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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to discuss regional and international developments, according to a statement from Araghchi. The conversation comes a day after Germany appeared to back US President Donald Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace plan, with a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson saying the proposal could pave the way for Hamas’s disarmament.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the Mecca Defence Agreement has no aggressive intent and is aimed solely at defence. Addressing a federal cabinet meeting, Sharif said the pact is intended to promote peace, development and prosperity in the region and described it as a source of strength for the Muslim world.

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The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine has warned church leaders worldwide of what it described as a growing pattern of violence, displacement and persecution targeting Palestinians, including Christians, across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The committee cited settler violence, land confiscations, restrictions on worship and attacks on clergy, churches and monasteries.

Houthi forces launched a fresh drone attack targeting Yemen’s port city of al-Makha, according to Yemeni military sources cited by Al Arabiya. Air defences engaged the drones over the city, with heavy anti-aircraft fire reported. The latest attack comes after a series of Houthi strikes that Yemen’s army says have killed at least 18 people in al-Makha since Saturday.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly over the weekend, according to vessel tracker MaritimeTraffic. The number of crossings fell from 15 on Friday to 11 on Saturday and just six on Sunday, as uncertainty over the security situation continued to affect shipping.

Israeli forces have conducted a series of detonation operations in parts of southern Lebanon, according to the country’s National News Agency. Explosions were reported between the villages of Markaba and Rab el-Thalathine, as well as between Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun in Nabatieh governorate. The Israeli military has also reportedly demolished homes in the town of Khiam.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei added that the US’ continued hostile actions in the Strait of Hormuz have made the strategic waterway unsafe for shipping. He described the US naval blockade as an act of aggression against Iran, amid ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Oman over transit through the strait.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has said that negotiations with Oman are proceeding smoothly, while warning that some parties are seeking to obstruct an agreement. He said that an understanding between the two sides was likely and would mark an important stage in the ongoing negotiations.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has emphasised on national unity, cohesion and attention to people’s livelihoods during a seven-hour meeting between the two. Pezeshkian’s remarks were reported by Iran’s Fars news agency, with the meeting said to have taken place late last month.

An oil slick covering around 390 square kilometres has spread off Oman’s coast after a sanctioned vessel carrying Russian crude was damaged, according to the country’s Environment Authority. The spill from the tanker Caroline Bezengi is located near the Hallaniyat Islands and has extended towards the mainland, coming within about 7km of the shore at its closest point.

Oman and Iran are negotiating arrangements for the transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, as Muscat continues efforts to support dialogue and de-escalation in the region. The developments were discussed during a call between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, with Takaichi expressing appreciation for Oman’s diplomatic efforts.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called for the resumption of free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. Oman said that it would consult with and respect the views of countries that rely on the strategic waterway, according to Takaichi.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thanked his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian for his “kind and sincere words” after Pezeshkian highlighted Azerbaijan’s assistance to Iran during the war. Aliyev said the peoples of Azerbaijan and Iran have “always stood by each other’s side” during difficult times.

Aliyev added that Azerbaijan had once again demonstrated its support for the Iranian people amid recent events in the region. Pezeshkian had said Azerbaijan provided Iran with necessary assistance, particularly in resolving issues related to routes used to deliver aid and accompanied Iranian efforts to facilitate the aid. (Al Jazeera)

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will visit Pakistan at an appropriate time following formal invitations from Islamabad, underscoring the growing importance of bilateral ties between Tehran and Islamabad in recent months.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said there was no reason for Tehran to be concerned that the Mecca Agreement between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was directed against Iran. He said Iran shares deep religious, historical and civilisational bonds with all three countries.

Iran and Oman are continuing talks on a mechanism to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides yet to finalise a joint statement on the proposed arrangements, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday.

Responding to questions about whether Iran and Oman had discussed imposing transit fees on ships using the proposed route, Baqaei said such details were not currently under discussion. He said the two sides had already reached an understanding on the navigation route, while some technical points related to the joint statement were still being worked out.

Baqaei said the proposed arrangements would include mechanisms to monitor the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, along with cooperation on environmental issues, maritime services and combating crime. “Obviously, when you provide maritime services, you should also receive compensation for them,” he said. (IRNA)

The replacement at the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council is critically important given the position’s role at the intersection of political and military affairs, and the timing amid pivotal decisions on Oman talks and US diplomatic engagement, according to an Al Jazeera report. It noted that while Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr previously served as council secretary without public confirmation he also represented the supreme leader, incoming appointee Mohsen Rezaei’s appointment could signal stronger alignment between Khamenei and the presidency and may reflect a broader trend toward militarisation of Iran’s security apparatus.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, responding to an IRIB News Agency question on the trilateral security memorandum between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, said the development signalled “a change in the perception of the countries of the region,” which had realised over the past two to three years that “security is not a commodity that can be purchased from false security dealers.”

He said Iran’s policy has always been to encourage regional cooperation for “endogenous security” without relying on outside actors, adding that regional security was “definitely inseparable” and that any plan grounded in historical and geopolitical realities had a chance to strengthen it.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the opening of the Strait of Hormuz “is subject to the conditions that have been imposed on the strait” and has nothing to do with the agreement with Oman. “We are still at war, and as long as the US naval blockade and other US violations continue, there will be no conditions to say that the strait has become a safe waterway,” he said, according to IRIB.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference that reopening the Strait of Hormuz “is conditional on the lifting of the US naval blockade” and on Washington stopping and compensating for its “illegal and destructive actions.” He said no toll collection had been discussed yet in talks with Oman, though services provided at sea should naturally be charged, adding that an understanding had been reached on a traffic map for the strait, with some technical points still being finalised in what he called “smooth and constructive” negotiations.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the region “doesn’t need players from outside,” calling the US “part of the lack of security in the region” rather than a source of stability. He said Washington enabled Israel to “wage war with impunity” through political and security support, adding that without US backing “the Zionist entity will never be able to do what they did and continue their crimes,” and that no one could hold Israel accountable “or take them to court,” according to Al Jazeera.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a news conference that Gulf countries should not allow the US to use their territories to launch attacks against Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a news conference that Iran had “lost so many” colleagues in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine over the past two years, who “lost their lives for the sake of doing their jobs.” He said Iran sent “a big salute to all of our martyrs who have lost their lives for the sake of our country and for the sake of the mission of journalism.”

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s economic measures are “devastating the Iranian economy,” telling Fox News that Iranian negotiators keep asking for cash access, adding, “the Iranians are more afraid of Secretary Bessent than they are of Secretary Hegseth right now.” Waltz claimed Iranian leaders “don’t care about” their military or people, focusing instead on the collapsing currency and inflation he said was the “highest in 80 years.” He said the pressure for access to frozen assets, combined with the naval blockade, would “eventually get the Iranians to move.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said reopening the Strait of Hormuz would depend partly on the US paying compensation for damage caused by its attacks on Iran according to Reuters. Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s top national security body, added further demands: an end to US threats against Iran, a halt to aggression toward Iran and its Lebanese, Palestinian, Yemeni and Iraqi allies, removal of the US naval blockade, lifting of sanctions, and the release of frozen Iranian assets. The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran more than five months ago, with Trump saying the goal was to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and curb its regional threat.

Iran’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, appointed Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr as his political adviser, according to an official decree cited by IRNA News Agency.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on X that the general outlines of the “Strategic Initiative for Ensuring Security and Sustainable Development of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf” were passed unanimously by the committee. He said the bill, formulated in line with the supreme leader’s guidelines and input from relevant institutions, was designed to safeguard national interests.