NewzThe talks will seek to end the conflict and revive stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said new talks to wind down the war in Iran will start Monday, after announcing he is holding off on new massive strikes he had threatened to unleash on the country.The talks will seek to end the conflict and revive stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.But Trump has made a habit of threatening strikes on Iran only to call them off and dangle the prospect of a diplomatic end to the conflict. And Iran's foreign ministry said it's not currently holding negotiations with the United States.
Meanwhile, divisions have emerged among Iranian leaders over their goals.Elsewhere, Israel struck the Gaza Strip over the weekend, days after the U.S. and Hamas said a deal was reached for the militant group to disarm, a potential step toward ending the war in Gaza.Hospitals in Gaza said at least 17 people were killed in the weekend strikes, including children. A strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza killed three family members, including a 4-year-old child, according to Nasser hospital, where the bodies arrived.The Israeli military said the strikes targeted militants.Here is a look at the most important developments Monday in the Middle East.Trump announces renewed talksTrump said Sunday that he decided against carrying out major strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He said a plan was in place for U.S. forces to carry out “the biggest attack since World War II,” but he decided to give diplomacy more time after hearing from key Gulf leaders, as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” he said.
He did not provide further details or say who would be involved in the talks.Trump has had a pattern of threatening massive strikes that he later calls off, with the announcements often later upended by renewed attacks. The abrupt shifts have been a defining feature of the five-month war that has upended global markets and sent the prices of fuel and other basic goods soaring.Top Iranian officials head to Oman and Pakistan amid US blockadeThe Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tehran is not currently holding negotiations with the United States.…
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