media reported in July that border authorities prevented an attempted weapons-smuggling operation from Iraq in June.
Officials said the weapons were believed to be destined for Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant organization.
Hezbollah denied the allegation.
The report highlighted the regional networks through which Iran and allied groups have historically transported weapons and equipment.
Disrupting those routes has become part of broader efforts to reduce Tehran’s influence.
Iran executes two alleged Israeli spies
Iran’s judiciary announced Monday that it had executed two men convicted of spying for Israel.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency identified them as Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat.
Authorities accused the men of providing military coordinates, photographs and other intelligence used in attacks against Iranian targets.
The judiciary did not say where the executions took place.
The allegations and convictions could not be independently verified from the supplied report.
Executions follow domestic protest hangings
Iran publicly hanged two other men the previous week.
Those men were convicted of killing four police officers during nationwide anti-government demonstrations in January.
The executions reflect Tehran’s intensified response to internal dissent and alleged espionage during wartime.
Human rights organizations have frequently criticized Iran’s judicial procedures and use of capital punishment.
The Iranian government says the executions are lawful responses to serious crimes and threats to national security.
Israeli strikes continue in Gaza
Elsewhere in the region, Israel carried out strikes across Gaza during the weekend.
The attacks came only days after the United States and Hamas announced an agreement outlining how the militant group would disarm.
That road map is intended to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire and eventually support an Israeli military withdrawal.
Continued Israeli attacks have raised doubts about whether either side will implement the new agreement.
Gaza hospitals report 17 deaths
Hospitals in Gaza said at least 17 people were killed in the weekend strikes.
The reported victims included children.
Nasser Hospital said an Israeli strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza killed three members of one family, including a 4-year-old child.
The Israeli military said its attacks targeted militants.
The military did not provide details in the supplied report about each strike or identify the alleged militant targets.
Disarmament deal remains uncertain
The United States and Hamas said last week that the militant organization had accepted a road map for decommissioning its weapons.
The plan links Hamas’ disarmament with a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israel has not publicly endorsed the document, and Israeli officials have indicated that the military will not leave areas it controls before Gaza is demilitarized.
Hamas has said the process must occur alongside Israeli concessions and an end to military operations.
The sequencing dispute could prevent implementation even though Hamas accepted the general framework.
Extreme heat worsens Gaza crisis
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are spending the summer in makeshift tent camps.
The shelters, many constructed from plastic or nylon sheets, trap heat and provide little ventilation.
Families often must remain outside for long periods because the tents become dangerously hot during the day.
High overnight temperatures provide little relief.
The heat is compounding shortages of clean water, electricity and sanitation.
Aid groups warn of disease
Overcrowded camps are struggling with flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and other insects.
The Norwegian Refugee Council and other humanitarian organizations warn that the conditions increase the risk of dehydration and heat-related illness.
Poor sanitation can also accelerate the spread of skin infections, diarrheal diseases and other communicable illnesses.
Children, older adults and people with existing medical conditions face especially serious risks.
Limited electricity also makes it difficult to cool shelters, preserve food or operate medical equipment.
Displaced woman describes unbearable conditions
Aida Abu Hadeesha, who was displaced from Rafah near Gaza’s border with Egypt, described the heat inside her family’s shelter.
“It’s very hot. We can’t stay inside the tents. Our tent is made of nylon,” she said.
“There is no breeze, nothing, and our kids are suffering,” she said, adding that the stifling heat continued all night. “The flies and the cockroaches attack us.”
Her account illustrates the daily crisis facing civilians even as regional leaders discuss ceasefires, disarmament and diplomatic frameworks.
Middle East developments remain interconnected
The proposed Iran talks, shipping negotiations, Gulf diplomacy, militia attacks and Gaza ceasefire efforts are unfolding simultaneously.
Each development affects the others.
A U.S.-Iran agreement could reduce pressure on Iraq and Gulf states, restore energy shipments and limit support for allied armed groups.
A failure could trigger renewed American strikes, Iranian retaliation and further disruption across the region.
Trump says negotiations are beginning, but Iran’s denial and ongoing attacks demonstrate that a lasting agreement remains uncertain.
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