LIVE | West Asia war | Trump says US and Iran 'want to make a deal,' but Tehran calls claims of talks 'fake news'

Trump claims US-Iran talks reached “major points of agreement,” but Tehran denies any negotiations

Top developments

• US President Donald Trump said Monday that talks with Iran over the past day produced “major points of agreement” and that both sides want “to make a deal.”

• Trump said his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner held discussions with Iran on Sunday, with talks continuing on Monday.

• The US is reportedly engaging a “top person” in the Iranian regime, not new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, to work toward a resolution, with 15 points under discussion, including Tehran giving up nuclear weapons as the first three points.

• Trump postponed planned US strikes on Iranian power plants by five days, citing “productive conversations” and ongoing efforts to achieve a “complete and total resolution of hostilities” in the Middle East.

• Iran denied that any direct or indirect talks with the US took place. The Fars news agency, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, called Trump’s claims false, while Iran’s foreign ministry said his statements were attempts to reduce energy prices and buy time for US military plans.

• Britain is sending short-range air defence systems to the Middle East to counter Iranian missile attacks

• Tensions remain high after Trump’s Saturday warning to bomb Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed.

• Iran responded that it would “irreversibly destroy” critical Middle East infrastructure if attacked and threatened to lay sea mines to block the Gulf.

Oil prices plunge as Trump delays strikes on Iranian energy plants

Oil prices have tumbled after US President Donald Trump announced a five-day delay in strikes on Iranian energy facilities. Brent crude fell below $100, plunging 11 percent, then dipping as much as 15 percent.

Israel says it’s attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s capital

The Israeli military says it is carrying out strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, focusing on infrastructure and positions linked to the Iran‑backed group, as part of intensified operations in the ongoing conflict. The military has warned residents in southern suburbs ahead of the strikes, which mark a significant escalation in hostilities within Lebanon’s capital and surrounding areas

Iran war civilian toll remains unclear amid communications blackout

Iran has not updated official casualty figures since March 8, when it reported about 1,200 civilian deaths from US and Israeli airstrikes. Human rights groups outside the country say the death toll is likely higher, but chronic internet and phone outages are preventing accurate reporting. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates at least 1,407 civilians, including 214 children, have been killed.

Damage to infrastructure is extensive, with 61,555 homes, 19,000 businesses, 275 medical centres, and nearly 500 schools hit. Reporters cannot move freely in Iran without official permission, and authorities have reportedly threatened or arrested people attempting to share information internationally.

Major civilian losses include an airstrike on an elementary school in Minab that killed at least 165 people and a flour factory strike in Naqadeh killing 11 workers. Observers stress the need to focus on civilian harm amid ongoing geopolitical coverage.

Elsewhere, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed 1,029 people, while Iranian attacks have claimed 16 civilian lives in Israel and 17 in Gulf countries.

ICRC warns of “irreversible consequences” as Middle East war hits critical infrastructure

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday called for an immediate halt to attacks on essential infrastructure in the Middle East, warning that damage to nuclear and energy facilities could have “irreversible consequences.” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said strikes on civilian infrastructure risk amounting to war crimes and underscored that targeting essential services punishes millions of civilians.

The warning comes amid ongoing hostilities between the US-Israel and Iran, including an Iranian strike on Dimona in southern Israel, home to a nuclear facility. Spoljaric said the repeated targeting of energy sites and critical infrastructure “normalises a style of warfare that strips away our shared humanity.”

US President Donald Trump has temporarily paused threats to attack Iranian power plants following “very good” talks with unnamed Iranian officials, while Tehran denies any negotiations. The ICRC stressed that deliberate or incidental harm to nuclear and energy facilities is particularly alarming under international law.

UN Security Council weighs resolution on use of force in Hormuz

The UN Security Council is negotiating a draft resolution, introduced by Bahrain, that would allow states to use “all necessary means” to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The text demands Iran immediately stop attacks on merchant vessels and attempts to impede lawful passage. Since Iran effectively blocked the Strait in response to US-Israeli strikes, only a few ships have passed. The draft also threatens targeted sanctions and could be revised during council negotiations, though its approval remains uncertain.

WRAP |  Trump-Netanyahu call

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had spoken with Donald Trump and that the US president believed the countries' military gains in Iran could be converted into a negotiated agreement that protected Israel's interests.

"President Trump believes there is a chance to leverage the tremendous achievements of the (Israeli military) and the US military in order to realise the war's objectives in an agreement -- an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

WRAP | Israel strikes Beirut suburbs -

An Israeli strike hit Beirut's southern suburbs, state media reported, hours after the Israeli army issued a warning for residents of the area to evacuate.

AFPTV's live broadcast showed a cloud of smoke over the southern suburbs, which are considered a stronghold of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

WRAP | Pakistani, Iranian leaders speak

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on "the grave situation in the Gulf region", and promised Pakistan was committed to playing "a constructive role in advancing peace".

WRAP | Israeli interceptor system malfunctions

A malfunction in Israel's "David's Sling" aerial interceptor system allowed two Iranian ballistic missiles to strike the south of the country, wounding dozens of people over the weekend, the military confirmed.

The system is a key component of Israel's multi-layered air defence shield.

WRAP | Israel strikes Guards' site -

The Israeli military announced it struck a site in Tehran belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and used for directing battalions of the Basij paramilitary force.

The hit came days after Israel announced it had "eliminated" the intelligence chief of the Basij in a strike that had also killed the force's top commander, Gholamreza Soleimani.

Israel has been targeting the Basij force as part of efforts to undermine the Iranian authorities' grip on power.

WRAP | Iranian parliament speaker denies US-Iran talks, calls Trump claims ‘fake news’

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim of ongoing negotiations, saying no talks had taken place. Posting on X, Ghalibaf accused the US of using “fake news” to manipulate oil and financial markets and distract from the challenges faced by Washington and Israel.

Trump had earlier announced “very good” discussions with an unnamed Iranian official after postponing strikes on Iran’s power plants. Axios, citing an Israeli source, identified Ghalibaf as Trump’s interlocutor. Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei noted that messages from “friendly countries” suggested a US request for negotiations to end the conflict, according to IRNA.

WRAP | UK sends Gulf air defences

Britain is sending short-range air defence systems to the Middle East to counter Iranian missile attacks, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

"We're deploying short range air defence systems to Bahrain at speed," Starmer told a parliamentary committee, adding that Britain was "doing the same with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia".

WRAP | Trump claims 'regime change' in Iran -

Trump announced "very good" talks with an unidentified Iranian official after abruptly shelving plans to attack the Islamic republic's power plants.

Trump made clear the talks -- denied by Tehran -- were not with Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, but with people he described as "very reasonable", and said so many top officials had already been killed in the conflict that "there's automatically a regime change".