Progress toward a war-ending agreement between Iran and the United States slowed Monday, with the two sides at odds over references to Tehran’s nuclear program and financial relief, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing mediators.
Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati traveled to Doha for talks on a potential US-Iran agreement, Reuters reported on Monday, citing an official briefed on the visit.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that any deal with Iran would have to be “great and meaningful,” adding that otherwise there would be no agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington would either reach a good agreement with Iran or deal with the country “another way,” adding that the United States would give diplomacy every chance before considering “alternatives.”
Iran’s internet blackout entered its 87th consecutive day on Monday, passing 2,064 hours, internet monitor NetBlocks said.
Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem says an Iranian source claimed heavy gunfire heard near Bandar Abbas began after the IRGC targeted a vessel at sea, followed by US fighter jets striking IRGC naval boats in the Gulf.
According to the source, several IRGC Navy personnel were killed.
“The situation is still unfolding,” the source said.
US President Donald Trump said Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must either be handed over to the United States for destruction or eliminated under international supervision.
“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that the process should take place in the presence of the “Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent,” as negotiations between Tehran and Washington continue through regional mediators.
Iran has warned Washington that any Israeli attack on Beirut or the city’s southern suburbs would seriously threaten ongoing efforts to end the war and could collapse the current diplomatic track, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem citing an Iranian official source.
The warning comes as negotiations involving Tehran, Washington and regional mediators continue in Doha amid growing efforts to secure a broader understanding tied to the Strait of Hormuz and regional de-escalation.
Conflicting reports emerged from southern Iran on Monday after explosions were reported east of Bandar Abbas, a key port city overlooking the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian outlet Tabnak reported that the runway at Bandar Abbas airport had been struck by a missile, though no official confirmation was immediately issued.
Shortly afterward, Iran’s Mehr News Agency said the situation in Bandar Abbas was “under control” and there was “no cause for concern” following the explosions.
No further details on the cause or extent of the reported incident were immediately available.
Iran’s IRGC-linked Fars News Agency has voiced support for President Masoud Pezeshkian’s decision to restore international internet access, describing the move as a necessary “technical and security” step that would have happened “sooner or later” as cyber conditions improved.
The outlet said restrictions had originally been imposed to prevent cyber espionage and protect critical infrastructure during wartime conditions and an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks.
Fars also pushed back against criticism over how the decision was made, dismissing accusations that officials bypassed legal procedures or created a “parallel council” outside the Supreme National Security Council.
In unusually direct language, the agency accused some reformist media outlets of trying to exploit the issue for political gain instead of promoting “national unity” during what it described as a “full-scale war.”
Qatar appears set to provide part of the money sought by Tehran and later be reimbursed by Washington, so Iran “would not be left waiting” if the US delays, said Mohammad Marandi, an Iranian state TV pundit and member of Iran’s delegation to Pakistan-mediated talks with the United States.
Residents in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas heard several explosions minutes ago, while similar sounds were also reported near Sirik and Jask along Iran’s southern coast, though the exact location and source of the blasts remain unclear, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News reported.
Intense talks between Qatari mediators and a senior Iranian delegation are ongoing in Doha in coordination with the United States, focusing on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s highly enriched uranium and frozen funds, CNN reported, citing a diplomatic source.
Iran’s frozen funds are being discussed as part of the memorandum of understanding under negotiation between Tehran and Washington, and could be included in any final agreement, the source said.
The talks are taking place between Qatari mediators and the Iranian delegation in coordination with the United States, according to CNN.
The head of the Iranian parliament National Security Commission said there would be no meaning to “understanding and negotiation” unless the United States takes five trust-building steps.
IRGC general-turned-lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi listed the measures as ending the war on all fronts, lifting the US naval blockade, allowing civilian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian arrangements, suspending oil sanctions for 30 or 60 days, and releasing frozen Iranian funds.
A rocket attack hit a camp belonging to an Iranian opposition group north of Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, wounding two fighters, Reuters reported citing security sources.
An official briefed on the Iranians' Doha visit told Reuters their discussions with Qatar's prime minister focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iran's central bank governor also attended the talks to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final deal, the official added.
Israel is at war with Lebanon's Hezbollah, and it would intensify strikes against them in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
ICT Minister Sattar Hashemi later told Shargh daily that the process of restoring the country’s internet access to its pre-January status has begun.
The semi-official news agency ISNA said Pezeshkian's order to restore internet access is expected to be implemented on Tuesday.
The IRGC-affiliated Fars News earlier questioned the administration’s authority to issue such an order, arguing that the decision to restrict internet access was made by the Supreme National Security Council and must therefore be reversed by the same body.
The president's order came after the fourth meeting of the Special Task Force on Cyberspace Management ended with 9 votes in favor and 3 against reconnecting Iran to the global internet after more than 85 days of disruption.
Peyman Jebelli, the head of Iran’s state broadcaster, and Mohammad-Amin Aghamiri, secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, were among the firm opponents of restoring international internet access, Faraz reported citing informed sources.
According to Faraz, Jebelli and Aghamiri remained strongly opposed to restoring international internet access until the end of the meeting.
Faraz said Aghamiri’s opposition was notable because the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace is appointed by the president. Although Aghamiri was first appointed under the previous administration, President Pezeshkian later kept him in the post.
The report said Aghamiri is now moving against the government’s position at a time when Pezeshkian says restoring internet access is one of his concerns.
US President Donald Trump posted two AI-style memes criticizing Barack Obama’s approach to Iran, accusing him of funding Tehran and contrasting past calls for negotiation with his own use of force.
"We lost 13 wonderful souls, wonderful special people. These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror (Iran) will never have a nuclear weapon," US President Donald Trump said on Monday.
"Oh, and they won't. They will never have a nuclear weapon," he said during his Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery.
Iran has made no commitment in the current draft memorandum with the United States to transfer nuclear material out of the country or take any nuclear-related action, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News reported, denying a report by Al-Hadath.
Tasnim said the Al-Hadath report on the details of the negotiations was “false” and part of what it called a US psychological operation.
“There is no sentence in the text of the memorandum that exists so far indicating readiness to transfer nuclear material abroad,” Tasnim said, adding that Iran had not made “any commitment regarding nuclear action” in the document.
The outlet also denied Al Hadath’s claim that the information came from “Iranian sources,” saying such assertions were “false” and “the product of the imagination of this media outlet.”
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in his first message to the Iranian public that the country would not step back.
“There will be no retreat,” Zolghadr said, adding that this had been shown on the military front, in diplomacy and by the Islamic Republic's supporters in the streets through what he called their “resistance.”
He said Iran now needed “unity and cohesion” more than ever so that “the Americans and Zionists would also be disappointed on that front."
Zolghadr described unity as “another field in the struggle” and said avoiding any divisive words or actions would lead Iran to “final victory.”
Iran is ready to transfer its highly enriched uranium out of the country but has made the move conditional on the stockpile being sent to China, and will also seek guarantees from Beijing before advancing a possible deal with Washington, Al Hadath reported, citing informed sources.
A nonprofit group has threatened FIFA with legal action in the United States unless it reverses a reported policy barring Iran’s pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag from World Cup stadiums, The Athletic reported on Monday.
The Institute for Voices of Liberty sent a letter to FIFA through its legal counsel, Shahrokh Mokhtarzadeh, raising concerns over the reported restriction, The Athletic reported Monday.
Mokhtarzadeh told The Athletic by email that, depending on FIFA’s response or lack of response, “a decision will be made to commence formal proceedings in Superior Court, State of California or Federal Courts in California on a later date.”
The group’s legal counsel said Saturday afternoon that FIFA had not responded three days after the letter was sent.
“We are preparing to commence appropriate legal proceedings in case of attempts by FIFA to exclude the Lion and Sun flag,” they added.
The Athletic reported last week, citing sources with direct knowledge of FIFA’s planning, that the organization’s official guidance for World Cup venues would be to prohibit the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag during the tournament.
Iranian lawmaker Alireza Salimi said parliament’s presiding board has asked Majtaba Khamenei for permission to hold sessions online with voting enabled, adding that normal parliamentary activity will resume once “the leadership” responds.
