Iran has dismissed reports of renewed nuclear negotiations with the United States as Israeli strikes continue across Lebanon and Iran.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, denied claims in US media that Tehran had made a fresh push for talks.
He said Iran will not negotiate with the US at present as the country is defending itself and that its armed forces did not initiate the conflict.
Trump, who a day earlier had encouraged Iranians to “take over” their government, signaled Sunday that he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership, reports AP.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry told Al Jazeera that the country attempted diplomatic engagement twice: during the interrupted 2025 negotiations and again now, while facing renewed US-Israeli attacks.
Iranian retaliatory strikes have hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beit Shemesh, killing at least nine in central Israel.
Israel announces ‘offensive campaign against Hezbollah’
The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said in a meeting following Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel, “We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah.”
Lebanese authorities reported that Israeli air attacks on the country have so far killed at least 31 people and wounded 149 others.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Israeli air attacks hit the southern suburbs of Beirut and southern Lebanon, leaving 20 dead and 91 wounded in the capital’s suburbs and 11 dead and 58 wounded in the south.
Israel launched the strikes after Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, widening the conflict triggered by joint US-Israel attacks on Iran. Forced displacement threats from Israel have caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in southern Lebanon.
Trump said US attacks on Iran will continue until all Washington’s objectives are achieved and vowed to avenge the deaths of three American soldiers.
Iran has continued strikes on US assets across the Gulf, killing one person in Bahrain, with Iraq and Kuwait also reporting Iranian raids following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and up to 40 top officials.
US embassy in Kuwait warns of ongoing missile and drone threats
The US embassy in Kuwait said there is a “continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks” over the country. “The US Embassy in Kuwait urges US citizens in Kuwait to shelter in place, review security plans in the event of an attack, and to stay alert in case of additional future attacks,” it said in a statement, adding that embassy personnel are sheltering in place.
Two killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s Sanandaj
The Iranian Fars news agency reported that at least two people were killed in an “enemy attack” on the central city of Sanandaj. It said the city was targeted by enemy missiles, destroying several residential buildings near the police station. The Tasnim news agency said US and Israeli forces dropped six missiles on different parts of the city, including densely populated neighbourhoods. Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed fire and huge clouds of smoke in the sky during one attack.
Trump has turned ‘America First’ to ‘Israel First’, Larijani says
Larijani said in a post on X that Trump has plunged the Middle East into chaos with his “delusional fantasies and now fears more American casualties.” He added, “He turned his self-made ‘America First’ slogan into ‘Israel First’ and sacrificed American soldiers for Israel’s power-hungry ambitions.” He said it is American soldiers and their families who will pay the cost, adding that Iran will continue to defend itself.
Oil prices soar, stock markets fall amid regional conflict
Crude oil prices rose sharply while stocks fell as investors weighed the fallout from US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Brent crude rose as much as 13 percent in Asia on Monday morning before stabilising, with the international benchmark up by about 5 percent at $76.48 per barrel as of midday Tokyo time. Asian stock markets opened lower, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and Japan’s Nikkei 225 down about 2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. In the US, stock futures fell significantly outside regular market hours, with futures tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both down about 0.7 percent, signalling a volatile day ahead on Wall Street.