Donald Trump has accused Iran of being “unbelievably duplicitous” in denying talks aimed at ending the conflict were being held.
The US president said Tehran had “begged” for negotiations and whether they admitted it or not discussions were taking place to reach “a solution” to the current stand-off.
Iran has flatly denied that negotiators plan to meet with their US counterparts on Monday in the latest blow to Mr Trump’s hopes of an imminent end to the war.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that Tehran is not currently holding any talks with Washington, and is rather in discussions with Oman about securing a temporary safe route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei added that reaching an agreement with Oman is not sufficient to reopen the strait, as the situation will remain unchanged while US “aggression” continues.
The comments came after Trump announced on Saturday that talks would resume today, after he said he had called off a major attack in order to give diplomacy another chance.
That apparent de-escalation followed days of threats of new attacks from each side. Attacks have spread across the Gulf to the Red Sea and even a Mediterranean facility in Egypt.
Oil prices rise to $84 a barrel
Oil prices rebounded slightly this morning on concerns that Middle Eastern supply remains at risk as a diplomatic resolution to the US-Iran war that has disrupted shipments still seems unlikely.
Front-month Brent futures rose $0.62, or 0.7 per cent, to $84.39 a barrel as of 0055 GMT after dropping 7 per cent in the previous session to a three-week low.
US West Texas Intermediate crude was $0.61, or 0.7 per cent higher at $80.95 after falling over 5 per cent in the previous session to its lowest in nearly a week.
Trump’s Iran desperation is revealed in crowd-sourcing memo seeking ‘creative’ ways to punish the enemy: report
The US military has asked combat experts to think outside the box in a desperate bid for new ideas to end President Donald Trump's war against Iran, according to a report Monday.
In an email last week, an officer in the intelligence branch of US Central Command asked a broad group of military analysts for suggestions, CNN said, citing an unidentified source.
"We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” the email reportedly read.
Military officials said the effort to crowdsource a solution to the war by email was highly unusual, CNN reported.
The move came as Trump is considering dramatic, "fireworks"-style airstrikes against Iran that could hit the same or similar sites that the US bombed last year when targeting the nation’s suspected nuclear weapons program, a source told CNN.
Read on...
Cargo vessel 'hit' by projectile near Oman
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Al Khasab, after a cargo vessel broadcast over VHF channel 16 that it had been hit by an unknown projectile.
Watch: Trump says canceled Iran attack would have been the biggest 'since WWII'
Recap: US military asks for ‘creative and unconventional ideas’ to punish Iran after Trump’s ‘despair’ over strategy
The US military has been crowdsourcing ideas for “creative and unconventional” ways to “punish” Iran, according to a report, after both sides reached an impasse over how to end the unpopular five-month war.
A senior officer at the US Central Command’s intelligence branch is said to have written to military analysts last Wednesday asking for new ideas to “pressure and punish Iran”, according to CNN, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Centcom spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins said: “US Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways. [Centcom commander] Admiral [Brad] Cooper, in particular, reaches out to members of our great team, regardless of rank, to achieve the highest levels of operational performance possible.”
In full:
Trump’s Iran war is becoming a political disaster, new poll shows
A new AP-NORC poll suggests Americans are growing increasingly skeptical of the war with Iran, with about two-thirds saying the conflict has not been worth fighting and support for President Donald Trump's handling of the war slipping.
The survey, conducted July 23-27, found just 28% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of Iran, down from 34% last month. Support also dipped among Republicans, with 61% approving, compared with 71% in June, though the poll's margin of error means the decline is modest.
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In pictures: Iran's foreign minister attends Arbaeen commemoration in Iraq on Monday
The Arbaeen pilgrimage commemorates 40 days of mourning after the martyrdom in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Recap: MTG and Tucker Carlson announce new ‘movement’ in photo packed with MAGA renegades
Marjorie Taylor Greene announced a new political “movement” with a group of MAGA stalwarts who have broken with President Donald Trump over the ongoing Iran war.
On August 1, the former Georgia Republican posted a photo on X depicting her alongside media personality Tucker Carlson, Rep. Thomas Massie and Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Also pictured was conservative journalist Brian Glenn, whom Greene married in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
“We said no more foreign wars and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise,” Greene wrote. “But he’s betrayed us all. Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center,” she continued.”
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Recap: Trump says there ‘will be a deal on Hormuz’ as peace talks to resume
US military asks for ‘creative and unconventional ideas’ to punish Iran
The US military has been crowdsourcing ideas for “creative and unconventional” ways to “punish” Iran, according to a report, after both sides reached an impasse over how to end the unpopular five-month war.
A senior officer at the US Central Command’s intelligence branch is said to have written to military analysts last Wednesday asking for new ideas to “pressure and punish Iran”, according to CNN, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Centcom spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins said: “US Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways. [Centcom commander] Admiral [Brad] Cooper, in particular, reaches out to members of our great team, regardless of rank, to achieve the highest levels of operational performance possible.”
Military officials nonetheless told the outlet it was unusual to appeal for ideas like that by email. One of the sources told CNN that Centcom was reviewing all of its options, acknowledging the need to re-evaluate its current strategy.
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