Iran US War highlights: Iran president says ‘US excessive demands prevented deal’

“We have clearly stated the ceasefire conditions and remain committed to them,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told France President Emmanuel Macron according to Iranian state media. “The US excessive demands prevented reaching an agreement… Iran will continue negotiations only within the framework of international law.”

“Threatening the Strait of Hormuz will have widespread consequences for the world,” Pezeshkian added. (CNN)

UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is guaranteed under international law.

The Strait is a key global route, handling around 20% of global oil shipments.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres’ position remains consistent: “No one should do anything that harms the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The statement comes amid questions over the US-ordered blockade of the strategic waterway.

Guterres reiterated that “there is no military solution” to the ongoing conflict, according to the UN.

He said recent US–Iran talks marked “a positive and meaningful step toward renewed dialogue.”

The UN chief cautioned that an agreement “cannot be reached overnight.”

He called for continued Pakistan-mediated talks and the extension of the ceasefire process.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war against Iran marked a “powerful contrast” to the Holocaust.

He made the remarks during Israel’s annual Holocaust memorial day address.

Netanyahu said Jews during the Holocaust were like an “abused animal crying in agony” under Nazi persecution.

He contrasted this with modern Israel, saying it “fights back against its enemies.”

He compared Iranian nuclear sites with Nazi death camps in his speech.

He listed Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Parchin alongside Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek and Sobibor.

Netanyahu said these Iranian sites “might have been remembered eternally in infamy” if Israel had not acted.

He said: “But we acted, and how—in an unprecedented historic partnership with President Trump and the United States.”

MarineTraffic reported, AP said, that two ships reversed course within minutes of approaching the critical waterway after the US blockade began.

One tanker had departed from the United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah anchorage earlier in the day.

The vessel was reportedly bound for China before changing course.

Details on the second vessel’s destination remain unclear.

The turnaround came shortly after the reported start of the US blockade.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon.

Asif made these remarks on Monday, a day after the Islamabad talks failed to clinch a deal.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Monday (local time) called on the Lebanese government to cancel an upcoming meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington, describing the talks as pointless.

US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) said that Iran reached out to his administration over peace negotiations, as the US began a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the war’s seventh week.

“We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal,” Trump said at the White House, without elaborating on who participated in the conversation, Bloomberg reported.

On Monday's IEA's head, Fatih Birol, noted that the agency is ready to further tap into global reserves. He said that he hopes another oil stockpile release is not needed but "we stand ready to act" if the energy shock resulting from the war with Iran requires it. The 32-member IEA agreed last month to release 400 million barrels of oil from reserves, the largest coordinated release ever, in a bid to calm oil markets. The U.S., the world's largest oil and gas producer, agreed to release 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday rebuked US President Donald Trump in a rare instance. She noted that Trump's attack on Pope Leo was “unacceptable.”

Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesperson warned that Donald Trump would fail in any attempt to militarily interfere in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X: "Can an illegal “war of choice” be won through a “revenge of choice” against the global economy?! Is it ever worthwhile to cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face?!"

Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul told reporters in Berlin it is “urgently necessary” to keep the Strait of Hormuz free and open.

He described the strait as a critical international maritime route that must remain accessible.

Wadephul said maintaining open access is “required by international law” and must be respected by all countries.

He added that ensuring this “must be the goal of us all.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer global leaders will meet this week to address the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

Starmer announced plans to convene a summit with France President Emmanuel Macron to push international efforts.

The aim is to end the conflict and reopen the critical oil shipping route.

Starmer stressed the strait must reopen with “no conditions” and “no tolls.”

He made the remarks while addressing lawmakers in the UK Parliament’s House of Commons.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that maintaining the ceasefire between Iran and the United States is the top priority.

He warned that the current truce is fragile and must be protected to prevent renewed conflict.

Wang made the remarks during a phone call with Ishaq Dar, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.

China urged efforts to avoid escalation and keep tensions from spiralling in the Middle East.

US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a strong warning targeting global oil trade linked to Iran.

“The Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute anyone who buys or sells sanctioned Iranian oil,” Blanche said in a post on X.

“The Department of Justice fully supports our Commander in Chief @POTUS and our military,” he added.

US Iran War LIVE Updates: As Israel keeps bombing South Lebanon villages, razing houses to the ground, Hezbollah retaliated over “ceasefire violations”. It said on Monday that it has launched rockets and drone attacks on Israel.

US Iran War LIVE Updates: While Iran and the United States both left Islamabad hurriedly without reaching a breakthrough to end the war in the West Asia, Pakistan PM Sharif has hinted that the efforts are still on to get them together.

“We are devoting our full efforts to resolve them,” he said.

US Iran War LIVE Updates: Iranian President Pezeshkian has condemned the “insult” to Pope and said, “and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah.”

US Iran War LIVE Updates: As Donald Trump prepares for blockade of the Iranian ports, the United States military has said that any ship passing through the strategic trade channel shall be subject to capture.