Iran on Monday described U.S. proposals to end a month-long war in the Middle East as “unrealistic, illogical and excessive” and launched further missile strikes on Israel as oil prices continued to climb following Yemen’s Houthi entry into the conflict.
Israel’s military said two drones from Yemen were intercepted on Monday, two days after the Iran-aligned Houthis fired missiles at Israel for the first time since the start of the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran.
It also said missile strikes targeted military infrastructure in Tehran, as well as Iran-backed Hezbollah sites in Beirut.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued another warning to Iran on Monday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz - a waterway through which around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass - or risk U.S. attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had received messages via intermediaries indicating Washington’s willingness to negotiate.
This followed a meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in Islamabad on Sunday (29 March) to discuss mediation efforts.
However, Baghaei dismissed the U.S. proposals, telling a press conference on Monday: “Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves.”
A Pakistani security official said direct U.S.–Iran talks were unlikely this week, although efforts to facilitate dialogue were ongoing.
Baghaei also confirmed that Iran’s parliament is reviewing a possible withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons, despite Washington citing that concern as a reason for its 28 February attack.
While U.S. President Donald Trump said talks had taken place “directly and indirectly”, he also warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on key infrastructure, including energy facilities and Kharg Island.
Separately, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf dismissed U.S. proposals as a “wish list”, accusing Washington of trying to secure through diplomacy what it failed to achieve militarily.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have introduced two urgent draft bills: one proposing withdrawal from the NPT in response to security threats, and another focusing on shipping regulations in the Strait of Hormuz, including new fees and restrictions on adversaries’ tankers.
The month-long war has spread across the region, killing thousands, causing unprecedented disruption to energy supplies and weighing on the global economy.
Brent crude futures rose by $2.42, or 2.2%, to nearly $115 a barrel by 11:16 GMT on Monday, and were on course for a record monthly rise.
The Houthis’ attacks on Israel have raised the prospect that they could target and block a second key shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The oil market has all but discounted the prospect of a negotiated end to the war and “is bracing for a sharp escalation in military hostilities”, said Vandana Hari of oil market provider Vanda Insights.
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Concerns grew on Monday (20 April) that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, due to expire on Tuesday, might not hold after Washington’s Navy seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade of Iranian ports, with Tehran vowing to retaliate.
Lebanon and Israel have a “fundamentally incompatible” understanding of the ceasefire agreed on Thursday (16 April), Dr Nouran El-Bayaa has said.
Two Indian-flagged ships were shot at in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, India's Foreign Ministry said, as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again, less than 24 hours after reopening the 167km long sea passage, which is essential for global trade.
The Strait of Hormuz has reopened, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (17 April), although Washington warned its naval blockade on Iran would remain until a peace deal is reached.
Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots have demonstrated improvements in speed, balance and autonomous navigation after completing a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday (19 April), in a showcase of the country’s fast-developing robotics sector.
The U.S. Navy has forcibly intercepted and boarded the Iranian cargo ship TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to breach the ongoing naval blockade. President Trump confirmed that the vessel was neutralised and seized by Marines following a direct strike on its engine room.
Two Indian-flagged ships were shot at in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, India's Foreign Ministry said, as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again, less than 24 hours after reopening the 167km long sea passage, which is essential for global trade.
Six people have been killed after a man opened fire in a supermarket in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Saturday (18 April). Ukraine's Security Service said it was investigating the incident as a "terrorist act."
Global leaders and diplomats gathered in southern Türkiye on 17 April for the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum, focusing on uncertainty, conflict, and the future of global cooperation.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev held a phone call on Sunday (19 April), highlighting the rapid expansion of bilateral ties and confirming plans for further high-level engagement.
Global leaders and diplomats gathered in southern Türkiye on 17 April for the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum, focusing on uncertainty, conflict, and the future of global cooperation.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia and Russia have agreed to continue implementing previously reached agreements in the military-technical sphere following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Global leaders have gathered in Antalya Diplomacy Forum, with discussions centred on geopolitical uncertainty and international cooperation.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said his country could provide a “safe corridor” and “alternative route” for regional energy shipments, as supply disruptions continue to affect the wider Middle East.
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