Energy prices rose on Monday amid the escalating strikes by the United States and Iran. Still, both countries’ top diplomats indicated that they were open to restarting talks.
The United States and Iran offered hints on Monday that they were willing to restart talks, with both countries saying they were open to negotiations after a week of deadly attacks across the Middle East shattered last month’s cease-fire.
The latest hostilities initially focused on the Strait of Hormuz but have extended wider, killing American service members, hitting U.S. allies across the Persian Gulf and damaging critical infrastructure. The surge in fighting has roiled energy markets, sending oil prices higher.
Esmaeil Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said in a news conference on Monday that Iran had received ideas for de-escalating tensions but did not offer details. Last month’s short-lived cease-fire collapsed after mutual recriminations over Iran’s grip over the strait, but oil prices fell after Mr. Baghaei’s comments.
The Trump administration also signaled a cautious willingness to engage in new negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Sunday night that “if that door opens, we’ll be happy to see it open.” But he added that Iran’s “behavior has to change in order for ours to change.”
It was unclear whether the two countries could reach a compromise quickly. U.S. officials said on Sunday that more warplanes were being sent to the Middle East, a sign that the Trump administration may be preparing to ramp up its attacks.
At least three American troops have been killed in the Middle East since Friday, and a fourth is missing. Two were killed in an Iranian missile barrage on a base in Jordan that hosts U.S. forces, while the third died during a controlled detonation of an Iranian attack drone, according to the U.S. military.
Iranian forces fired on Kuwait and Bahrain — both of which host U.S. forces — overnight and into Monday morning, the two countries said. The U.S. military said it had carried out more strikes on Iranian military sites overnight, the ninth consecutive day of attacks. At least 50 people have been killed in Iran since the cease-fire broke down, according to the Iranian authorities.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
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Strait of Hormuz: A British navy monitoring agency said a vessel was on fire off the coast of Oman, near a route through the strait that Iran has warned ships against using. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said two tankers had “exploded and were forced to cease movement” after trying to use the alternate route, though it did not directly claim responsibility.
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Troop deaths: The latest confirmed U.S. military death occurred on Saturday, when a soldier was struck by fragments or debris from the controlled detonation of a drone in Iraq, said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The official also said that remains recovered at the scene of the Iranian attack in Jordan were believed to be those of a missing soldier. Read more ›
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Aircraft deployment: Air Force F-16 fighter jets from Germany and F-35 jets from Britain were being sent to the Middle East, U.S. officials said on Sunday. Additional aerial refueling aircraft were also on the way, according to the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss operational matters. They added that the deployment had been in the works before the recent troop deaths.
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Energy prices: Gas prices in the United States rose to $4 a gallon on Monday, according to the AAA motor club, reaching levels seen in the early parts of the war. Read more ›
