Live Updates: Iran denies Trump's claim that U.S.-Iran negotiations to begin today after U.S. strikes called off

Israel "will not retreat from its current stance" in Gaza, a senior Israeli political source told CBS News, after Hamas said Israeli escalation in the enclave was threatening negotiations.

Israel on Monday said it had conveyed its "comments and concerns" to the U.S. on the next phase of a Gaza peace plan as it kept up strikes on the Palestinian territory. Mr. Trump touted the plan last week, saying it includes the disarmament of Hamas, one of Iran's main proxy groups in the region.

A senior Hamas leader told Qatari state media Al Jazeera on Monday that the movement has contacted mediators over what it described as a recent Israeli escalation in Gaza, urging them to take action to halt further attacks.

Palestinian officials said at least 13 Gazans were killed in Israeli strikes over the weekend, including several children, according to CBS News' partner network The BBC. 

"The movement demanded that the mediators intervene directly to compel the occupation to completely halt the ceasefire violations," the Hamas leader said, referring to Israel. "We confirmed to the mediators that the continuation of the attacks obstructs the implementation of the agreement and negotiations over the timetable."

But speaking later Monday to CBS News, a senior Israeli political source said Israel "will not retreat from its current stance in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our citizens and soldiers."

An Iraqi politician has claimed that Baghdad has been mediating between Iran and the U.S., according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Meysar al-Shammari, a leader in the National Wisdom Movement political party, said Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeidi carried messages from the U.S. to Tehran after a recent visit to the White House.

Al-Zeidi "is advancing diplomatic efforts to play a mediating role and bring the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States closer, with the aim of containing regional tensions and preventing the expansion of the scope of the conflict," al-Shammari said.

The Iraqi politician added that after the prime minister's recent visit to the U.S., al-Zeidi carried messages from the U.S. to Tehran, without going into specifics.

Wall Street stocks bounced early Monday after Mr. Trump held off on new attacks on Iran, pressuring oil prices.

Mr. Trump, who had last week threatened severe attacks on Iran, said Saturday that the "perimeters" of a deal were present, although Iranian officials denied that there were ongoing talks with the U.S.

Oil prices fell more than 5%.

About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.1% at 53,072.36.

The broad-based S&P 500 advanced 0.6% to 7,535.94, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 0.8% to 25,566.98.

"Obviously the market likes hearing that there may be some progress in the Persian Gulf," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. "We've heard this news before and it hasn't led to much, but the market always seems optimistic when they hear something of this type."

AFP

Iran has executed two men accused of providing sensitive military and security information to Israel's Mossad intelligence service, the judiciary's Mizan News Agency reported.

According to the report, Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were convicted of espionage and intelligence cooperation with Israel after allegedly sending coordinates, images, and information about sensitive locations to Mossad-linked channels and networks.

Mizan reported that Behzad had sent coordinates and information related to military, security, and law enforcement sites. Safvat was accused of providing images and location details of sensitive facilities to channels linked to Israel, including Iran International, a Saudi-funded opposition TV channel based in the U.K.

The judiciary's media outlet said the two men's death sentences were issued after investigations, court proceedings, approval by the Supreme Court, and completion of legal procedures. Their executions were carried out last Wednesday, according to the report.

The allegations and details of the case have not been independently verified.

Iranian State TV aired footage showing supposed confessions from the two men, as well as alleged message exchanges with their Israeli handlers.

Oil prices tumbled Monday after Mr. Trump said he was preparing for new talks with Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, which also helped lift stocks.

Crude futures slid more than 6%, even though Iran denied that any negotiations were taking place.

Despite falling on Monday, oil prices remain well above levels seen before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February, sparking a war that has sharply curtailed Gulf exports of oil and other key products.

Mr. Trump said the latest U.S.-Iran negotiations would cover the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a main sticking point in the conflict, and "ultimately, the denuclearization of Iran."

His announcement came after he threatened to hit Iran "very hard" and was reportedly considering renewed attacks, including against energy infrastructure.

He pulled back from that threat on Saturday, saying the "perimeters" of a deal were there.

The decline in oil prices was aided by an agreement between Saudi Arabia, Russia and five other OPEC+ members to boost production by 188,000 barrels a day from September, analysts said.

CBS/AFP

Israel said Monday it had conveyed its "comments and concerns" to the United States on the next phase of a Gaza peace plan as it kept up strikes on the Palestinian territory. President Trump touted the plan last week, saying it includes disarmament of Hamas, one of Iran's main proxy groups in the region.

It marks the latest sign of friction between Mr. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a tough reelection fight in October and has heavily promoted his relationship with the U.S. leader, whom he met again last week.

Netanyahu's office demanded more concrete disarmament by Hamas, which on Friday announced it would give up weapons under a Trump administration plan but to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.

"Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts. The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel's positions," Doron Spielman, spokesman for the prime minister's office, told CBS News.

He said that Israeli intelligence had found that Hamas had been rearming and recruiting forces since a ceasefire announced by the president in October.

CBS/AFP

Tehran threatened to take "necessary measures" after Ukraine attacked an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, the country's foreign ministry said Monday. 

"Ukrainian officials … stressed that the incident was unintentional," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said, referring to the July 25 strike that killed one soldier and wounded another. "However, the evidence and circumstances are quite clear. Among them are the explicit statements made by the President of Ukraine, which indicate that the attack was deliberate."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that he didn't want to open a "new front" with the attack on the ship, but said Iran had "already attacked us," referring to Iran supplying Russia with attack drones.

"We have heard the explanations provided by the Ukrainian authorities, and we are waiting to see whether they will take practical steps that substantiate and confirm their claim that this crime was unintentional," Baghaei added.

"We will certainly take whatever measures are necessary, both to hold Ukraine accountable and to ensure that such a mistake and crime is not committed again by the Ukrainian side."

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has held a second round of phone calls with Saudi and Pakistani leaders in 24 hours, according to Iran's foreign ministry.

Araghchi spoke to his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Pakistan's chief of staff, Gen. Asim Munir, the ministry said on Sunday.

"The parties reviewed and exchanged views on the latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at preserving and strengthening security and stability in the West Asia region," the ministry added, without giving specifics.

Iran said Monday that its only current negotiations are with Oman to discuss the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

Denying President Trump's claim that the U.S. and Iran would restart negotiations on Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said: "Our negotiations are with Oman and are focused on reaching an understanding on a route that will ensure the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz."

"Our goal is to determine, as soon as possible and in consultation with Oman, a route that will likely be temporary and will enable safe maritime navigation through the Strait," he added. 

The two countries have had "constructive discussions over the past eight days regarding reaching an agreement on a new route," he said, which would have "both an inbound and outbound route, not two or three separate routes."

"This middle route is intended to be used temporarily until an agreement is reached on a permanent route," he said.

Iran has insisted that ships navigating through the waterway should use a route designated by them after requesting permission and paying service fees.

Tehran's stranglehold on the strategic waterway — through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passed before the war — has put pressure on President Trump: Rising energy prices have hurt Americans at the pump and made the war unpopular, but walking away now, without any real gains from the conflict, would make the president look weak.

Baqaei said Sunday that the status quo in the strait "will in no way return to the status it was before February 28th," the day the war started.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press conference Monday that Tehran had no plans to hold direct talks with Washington.

"To avoid any misunderstanding, it is important to clarify what the current negotiations are about and who they are with. We are not negotiating with the United States at this time," Baqaei said.

"Our negotiations are with Oman and are focused on reaching an understanding on a route that will ensure the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

President Trump said Sunday that negotiations with Iran were set to begin Monday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Mr. Trump elaborated on the decision to hold off on attacks on Iran and again said it would have been the "biggest attacks since World War II."

"It would have been disastrous for them and they didn't want us to do it," he said. "The deal is imminent, having to do with the Hormuz Strait and also, ultimately, the denuclearization of Iran."  

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz "will in no way return to the status it was before February 28th," the day the war started.

On a call with Iranian state TV, he added that Iran is discussing shipping through the strait with Oman, on the other side of Hormuz, but that there's no current talk about reopening the crucial waterway.

President Trump has announced halts to strikes on Iran on several occasions since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, only for things to unravel and fighting to resume again.

Iran's defense minister said on X that the country was "neither surprised nor passive" following Mr. Trump's announcement that he had called off new strikes on Iran and said the Islamic Republic remains alert in the face of concrete threats from the U.S.

While Iran's leaders appear united in a war strategy signaling strength and endurance, a struggle for control seems to be brewing within the theocracy's leadership between those who oppose all negotiations with the U.S. and others who count on military pressure to win at the negotiating table. 

The Associated Press

President Trump said Sunday that negotiations with Iran are set to begin Monday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Mr. Trump elaborated on  his decision to hold off attacks on Iran and again said they would have been the "biggest attacks since World War II."

"It would have been disastrous for them and they didn't want us to do it," he said. "The deal is imminent, having to do with the Hormuz Strait and also, ultimately, the denuclearization of Iran."

The president confirmed he spoke with Saudi Arabia's crown prince who, according to Mr. Trump, told the president he'd prefer to make a deal with Iran.

The president said Saturday he canceled the attack on Iran because a rough framework of a deal had been reached.

"We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters [sic] of a deal has been agreed to," Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Mr. Trump said the deal "would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat."  

Multiple sources Friday had told CBS News that the U.S. and Israel were preparing to conduct a powerful joint bombing campaign on energy infrastructure targets in Iran.

Read more here.

In his first month on the job, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised it "would be the most transparent administration ever," offering a sharp contrast with the previous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that critics said had been shrouded in secrecy and misleading public statements.

Now, as the American-led war against Iran enters its sixth month, the administration is offering the public less information about the conflict and its direction, even as the costs continue to mount.

More than 50,000 American troops remain deployed in the Middle East.  Some 18 U.S. service members are dead, and hundreds more are injured or wounded. Mr. Trump has launched several efforts at diplomacy with Iran, most recently this weekend. And Congress has been asked to approve another $67 billion to cover the costs of the campaign.

Yet Pentagon press briefings to reporters and the public have largely disappeared — the last one was in early May.

Read more here.