Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including the US military's blockade of maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, meeting between Israel-Lebanon officials in Washington today, and report stating Iran offering to stop enriching uranium for 5 years.
The US military on Monday began implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for military operations in the Mideast and elsewhere, said on Sunday that the blockade will be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations" entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
"CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports," it said.
US President Donald Trump announced a blockade on Iranian ports set to take effect at 1400GMT on Monday. The announcement followed rare direct talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at ending the war that began on Feb. 28, but the negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join direct peace talks between Israel and Lebanon at the State Department on Tuesday, according to the official schedule.
Rubio is set to host Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad at 11 am local time as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.
The meeting will mark the launch of direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and will be among the highest-level talks between the two sides in decades.
The discussion is expected to focus on securing a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and a broader peace arrangement.
The talks come amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army expanded its air and ground offensive after the Iran war. More than 2,000 people have been killed and a million displaced since early March.
Iran on Monday met a US demand for a two-decade halt to its uranium enrichment with a counter-proposal for a five-year suspension, according to the New York Times.
Citing officials from both sides, the daily reported that US negotiators led by Vice President JD Vance over the weekend in the Pakistani capital Islamabad asked Iran to stop enrichment activities for a period of 20 years.
It added that Tehran, submitting a formal response on Monday, offered a moratorium of one-fourth of that span.
To another US demand that all highly enriched uranium be removed from the country, Iran reportedly offered to “significantly” dilute its existing stockpiles.
Marathon historic talks between the US and Iran concluded in Islamabad this weekend with senior delegations from both countries failing to reach an agreement that would bring a permanent end to the US-Israeli war.
More than 80 energy facilities in the Middle East have been damaged since the Feb. 28 start of the Iran war, with over one-third of them classified as severely or very severely hit, said the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Monday.
Speaking during an Atlantic Council event in Washington, DC, Fatih Birol said the scale of destruction to oil fields, refineries, terminals, and other infrastructure means supply recovery will take time even if the conflict were to end immediately.
“This is one of the most critical issues, and different than the past, many of the facilities are badly damaged,” he said, adding that the IEA is monitoring all affected sites.
US stock markets closed higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq wiping out all losses triggered by the Iran war, as investors bet Washington and Tehran could still eventually reach a deal despite a new US naval blockade targeting Iranian ports.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.63%, or 301.68 points, to 48,218.25.
The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.23%, or 280.84 points, to 23,183.74, while the S&P 500 added 1.02%, or 69.35 points, to 6,886.24.
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