Donald Trump has stated on his Truth Social platform that the United States and Iran have had "very productive discussions on the complete resolution of our hostilities" in the Middle East and has postponed the ultimatum to attack the country's power plants for five days. The US president now says that the talks will continue throughout the week.
However, the Iranian news agency Fars, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC), has stated that there have been no direct or indirect talks with the US and that Trump would have backtracked after his threats. This morning, the group stated that Iran would attack the power plants supplying US bases throughout the Middle East if the US president carried out his ultimatum.
In addition, the Iranian Defense Council has threatened on Monday to mine all access routes and communication routes in the Persian Gulf if their islands are attacked by the United States, which hinted on Sunday that the invasion of the island of Jarg, where Iran's main oil center is located, is on the table.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Army has announced a new wave of bombings targeting "the heart of Tehran".
Iran reiterates to Turkey and Russia that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is a direct consequence of aggression
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, and reiterated to both that the "insecurity" in the Strait of Hormuz is a "direct consequence" of the "aggression" by the United States and Israel against their territory. In the conversations, Araqchi expressed that "the international community must hold them accountable for their illegal acts and crimes" for their aggressions that have forced the closure of this strategic point.
This Sunday, Araqchi stated that "the Strait of Hormuz is not closed," despite the Revolutionary Guard threatening the passage of ships - especially American or Israeli ones - through the enclave. "Ships hesitate because insurers fear the war you started, not Iran. No insurer, nor any Iranian, will be influenced by more threats. Freedom of navigation cannot exist without freedom of trade. Respect both, or expect none," he said in a message on X.
Trump claims a "regime change" is taking place in Iran
Donald Trump stated on Monday that a "regime change" is taking place in Iran, while also threatening to "continue bombing cheerfully" if ongoing negotiations with unidentified Iranian leaders fail.
"There is an automatic regime change" because "all representatives of the regime have been killed," said the US president to journalists before departing from Florida to Memphis. "We are negotiating with people who seem very reasonable and solid to me. (...) They are very respected, and perhaps one of them is the one we are looking for," he added, also stating that the new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Jamenei, was not available and did not participate in the dialogue.
Iran may have already used more than half of its ballistic missiles
The reserves of ballistic missiles in Iran have decreased "radically," and according to information from NATO, they may have already used more than half of what they had during these three weeks of war, a Spanish general stated on Monday. This was explained to the Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, by Brigadier General Manuel César Arienza, head of the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command, during a visit to the Capitán Guiloche barracks. This installation is the headquarters of the 71st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, from where the Spanish personnel deployed in Turkey comes from.
Accompanied by the Chief of the Army Staff (JEME), General Amador Enseñat, Robles held a video conference with the Spanish contingent deployed at the Turkish air base of Incirlik as part of NATO's Persistent Effort operation. There are almost 150 troops operating a Patriot anti-aircraft battery. The minister attended a meeting with General Arienza before that, where he briefed her on the situation in Turkey, where the Patriot battery has participated in the interception of several missiles that flew over the country's airspace and were neutralized by NATO.
Washington describes disruptions in the oil market as "temporary"
The US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, stated on Monday that disruptions related to the war in the Middle East are "temporary." He made this statement during the inauguration of CERAWeek, the world's largest oil industry event, in Texas. "Prices have not yet reached a level high enough to cause a significant drop in demand," he also declared, emphasizing that the Trump administration is taking "pragmatic measures" to increase the available supply.
Israeli minister calls for the annexation of southern Lebanon
Israel should extend its border with Lebanon to the Litani River in the south of the country, declared Israeli Finance Minister on Monday, while Israeli troops bombed bridges and destroyed homes in the area in an escalation of the military offensive.
The statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have been the most explicit to date by a senior Israeli official regarding the taking of Lebanese territory in a conflict that, according to Israel, aims at Hezbollah militants backed by Iran.
Lebanon became involved in the regional war on March 2 when Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel. Since then, Israel has ordered all residents to leave the area south of the Litani River, while bombing the region with airstrikes, considering it a Hezbollah stronghold. Lebanese authorities claim that the Israeli aerial and ground offensive has caused the death of more than 1,000 people and that over a million have been forced to leave their homes, as Israel has ordered residents to flee wide areas of the country.
Trump: "They want a deal, so do we"
Despite Iranian media denying ongoing negotiations, Donald Trump insists that there are talks in progress, where he sees many points of agreement, although it remains to be seen where they lead, as reported by Reuters. "They want a deal, so do we," he stated.
The US president details that the talks took place on Sunday afternoon, with Steven Witkoff, White House envoy for the Middle East, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner participating on the US side. He adds that there will be a new phone contact on Monday and perhaps face-to-face meetings later on.
Trump also adds, according to Reuters, that the US has spoken with the Iranian leadership, although he admits he knows nothing about the new Supreme Leader, adding that he does not know if he is alive. The US president states that his interest is a peaceful Middle East without nuclear weapons.
Wall Street opens higher after Trump's announcement of a deadline extension for Iran
Wall Street opens with gains: the Dow Jones index advances +1.56%; the Nasdaq rises +1.61%, the S&P 500 appreciates +1.41%
Trump now tells AFP that everything is "going very well" regarding Iran
Donald Trump assured AFP on Monday that everything is "going very well" regarding Iran, shortly after reporting on his Truth Social platform about negotiations with Tehran aimed at a cessation of hostilities. "It's going very well," said the US president, who is preparing to leave Florida to travel to Memphis in the south. The Republican leader had previously stated on his Truth Social platform that the talks would "continue this week" and announced a "five-day" postponement of any attack on Iranian power plants or energy infrastructure.