Iran currently cannot manufacture any new missiles, Israel says

Overall shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained at a standstill on Monday, according to ship tracking data cited by Reuters.

Despite the disruption, limited movements were recorded, with two tankers — a liquefied petroleum gas carrier and a chemical tanker — sailing into the Persian Gulf through the strait.

One oil products tanker was also seen leaving the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, the data showed.

Russia hopes negotiations between the US and Iran continue in order to avoid further escalation in the region, the Kremlin said on Monday.

“We can see that the situation in the Gulf remains fragile and unpredictable. We hope that the negotiation process will continue and that we will be able to avoid a further escalation towards a military scenario,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov added that Moscow was ready to help with achieving an agreement.

“Russia is not currently a mediator in the negotiation process, but we are ready to provide any assistance to facilitate a peaceful resolution and help reach an agreement,” he said.

Iranian ships are not bound by the US naval blockade, a member of Iran’s parliament said on Monday, calling the blockade “meaningless.”

“In our view, this blockade is meaningless and we do not consider ourselves bound by it. That is why our ships are passing through and are ignoring this blockade.” Mohammadreza Mohseni Sani told Iran-based news website Didban Iran.

The member of parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee also invoked the Islamic legal principle of retribution, saying: “We will carry out Qisas against any American we capture.”

He said he was not optimistic about any agreement with the United States and accused Washington of violating the ceasefire.

Iran said “uranium is as sacred as our soil” and ruled out any transfer or dilution of its enriched uranium stockpiles in current or past negotiations.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran’s position is to keep its nuclear achievements inside the country.

“At no stage of the current or previous negotiations has the transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles to the United States or any other country been discussed,” he said.

“As our soil is sacred and important to us, enriched uranium is also important to us,” he added.

He also rejected suggestions of diluting uranium, framing the issue in broader terms.

“Our soil is as sacred as our uranium,” Baghaei said, adding that national assets should be treated with the same importance as the lives of citizens.

He said Iran’s nuclear program reflects years of domestic scientific effort and would not be abandoned.

“Nuclear knowledge is the result of the efforts of Iranians,” he said, adding that if it were not valuable, adversaries would not have sought to restrict it through pressure and conflict.

Baghaei said Iran would continue to safeguard its nuclear capabilities.

Pakistan has deployed nearly 20,000 police, paramilitary and army personnel across Islamabad ahead of a planned new round of Iran-US talks, Reuters reported, citing officials.

Security has been tightened around the expected venue, with surrounding areas cleared and public transport suspended, the report said.

The measures come despite uncertainty over whether the talks will take place, as tensions rise following a US seizure of an Iranian ship and disagreements over extending a ceasefire.