US and Iran closer to making a deal; Netanyahu calls for strikes on Lebanon to intensify

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The U.S. military carried out strikes on Monday in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement the strikes were designed "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces."

"U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson.

U.S. forces conducted "self-defense strikes" in southern Iran on Monday, Fox News reported, citing a military spokesperson.

FIFA confirmed Monday that Iran relocated its planned World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico amid the war in the Middle East and security concerns.

Iran had originally selected a sports complex in Tucson, Ariz., to serve as their national team's de facto headquarters during the World Cup, but the country sought a change after the U.S. and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran beginning in late February.

FIFA published the final list of team base camp locations Monday, with Iran now setting up shop at Centro Xoloitzcuintle in Tijuana.

There are not yet any plans to change the location of Iran's group-stage matches. As part of Group G, Iran is set to play its first two matches in Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, with a June 26 matchup against Egypt in Seattle.

But Tijuana's location directly across the U.S.-Mexico border from San Diego could help with visa issues when the team needs to enter the country, according to Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation.

An explosion was heard in Iran's Bandar Abbas city, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on Monday, adding that the cause was unknown. 

Since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the army to step up its attacks on Lebanon late on Monday, there has been a wave of destruction and displacement in the south. 

• An Israeli air raid killed a couple in the town of Arab Salim in the south, the National News Agency said. 
• Several attacks were reported in many areas in the last few hours, including in Hairs and Kfar in Bint Jbeil district, Toul in the Nabatieh district, and Rashkananiyeh in Tyre district.
• The Israeli army pummelled the town of Mashghara in the Western Bekaa, NNA said.
• Correspondents from AFP said they witnessed scores of residents fleeing the southern suburbs of Beirut following Netanyahu's remarks.

In the last day, the Israeli army also said it targeted many sites across Lebanon, including 10 alleged Hezbollah headquarters and weapons depots in the Tyre area, a number of fighters on motorbikes in the south, and over 70 Hezbollah infrastructure sites. 

The Israeli army intensified strikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to escalate its offensive in Lebanon in an effort to "crush" Hezbollah.

The airstrikes come as the United States and Iran seek to finalise the terms of an agreement to end the Middle East conflict, which could include the Lebanon front, where Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire since 2 March.

Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on 17 April, Israel has continued to strike the country on a daily basis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he had ordered the military to intensify its offensive in Lebanon in an effort to "crush" Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire in place.

"I have ordered an even greater acceleration of our operations," Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on his Telegram channel.

"It is true that they are attacking us with drones, including fibre-optic drones, but we have teams working on countermeasures, and we will solve this issue... We will intensify our blows, increase our firepower, and we will crush them."

The remarks come as the US and Iran near a peace deal, while criticism of Netanyahu grows.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday her government agreed to allow the Iranian national soccer team to stay in Mexico during the World Cup, adding that the United States did not want to host the team.

The head of Iran's soccer federation said on Saturday the team's base will be in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during the tournament. 

Israel's two far-right ministers on Monday called for an escalation of military operations in Lebanon, with one advocating strikes on Beirut.

"It is time for the prime minister to take a firm stand with Donald Trump and tell him that Israel is returning to war in Lebanon," extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on X.

"Electricity to Lebanon must be cut off, the Zahrani must be seized, and intensive warfare resumed," he said, referring to a river in southern Lebanon which runs further north than current Israeli ground operations.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also from the far right, called for strikes on Beirut.

"There is an urgent need to put an end to the threat posed by Hezbollah's explosive drones," Smotrich said on Telegram.

"For every explosive drone, 10 buildings must fall in Beirut."

US President Donald Trump on Monday urged Muslim-majority nations across the Middle East and beyond to normalise relations with Israel as part of the emerging Iran peace deal.

In a lengthy social media post, Trump listed countries whose leaders he spoke with in a conference call on Saturday about efforts to end the war with Iran.

"After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords."

"Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!)"

An Israeli airstrike on a tent in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday killed two people, including a six-year-old girl, and wounded 17 other people, including children, Palestinian health officials said.

Medics said the Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment of displaced families in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, had killed six-year-old Mennatallah Abu Libda and a 31-year-old woman, Hanan Mahmoud.

The attack was carried out by two helicopters, witnesses said.

Some 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the truce came into effect, as Tel Aviv continues to violate the truce.

According to Iranian news agencies, Iranian officials claim they have downed a 'hostile' drone over the Gulf using 'a new air defence system'. 

Iran is trying to turn its de facto grip on the Strait of Hormuz into permanent control via a toll system. Will a standoff over the waterway scupper talks?  Dario Sabaghi examines this question.

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An Iranian health ministry official says the injuries suffered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes in late February were only "superficial," offering a rare account of the day he was wounded.

The 56-year-old has not appeared in public since he was named Iran's supreme leader on 8 March, issuing only written statements, fuelling speculation about his health.

In March, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Mojtaba was "believed to be alive, wounded and disfigured."

Mojtaba succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on 28 February that triggered retaliatory Iranian attacks across the region.

Today, health ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour describes the day Mojtaba was wounded and his arrival at a hospital, which he did not identify.

He says Mojtaba arrived at the hospital around 1:00 pm Tehran time on February 28 and “entered the operating room along with several other wounded individuals.”

"Apart from superficial injuries to the face, head and legs, which caused neither amputation nor any particular medical problem, nothing major had happened," Kermanpour tells ILNA news agency. "From my perspective as a physician, these were not considered serious injuries and required no special procedures apart from one or two stitches."

US President Donald Trump posted another message on his Truth Social platform, claiming he is demanding that several countries join the Abraham Accords after "the work done on the deal with Iran."

Trump claimed that "negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are going very well!" and added: "It will either be a great deal for everyone, or there will be no deal at all - back to the front and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever - and nobody wants that!"

Regarding joining the Abraham Accords, he wrote: "The countries under discussion are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (already a member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain (already a member!)."

Two sources said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told those close to him in private conversations that Israel has little ability to influence US President Donald Trump's decisions regarding Iran.

Netanyahu's comments, which were conveyed to Reuters by two informed Israeli officials, came at a time when Israel is largely excluded from the talks aimed at reaching an initial agreement to stop the war with Iran that was sparked by a joint US-Israeli bombing.

One of the Israeli officials who participated in private conversations with Netanyahu said the Prime Minister expressed concerns about the memorandum of understanding currently being negotiated.

The Israeli official added that although the agreement does not immediately address Israel's concerns about Iran's nuclear program and stockpiles, Netanyahu realises that Israel "does not have any way to influence the President (Trump) at the moment."

The Israeli army issued further forced evacuation orders to the residents of the city of Tyre and its surroundings, saying: "We call on the residents whose buildings will be marked in red on the known maps, which will be published later, to immediately evacuate their homes in order to preserve their safety."

Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi are in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential US-Iran deal to end the conflict, an official briefed on the visit said on Monday.

The discussions are focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the official told Reuters.

Iran's central bank governor is also part of the delegation to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final agreement, according to the official.

An Israeli airstrike on a tent in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday killed two people, including a six-year-old girl, and wounded 17 other people, including children, Palestinian health officials said.

Medics said the Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment of displaced families in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, had killed six-year-old Mennatallah Abu Libda and a 31-year-old woman, Hanan Mahmoud.

The attack was carried out by two helicopters, witnesses said.

Some 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the so-called ceasefire came into effect, according to figures from Gaza health officials.

Israeli aircraft dropped incendiary phosphorus missiles on the forests of Qalila, in southern Lebanon, causing fires in citrus groves and agricultural lands.

Hezbollah Political Council member Wafiq Safa stressed that Hezbollah still has more surprises in store after using drone weapons, indicating that this will push the enemy to withdraw from Lebanon.

Safa said in a statement to the Lebanese Al-Nour Radio, "There will be no agreement if Lebanon is not included in it, which is what we were informed of and Islamabad and the Americans were informed of."

Israel's two far-right ministers on Monday called for expanded military operations in Lebanon, with one advocating strikes on Beirut in response to Hezbollah's drone attacks.

"It is time for the prime minister to take a firm stand with Donald Trump and tell him that Israel is returning to war in Lebanon," National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on X.

"Electricity to Lebanon must be cut off, the Zahrani must be seized, and intensive warfare resumed," he said, referring to a river in southern Lebanon which runs further north than current Israeli ground operations.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also from the far right, called for strikes on Beirut to counter Hezbollah's drone attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and across the border.

"There is an urgent need to put an end to the threat posed by Hezbollah's explosive drones," Smotrich said on Telegram.

"For every explosive drone, 10 buildings must fall in Beirut."

Lebanon's health ministry has put the total number of killed by Israel since 2 March at 3,123.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a deal with Iran would either be "great and meaningful" or there would be "no deal."

"The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal," he wrote on Truth Social.

Iran's Central Bank Chief Abdolnaser Hemmati travelled to Qatar, Iran's state media reported on Monday, saying the visit follows talks with a Qatari delegation in Tehran regarding Iran's frozen funds.

Iran has been pushing in negotiations for its frozen funds abroad, including in Qatar, to be released. 

In its first operation today, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted a gathering of Israeli army soldiers occupying a newly created military site in Jal al-Hamar, south of the town of Al-Adissa, with a swarm of assault drones, achieving a confirmed hit.

Pope Leo XIV labels as "outdated" the concept of a "just war," put forward by US President Donald Trump's administration, warning that "humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power."

"The past 60 years have been marked by conflicts of astonishing brutality, often affecting civilian populations on a massive scale," states Leo, in an encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas" (Magnificent Humanity).

"Humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power, where peace no longer appears as a responsibility to be taken on, but as a fragile interval between conflicts," he says.

Leo makes one of the clearest statements yet from a pope repudiating the just war theory, a doctrine the Church has used since at least the fifth century to evaluate global conflicts.

The doctrine, which generally says that wars ⁠should only be waged to defend against aggression, has also been invoked by Trump administration officials, including US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, to defend the war on Iran.

"The 'just war' theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated," writes Leo. "The use of force, violence and weapons reflects a relational poverty that always has disastrous consequences for civilian populations."

Leo also expresses concern that leaders could start wars to distract citizens from domestic issues.

"We cannot rule out the possibility that some leaders may consider armed conflict as an effective way of diverting attention from domestic problems and a cynical tool for managing difficulties," he states.

A member of Hezbollah's "Loyalty to the Resistance" parliamentary bloc, MP Hussein Haj Hassan, said that "the resistance will use all its capabilities and means to liberate the prisoners and return them to their families with their heads held high," considering that "captivity, martyrdom, and wounds constitute different faces of sacrifice in the face of the occupation."

He pointed to the possibility of reaching a framework agreement between Iran and the United States through Pakistani mediation, considering that "this development would not have been achieved without the steadfastness of the Islamic Republic and the failure of the goals of the American and Israeli aggression against it."

Hajj Hassan criticised "the course of direct negotiations conducted by the authority with the Israeli side," considering that it "put itself in a major dilemma after successive rounds without achieving a ceasefire," warning of "the American and Israeli demands related to the establishment of a special force within the Lebanese army and the formation of a tripartite security committee," describing these proposals as "dangerous to all of Lebanon."

Ben-Gvir is not an aberration but the most vulgar expression of Israel's previously well-disguised violence, supremacy, and apartheid, writes Izzeddin Araj.

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The dollar fell against major currencies on Monday as hopes of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices below $100 per barrel, even as the US and Iran played down the chances of reaching an agreement soon. Meanwhile, many global markets—including the US, Hong Kong, the UK, and most of Europe—are closed for holidays on Monday, thinning liquidity.

Against the yen, the US dollar was down 0.2% at 158.94 yen, while the euro rose 0.31% to $1.11639 and the British pound gained 0.42% to $1.34865. The Australian dollar advanced 0.5% at $0.7162, while its kiwi counterpart tacked on 0.37% to $0.58685.

Oil markets tumbled on hopes of a peace deal, with Brent crude down 4.5% to $98.9 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate off 4.4% to $88.98 a barrel. 

China's leader Xi Jinping met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on Monday, state media reported, as diplomatic efforts by several countries to formally end the US-Israeli war on Iran drag on.

The high-level meeting, reported by state news agency Xinhua, followed Sharif's talks earlier in the day with Premier Li Qiang, the country's number-two leader.

Sharif is accompanied on his trip to China by army chief Asim Munir, Islamabad's key negotiator between the United States and Iran, as shown on Pakistan television on Monday.

Details on the discussions were not immediately published by Chinese state media.

Pakistan has emerged as a central mediator between the United States and Iran, hosting historic face-to-face talks last month that failed to yield a lasting agreement.

China has played a quieter role, shepherding phone calls and meetings with officials of affected Gulf countries.

Speaking to Chinese leaders in Beijing alongside Munir, Sharif said "the world is passing through a critical moment", Pakistan's state-run PTV channel showed.

"Pakistan has played a sincere role to mediate between US and Iran. Field marshal was in Tehran and did not want to miss this great visit," Sharif said. "Things are moving in the right direction. I would like to thank China's support to promote peace."

Sharif kicked off his four-day official visit to China in Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang province, on Saturday.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday said Israel's withdrawal from the country's south was a "non-negotiable" demand that authorities would pursue through negotiations, days ahead of a new round of talks in Washington.

In a statement commemorating Israel's previous withdrawal from South Lebanon in 2000 after some two decades of occupation, Aoun said that "this year, the anniversary of the liberation comes as a painful reality weighs down Lebanon."

"Israeli attacks have not stopped, and our dear southern villages are still suffering under a renewed occupation," he said.

Israeli troops who invaded Lebanon during the latest war with Hezbollah began on 2 March.

Israel's military has also been conducting heavy strikes well beyond that area despite a ceasefire supposed to be in force since 17 April.

"Lebanon will not accept this reality," Aoun said. "The path to a full Israeli withdrawal will remain an uncompromised, constant national demand that the Lebanese state works to achieve through the option of negotiations."

Lebanon and Israel began landmark US-brokered talks last month and are preparing for a fourth round in early June, preceded by a meeting between military delegations at the Pentagon on 29 May.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson has further statements. 

He says, "At this stage, we are not talking about the nuclear issue, and our focus is on ending the war. "

End of all fronts, including Lebanon, will be part of the potential agreement," he added.

The spokesperson further said that Iran "will not take tolls on the Strait of Hormuz", but did say "it's normal that services that will be provided would require a price boost should not be presented as tolls."

The Israeli army continued its attacks at night and morning today, notably on the villages of the Tyre District, including  Al-Mansouri, Tibnin, Al-Shehabiya, Arzoun, Qabrikha, Tura, Srifa, and Al-Haniya, targeting neighbourhoods, residential buildings, infrastructure, roads, and electricity networks, causing several casualties, Lebanon's National News Agency reported. 

In the town of Tura, ambulance and municipal teams are working to remove the rubble to open the road that was closed by the dawn raid as a result of the targeting of a house in a residential neighbourhood, which led to the death of one person and damage to other buildings.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson has just issued a statement.

While confirming that Iran and the US have "reached a framework", the spokesperson stressed, "But nobody can say that an agreement between the US and Iran is imminent."

The spokesperson noted that the potential framework has "no specific details about the management of the Strait of Hormuz", emphasising that such management "belongs to the coastal countries."

He further noted that there was no plan to send a delegation to Pakistan at this time.

Iran's top negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, has been reelected as the country's parliamentary speaker, the Iranian Fars news agency reported on Monday. 

Islamabad's key negotiator between the United States and Iran, army chief Asim Munir, is in Beijing alongside the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks with Chinese leaders, Pakistan television showed on Monday.

Munir was in Tehran on Friday and Saturday alongside Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as part of ongoing mediation efforts to formally end the US-Israel war on Iran.

China has said it would work with Pakistan to "make positive contributions to the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East".

Sharif kicked off his four-day official visit to China in Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang province, on Saturday.

Speaking to Chinese leaders in Beijing alongside Munir, Sharif said "the world is passing through a critical moment", Pakistan television broadcasted.

"Pakistan has played a sincere role to mediate between US and Iran. Field marshal was in Tehran and did not want to miss this great visit," the images carried by Pakistan's state channel PTV showed. "Things are moving in the right direction. I would like to thank China's support to promote peace."

Since the morning, Israeli drones have been flying at low altitude over the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

As regional war unsettles air travel and economies, pilgrims are relying on sacrifice, community support, and overland routes to reach Mecca.

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The Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee cancelled a meeting scheduled for this morning to finish preparing a controversial bill on antiquities in the occupied West Bank and Gaza for its final votes in the plenum.

The proposal has been described by most commentators as a clear step towards illegal annexation.

A new meeting to continue the discussion on the bill is set for tomorrow. 

Iran executed a man over charges related to the anti-government protests that took place nationwide in January, state media reported on Monday.

The individual was identified as Abbas Akbari, according to state media.

Israeli attacks on vehicles on the Kafr Rumman-Jarmaq highway and Jarmaq-Khardali road in Nabatieh have killed at least three people, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.

The Israeli army sent a warning to the residents of the villages of Nabatiyeh al-Tahta, Louaizeh (Jezzine), Sajad (Jezzine), Ain Qana, Harouf, Zibdin (Nabatieh), Kfar Rumman, al-Duwair, Adshit al-Shaqif, in southern Lebanon, and Midoun in the Western Bekaa, demanding that they evacuate and move away from them for a distance of not less than a thousand metres.

The US-based ABC News network quoted a senior US administration official as saying on Sunday morning that the United States and Iran are making progress in finalising a two-stage interim agreement, under which the United States will obtain a broad "commitment" from Iran to negotiate the removal of its enriched uranium stockpile.

The official added that this limited agreement includes immediately opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the US naval blockade on it.

At the same time, there are still questions about how to dispose of stored radioactive materials.