Japan rules out naval escorts in Hormuz for now

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been urging US President Donald Trump to "keep hitting Iran hard," The New York Times reported on Sunday citing unnamed White House officials.

According to the report, Trump speaks to Arab leaders regularly.

The advise from the Crown Prince echoes that of the late Saudi King Abdullah, the authors noted, who had pressed Washington to “cut off the head of the snake.”

Emirates said all flights to and from Dubai have been temporarily suspended and urged passengers not to travel to the airport.

In a post on X, the airline said it would provide updates when available and thanked customers for their patience.

The suspension follows a “drone incident” reported earlier by the Dubai Media Office.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Israeli strikes on fuel depots in Tehran violate international law and amount to “ecocide,” warning of lasting environmental and health consequences.

In a post on X, Araghchi said residents could face long-term harm to their well-being and warned that contamination of soil and groundwater may have generational impacts.

"Israel must be punished for its war crimes,” he wrote at the end.

UN special rapporteur Mai Sato condemned military strikes on Iran ahead of a Human Rights Council session this week, saying unlawful force must not be seen as a solution to the country’s human rights crisis.

In a post on X, Sato said the situation had worsened since her report on Iran’s human rights record in 2025 was finalized following Israeli and US strikes.

"I have condemned these strikes as unlawful and call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities," she wrote. "Unlawful military intervention must not be mistaken for a solution to the human rights situation in Iran."

She said she would present her findings at the Human Rights Council session on Monday.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump hinted that there were talks but said that “I don’t think they are ready.”

"I think they will negotiate at some point," he added. "We are doing very well with respect to the whole situation in Iran."

Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed suggestions Tehran was seeking talks. “

We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,” he told CBS. “We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes.”

As the US-Israeli war with Iran entered its third week, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continued to roil global energy markets.

Trump said his administration was in talks with seven countries about helping to secure the strait and called on them to protect shipping through the vital waterway that Tehran has largely blocked to tanker traffic.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their territory,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling from Florida to Washington on Sunday.

He did not say which countries he meant. Australia has already said it will not send naval ships to help reopen the strait.

He also told the Financial Times that NATO allies faced a “very bad future” if they failed to do more to support US efforts against Iran.

Oil giants concerned

The chief executives of ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips warned Trump administration officials that disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz is likely to worsen the global energy crisis, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The executives cautioned that prolonged instability around the strategic waterway could sustain volatility, tighten supplies and risk shortages of refined products.

In a separate social media post, Trump accused Iran of using artificial intelligence and sympathetic news outlets to spread false battlefield claims.

He rejected reports of damage to US aircraft and ships and said media organizations that carried such accounts could face legal consequences, suggesting some should be charged with treason.