Donald Trump evoked “negotiations” with an unidentified Iranian official. However, the President of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, denied negotiations with the United States. “False information is used to manipulate financial and oil markets,” he said. In response to Mr. Trump’s announcements, oil prices plummeted by over 10% on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to have spoken with the American President. He expressed determination to continue strikes in Iran and Lebanon. Shortly after, the Israeli army announced new strikes against targets of the pro-Iranian Islamist Hezbollah movement in Beirut.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced having spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian and pledged Islamabad’s assistance in bringing peace to the region.
Donald Trump announced a “five-day delay” in any strike he planned to launch on power plants or energy infrastructure in Iran. However, Trump threatened to “aggressively continue bombing” if negotiations were to fail.
The strategic showdown of war is still focused on the Strait of Hormuz. In response to the ultimatum, Iran had threatened to completely close the strait and target “all energy, information technology, and water desalination infrastructure owned by the United States,” according to the Fars agency citing the Iranian army.
In Lebanon, one person was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut targeting a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, according to Israel. Later in the evening, the Israeli army announced new strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut and captured two of its elite fighters in southern Lebanon.
