US strikes on Iran bleed into a second week, as diplomacy attempts to contain the violence

A framework agreement to secure an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and the potential disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground Monday, as the Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, Washington said.

The United States said operations had started in "pilot zones" in Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya "in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon."

Warning sirens went off a few minutes ago in Kuwait, after the IRGC said they had targeted the Arifjan base. 

Countries that have "colluded in US aggressive actions" will face difficulties in crossing the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said during a meeting.

Akraminia accused some Gulf countries of cooperating with the United States in its attacks against Iran, saying that it had for years benefited from the capabilities of the Strait of Hormuz to export oil and import goods worth billions of dollars.

While Iran's attacks on these countries continue, Akraminia said that the cooperation of these countries, which he did not name, with Washington is "unacceptable and cannot continue."

The Iranian military spokesperson stressed that the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the Iranian Armed Forces, adding that countries that contributed to aggressive and illegal actions of the US military "will inevitably face problems in crossing the Strait."

"It is not possible to allow equipment to pass through the Strait of Hormuz that is used against the Iranian people," he added.

"The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," Bahrain's Interior Ministry said in a statement as Iranian attacks on US military bases continue.

Labour paid a political price for Gaza. But under Andy Burnham, Britain's Middle East policy is likely to change more in tone than in substance, writes Jonathan Fenton-Harvey.

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Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, its military spokesperson said. 

The rebels "declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye,' effective immediately upon the issuance of this statement," military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

Iran is fighting a "full-scale war" with the United States, its president said Monday, as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic Republic, including a city hosting a nuclear power plant.

"The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war," said President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a presidency statement.

He added that "we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance."

Iran expects to restore around 100 million cubic metres per day of natural gas production capacity within the coming months, a senior government official said on Monday, according to the oil ministry's Shana news outlet.

US-Israeli attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure removed about 230 million cubic metres from output. Recent US strikes on southern Iran, however, have not hit major energy sites.

Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, executive deputy to the president, said the lost capacity had amplified Iran’s existing gas supply imbalance, with national production previously standing at around 650 million cubic metres per day. He said restoring the lost capacity would help improve energy supply stability.

Ghaempanah said oil and gas workers had prevented the shutdown of energy facilities despite the attacks and that the government was working to maintain stable gas and electricity supplies, particularly for industrial and petrochemical production. 

Mediators have passed to Iran a proposal to de-escalate the war with the US that would offer a 10-day ceasefire to find ways to revive an interim deal reached last month, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.

Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni is set to travel to Pakistan's capital on Monday, a Pakistani interior ministry source said.

The source told AFP that the minister would hold talks with Pakistani officials, but did not elaborate on if it was linked to Pakistan's long-running mediation efforts to end fighting between the United States and Iran.

Hamas announced that it has named Khalil Al-Hayya as the new leader of the group. 

Born in the Gaza Strip in 1960, Hayya has been part of Hamas since it was set up in 1987. He has led Hamas' delegations in mediated talks with Israel to try to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal, and has survived multiple assassination attempts by Israel. 

According to The New York Times, the US Department of War (the Pentagon) is concealing the deaths of dozens of wounded among the US military.

The newspaper quoted several US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity that in the week before the Iranian attack on Friday, which resulted in the death of two US soldiers and the loss of another soldier in Jordan, Iran launched three other attacks on US forces in the country.

These attacks resulted in the injury of dozens of US soldiers and damage to a number of helicopters, according to officials.

Israel Hayom newspaper said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a security discussion tonight regarding the situation in Iran.

Spain’s World Cup victory over Argentina was celebrated by Palestinians and pro-Palestine supporters after a Sunday final that had become a symbolic contest over the war in Gaza.

Spain defeated the defending champions 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal in the 106th minute to secure the country’s second World Cup title.

In the build-up to the final, social media users increasingly declared their support for one of the teams according to each country's position towards Israel and Palestine, turning football’s showpiece event into a broader political debate.

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Iran urged the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday to condemn US strikes that it said targeted the Darkhovin nuclear power plant under construction in the country's southwest.

"Iran... expects the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Board of Governors and the Director General of the IAEA, who from time to time makes political statements regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, to clearly state their position on this matter in condemning the US crime," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran.

The Palestinian health ministry said Monday that Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian men when a group of Israeli settlers attacked a village in the occupied West Bank overnight.

The military said its troops opened fire after Palestinians threw stones at them.

The Ramallah-based ministry identified the two as Odeh Abdul Rahim Odeh Farakhna, 53, and Ahmad Adel Rashid Abu Mkhou, 26.

"They were killed by (Israeli) occupation gunfire in the town of Deir Jarir," it said.

In a separate statement, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said its teams evacuated one other person wounded during a settler attack on the town late on Sunday.

Iran said on Monday that it would not allow the vital Strait of Hormuz to be used by its foes to threaten the country's security, as the United States and the Islamic Republic battle for the waterway's future.

"We must not allow this waterway to be misused again to threaten Iran's security and national interests," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei at a press conference in Tehran, adding the country was "determined to take the necessary measures" to safeguard its sovereignty.

Brent crude hit its highest price since June on Monday due to renewed fighting between the United States and Iran, while Asian equities were mixed as investors weighed the fallout of a prolonged Middle East war.

Crude has surged over the past week as Washington and Tehran traded fire, raising fears of a sustained disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries around a fifth of the world's seaborne oil.

Both Brent crude and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate extended their gains after climbing more than four percent at the end of last week. Brent rose above $91 a barrel, its highest price since 11 June.

Tehran pursues war and diplomacy based on its national interests, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, after being asked whether the door to talks with the U.S. was now closed.

“I reject the duality of either war or diplomacy. Diplomacy is a tool through which we pursue our national interests, just like war,” Esmaeil Baghaei said.

A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile 8 nautical miles (14.8 km) northwest of Oman's Kumzar, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said, adding that the vessel is currently adrift.

The crew safely abandoned the vessel and have been recovered by a tug boat, UKMTO said after reporting earlier that the vessel was on fire.

The fire has not been extinguished, but no environmental impact was reported, UKMTO said.

Shipping data showed on Monday that the number of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz remained low over the weekend, while the United States and Iran escalated their attacks.

Data released by the London Stock Exchange Group showed that four ships crossed the strait yesterday, Sunday, compared to eight ships the previous day.

The data showed that at least three oil product tankers and a giant crude oil tanker had entered the strait since Friday to load oil. The London Stock Exchange Group's data covers the traffic of bulk, vehicle transport, and oil, gas, and chemical tankers.

No LNG tankers have been seen passing through the strait since Thursday.

Tankers and other ships sometimes turned off their transponders to mask their passage. The data showed that only one shipment of liquefied natural gas was known to have left the Gulf during the past week.

However, S&P Global analysts noted that LNG production and ship loading in Qatar and the UAE continued at a relatively strong pace despite disruptions to shipping heading out of the region, which leads to increased LNG inventory on board tankers waiting in the Gulf.

“If the actual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz eases in the coming weeks, these ships may enable a relatively rapid increase in exports, enabling the export of liquefied natural gas that has already been produced and loaded,” analysts stressed.

Explosions were heard in the Bahraini capital Manama on Monday morning after air raid sirens were triggered.

"The siren has been sounded, citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the Gulf state's interior ministry wrote on X.

US strikes overnight in northwestern Iran killed at least one person and wounded several more, state media reported Monday.

"One person was martyred, and several others were injured in a terrorist and aggressive American attack on an area southwest of Tabriz on Monday morning," said Majid Farshi, head of crisis management of East Azerbaijan province, quoted by state news agency IRNA.

US strikes hit several locations in Iran's southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant, state media reported Monday.

"A few minutes ago, several locations in Bushehr city were hit by American enemy's projectiles," said Bushehr governor Mohammad Mozaffari, as quoted by official state news agency IRNA.