Iran will continue response against attackers, acting defense minister says

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Monday that an Iranian ambassador remained in Beirut past a deadline set by Lebanon to declare him persona non grata, and said the country was effectively under Iranian control.

In a post on X, Sa’ar said about 5,000 rockets, shells and drones had been fired from Lebanese territory toward Israel since March 2, including from areas south of the Litani River that the Lebanese army had said were under its operational control.

He said ministers from Hezbollah remained in the Lebanese government.

Sa’ar said Lebanon would not regain its freedom unless it confronted the Iranian influence and Hezbollah.

Kuwait’s National Guard said on Monday it had intercepted five drones in areas under its responsibility, according to the state news agency KUNA.

National Guard spokesperson Brigadier General Jadaan Fadhel said the interception was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen national security, protect vital strategic sites, and counter potential threats.

He urged the public to follow safety instructions issued by the relevant authorities.

Fadhel said the National Guard was coordinating closely with the Kuwait Army, the interior ministry, and the Kuwait Fire Force, adding that the forces remained at a high level of readiness to confront any threat to the country’s security, sovereignty, or stability.

Iran’s judiciary said on Monday that two men were executed following accusations of carrying out multiple attacks in Tehran.

The judiciary said Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi had conducted several attacks in the capital and explosive launchers were found in safe houses used by them.

The two political prisoners had been sentenced to death in 2024 by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court.

Authorities accused the two of having links with the exiled opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK).

A new wave of explosions and strikes was reported across several parts of Iran early on Monday, from the Persian Gulf coast and islands in the south to northern cities, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

On Kish Island in Hormozgan province, two heavy explosions were reported at 4:50 a.m. Nearby Qeshm Island saw repeated and intense blasts between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., with residents saying the force of the explosions shook windows. In Bandar Abbas, several heavy explosions were also reported at around 4:30 a.m., while persistent blasts were heard at 5:04 a.m. and some residents said the source may have been in the direction of Larak Island.

Further north, witnesses in Babol in Mazandaran province reported a heavy explosion near the city in the early morning hours.

In Dehgolan in Kurdistan province, reports said facilities linked to the IRGC were hit at around 4:20 a.m., followed by a complete power outage in the city.

In Tabriz, the capital of East Azarbaijan province, heavy srtikes were reported between 11:30 p.m. and 11:50 p.m. on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Washington was making progress in “direct and indirect” negotiations with Tehran and that a deal could emerge quickly.

But he also said he would like the United States to “take the oil in Iran” in an interview with the Financial Times, floating the idea of seizing Kharg Island, the terminal through which most of Iran’s crude exports pass.

“I could only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation. But you never know where they’re at, because we negotiate with them, and then we always have to bomb them,” he told reporters.

“I think we’ll make a deal with them, pretty sure. But it is possible we won’t.”

Markets have struggled to interpret the shifting signals. Oil prices have surged more than 60 percent over the past month amid fears the war could disrupt global energy supplies, with Brent crude trading near $116 a barrel.

Hours before Trump’s remarks, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted a cryptic message on social media using trading jargon that many interpreted as a jab at the US president and his announcements.

“Pre-market so-called ‘news’ or ‘Truth’ is often just a setup for profit-taking. Basically, it’s a reverse indicator,” he wrote. “Do the opposite: If they pump it, short it. If they dump it, go long.”

Ghalibaf has been mentioned in several unofficial reports as playing a leading role in contacts with Washington. Trump referred to him in the FT interview, saying he had authorised more Pakistan-flagged ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Aboard Air Force One shortly afterward, Trump suggested that “regime change” had effectively already taken place and that he was now dealing with “professionals.”

“We’re dealing with different people than anybody’s dealt with before. It’s a whole different group of people,” he said. “So I would consider that regime change, and frankly they’ve been very reasonable.”

But the president’s remarks left observers unsure whether diplomacy or escalation would shape the next phase of the conflict, which shows little sign of subsiding after a month of fighting.

Pakistan has renewed its offer to mediate between Washington and Tehran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said after talks with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Egypt that Islamabad stood ready to help bring both sides to the negotiating table.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is weighing a plan that could involve US forces entering Iran to seize its stockpile of enriched uranium, a move that would represent a dramatic escalation if pursued.