Mediators Qatar and Pakistan said talks between the United States and Iran in Switzerland concluded in a "positive and constructive atmosphere."
Iran's Foreign Ministry says negotiations in Switzerland have gone beyond immediate implementation disputes and included discussions on launching talks toward a final agreement between Tehran and Washington.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that Israel has no intention of withdrawing from its security zone in southern Lebanon,
US President Donald Trump warned Iran to stop supporting what he described as its “highly paid proxies” in Lebanon, saying Washington would strike Iran again if they continued “causing trouble.”
Iran’s vice president said on Monday that Iran’s adversaries had failed to bring people into the streets against the Islamic Republic during the two most recent wars.
“The enemy failed to exploit social capital and bring people into the streets against the system in either the 12-day war or the third war,” Mohammadreza Aref said.
An explosion and fire at Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City injured 54 people and left 18 missing on Sunday during efforts to restart operations that had been halted after Iran bombed the site during the war.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry said rescue teams were searching for the missing and described the explosion as a “technical accident,” adding that there was no threat to public safety.
QatarEnergy said the incident occurred during the start-up of operations at the Barzan local gas supply facility. Emergency response teams were deployed and the fire was brought under control, the company said.
Ras Laffan is one of Qatar’s most important energy hubs and a core site for the country’s liquefied natural gas industry.
China’s oil imports may not fully recover from the Iran war, with analysts saying the conflict accelerated a longer-term shift away from transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel, Bloomberg reported on Monday.
Rystad Energy estimated that 200,000 to 600,000 barrels per day of transport demand lost during the conflict may not return this year, while Energy Aspects put the permanent loss at about 300,000 barrels per day, the report said.
China’s crude imports are expected to fall by 3.3 million barrels per day this quarter from a year earlier, according to FGE NexantECA, as supply disruptions coincide with a halt in stockpiling, refinery run cuts and a ban on fuel exports, according to the report.
Iranian hardliners have sharply criticized a government-linked report that warned prolonged nightly pro-state gatherings could obstruct diplomacy, exposing a growing dispute over the role of street mobilization in postwar Iran.
The controversy highlights tensions within Iran's political establishment over whether the rallies represent a source of national unity or an increasingly disruptive force in debates over diplomacy and relations with the United States.
The backlash was triggered by a document published by the presidential Strategic Affairs Office (SAO) following a conference titled "The Street Movement for Protecting Iran: Nature, Opportunities and Ways to Enhance It."
The report examined the nightly gatherings that have spread across Iranian cities since the war and argued that their continued presence could complicate decision-making and undermine diplomatic efforts.
Read the full article here.
The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Sunday after Iran announced it had again restricted passage through the strategic waterway, citing what it described as Israeli and US violations of the interim peace agreement.
Shipping analytics firm Kpler recorded just five vessels transiting the strait on Sunday, down from 26 vessels the previous day, according to shipping data.
The vessels included three Very Large Crude Carriers, each carrying around two million barrels of Saudi crude oil or fuel oil. One of the tankers was reportedly bound for Japan. The figures may understate actual traffic, as some vessels switch off transponders while operating in the Gulf.
The Revolutionary Guards announced new restrictions on Saturday, arguing that continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon amounted to a violation of the understandings underpinning the diplomatic process.
The Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States may strengthen the Revolutionary Guards, weaken Persian Gulf security and deepen China's access to Iranian energy. Above all, however, it leaves Iranians to face the Islamic Republic on their own.
Paragraph 2 of the MOU effectively enshrines the abandonment of the Iranian people by committing both sides to "refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs."
This clause stands in direct contrast to many of President Trump's previous statements regarding the Iranian people and his repeated condemnations of the regime's brutality.
In 2017, Trump described Iranians as "a proud people" forced to submit to extremist rule. In 2018, he tweeted: "Such respect for the people of Iran as t
hey try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!"
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Oil prices eased and global stock markets steadied on Monday after signs of progress emerged from US-Iran talks in Switzerland, helping ease concerns that negotiations were breaking down.
Brent crude shed early gains to trade down 0.4% at $80.17 a barrel, while US crude remained 1.2% higher at $77.52. Both benchmarks remain well below the highs reached during the conflict.
The market reaction came after mediators Qatar and Pakistan announced "encouraging progress" following nearly 18 hours of talks between US and Iranian negotiators.
S&P 500 futures trimmed earlier declines to trade down 0.2%, while Nasdaq futures fell 0.3%. In Europe, Euro Stoxx 50 futures edged down 0.1%, DAX futures were little changed and FTSE futures rose 0.1%.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has already secured significant economic benefits through the diplomatic process with Washington, highlighting sanctions-related relief measures and investment plans following talks in Switzerland.
According to Reuters, Araghchi said oil and petrochemical exports had been granted waivers, the blockade on Iran had been lifted, some frozen assets had been released and a major reconstruction and development plan had been launched for the country.
Araghchi's comments came shortly after mediators Qatar and Pakistan announced that talks had produced "encouraging progress" and established a roadmap toward a final agreement within 60 days.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the first real test of progress made in Switzerland will be a newly established mechanism designed to prevent renewed fighting in Lebanon.
In a post on X, Araghchi praised Pakistani and Qatari mediation efforts, saying they had delivered "major progress" toward ending the Lebanon war and implementing the Iran-US memorandum of understanding.
"Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War," he wrote, pointing to sanctions waivers for oil and petrochemical exports, the lifting of the blockade, the release of some frozen assets and a major reconstruction and development plan for Iran.
"The first real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell."
The comment appeared to refer to a provision in the joint statement issued by mediators Qatar and Pakistan following nearly 18 hours of talks in Switzerland.
According to the statement, the United States and Iran agreed to create a deconfliction cell involving the two countries and the Lebanese government, with Qatar and Pakistan facilitating the process.
The mechanism is intended to "ensure adherence to the termination of military operations in Lebanon" under the memorandum of understanding.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan said talks between the United States and Iran in Switzerland concluded in a "positive and constructive atmosphere," offering the strongest indication yet that negotiators were able to make progress despite a tense start.
In a joint statement issued after the talks, the two countries said "encouraging progress" had been achieved and announced the creation of a mechanism for further technical discussions.
The statement follows nearly 18 hours of negotiations in Buergenstock aimed at implementing the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington last week.
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