Iran has presented a new negotiation proposal to United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war while postponing the nuclear negotiations with Tehran for later, as reported by Axios.
According to sources, Trump is expected to discuss the current stalemate in negotiations and possible next steps with his team on Monday. The offer suggests that the ceasefire would be extended for a long period or that both parties would agree to definitively end the war, with nuclear negotiations starting afterwards, once the strait is open and the blockade imposed by Washington on all ships trying to reach or leave Iranian ports is lifted.
In an interview with Fox News today, Trump hinted that he wants to continue with the naval blockade that is suffocating Iran's oil exports, hoping that this will force Tehran to yield in the coming weeks.
Iran blames US for failed negotiations in Pakistan
Iranian Foreign Minister Abas Araqchi blamed the United States on Monday for the failure of peace talks in Pakistan, upon arriving in Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, reports Afp.
"The US approach caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to not achieve its objectives due to excessive demands," said Araqchi, as cited by Iranian state media.
The veil slowly lifts in Iran, but restrictions persist
The increasingly frequent images of women walking or having coffee in the streets of Tehran without a headscarf, defying the obligation to wear one in the Islamic republic, raise questions outside of Iran. But for 32-year-old Elnaz, it does not represent any progress.
"It is by no means a sign of a government change. No progress has been made in terms of women's rights," says this painter, who, like other Iranians contacted by AFP from Paris, requested anonymity.
The obligation to wear a veil, adopted after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, remains in force in Iran. However, the enforcement of this rule, considered a pillar of the Iranian theocracy, seems to have relaxed, at least in some neighborhoods of Tehran and other cities.
Spanish stock market opens nearly flat, with a slight increase of 0.09%, watching Iran
The Spanish stock market opened almost flat on Monday, with a slight increase of 0.09%, watching the situation in the Middle East, after it was reported that Iran has presented a new negotiation proposal to the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, reports Efe.
Nevertheless, the price of Brent crude, the European benchmark, rose by 1.99% to $107.44.
In this context, the IBEX 35, the main national indicator, started the day at 17,706.1 points after a 0.09% increase. Year-to-date gains stand at 2.28%.
Bank of Japan meets amid expectations of freezing rates due to the war in Iran
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) begins its two-day April monetary policy meeting on Monday, amid expectations of keeping rates frozen at 0.75% while assessing the impact of the war against Iran on the Japanese economy, reports Efe.
Although the institution is expected to continue with rate hikes to normalize its monetary policy after decades of deflation, the consensus in the Japanese press is that the damage caused by the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Japanese energy supply will weigh more heavily on the meeting.
Therefore, major Japanese media outlets, such as public broadcaster NHK or the economic newspaper Nikkei, expect the central bank to postpone rate hikes, leaving them for the third consecutive time at 0.75%, their highest level in the last three decades.
Trump: "If they want to talk, they can come see us"
US President Donald Trump declared on Sunday that Iran can contact his government after canceling the Saturday trip of envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Pakistan to discuss with Tehran about ending the war in the Middle East, reports Afp.
"I said: we are not going to do this anymore. We hold all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come see us or call us; you know there is a phone, we have good secure lines," the president stated to Fox News.
United States has prevented the passage of 38 vessels through Hormuz
The US Central Command has prevented the passage of 38 vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, at the request of President Donald Trump, who, despite the ceasefire, ordered to maintain the naval blockade amid uncertainty about the possibility of a second round of negotiations with Iran, reports Efe.
Oil prices rise amid uncertainty over dialogue between Iran and US
Oil prices rose and stocks traded mixed on Monday in Asian trading, amid uncertainty surrounding the peace dialogue between the United States and Iran, as reported by Afp.
At 02:30 GMT, West Texas Intermediate, the US oil market benchmark, rose by 1.1% to $95.44 per barrel. Brent crude from the North Sea, the global benchmark, rose by 1.3% to $106.66.
Iranian Foreign Minister meets with Putin on Monday to discuss war developments
Iranian Foreign Minister Abas Araqchi stated upon his arrival in St. Petersburg on Monday that "today's meeting (with Russian President Vladimir Putin) will be a good opportunity to discuss the evolution of the war and review the current situation," reports Efe.
Araqchi arrived in Russia after traveling to Oman and Pakistan over the weekend, where the halt in negotiations between the United States and Iran intensified after the Iranian Foreign Minister left Islamabad and Washington canceled the trip of special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.