The Latest: Trump says US is negotiating with Iran's parliamentary speaker, who denies talks

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal to end the war with Tehran is not reached “shortly.”

Trump said the U.S. is negotiating with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, in an interview with the New York Post published Monday. The former Revolutionary Guard commander was previously floated as Washington’s negotiating partner, but has denied Iran is talking to the U.S. and said Pakistan-facilitated discussions were merely a cover for American troop deployments.

Meanwhile, Israel has invaded southern Lebanon to push out Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, who have fired rockets and drones across the border, in a campaign that Israeli officials suggest could become a prolonged occupation. Three U.N. peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon in less than 24 hours, but it's unclear who was responsible.

U.S. stocks edged higher in shaky trading Monday as oil prices keep climbing because of uncertainty about when the war could end.

Here is the latest:

Israel says 4 soldiers are killed in Lebanon

Israel said early Tuesday that another four soldiers had been killed in its offensive in Lebanon.

The deaths bring the total number of troops killed in the war to 10.

Video of explosion shared by Trump likely showed early morning strike on Iran’s Isfahan

The video of a massive explosion shared without comment early Tuesday by U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be of a major strike conducted outside of the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

The Baluch advocacy group HalVash shared the same video and others from the ground outside of Isfahan. Fire-tracking satellites from NASA suggest the explosions happened near Mount Soffeh, an area believed to have military positions.

The videos show massive fireballs and secondary explosions common with ammunition igniting in a blaze.

Iran has not formally acknowledged the attack.

Isfahan is home to one of three uranium enrichment sites bombed by the U.S. in the 12-day day between Iran and Israel in June. A portion of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is believed to be entombed there — something America has suggested it could seize with ground forces.

Latest reports of live fire

2 Indonesian UN peacekeepers died on escort duty in Lebanon

Two Indonesian United Nations peacekeepers have died while on escort duty in support of UNIFIL operations in southern Lebanon. The Indonesian Ministry of Defense said in a written statement on Tuesday that two other soldiers were also seriously injured amid intensifying hostilities in the area.

The statement added that the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation by UNIFIL in accordance with established procedures.

An Indonesian soldier was reported to have died and several other injured the previous day in his area of deployment as a result of the conflict taking place in the operational zone.

“The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the safety of peacekeeping forces must be the top priority,” the statement said. “All parties involved in the conflict are expected to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the safety of peacekeeping personnel.”

Drone hits a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters, causing a fire, Dubai Media Office says

Authorities brought the fire under control and extinguished it, the Dubai Media Office said. All 24 crew members are safe, and no injuries have been reported, the office said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, run by the British military, reported the strike, saying the vessel was 31 nautical miles (57 kilometers) northwest of Dubai.

It said an unknown projectile struck their tanker on the starboard side, causing a fire on the vessel. No environmental impact has been reported, the center said.

Israel says it is reviewing reports of UN peacekeepers killed in Lebanon

The Israeli army said early Tuesday it is aware of reports regarding two instances in which United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeepers were killed. The army said and is reviewing them to determine whether the deaths resulted from Hezbollah activity or Israeli fire, noting that “these incidents occurred in an active combat area.”

The statement comes after UNIFIL said three peacekeepers have been killed in southern Lebanon within 24 hours in two separate instances. An explosion of “unknown origin” on Monday destroyed a vehicle near the village of Bani Hayyan, killing two peacekeepers and wounding two others, including one with severe injuries. Earlier, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed after a base was hit by a projectile.

Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry says it downed 3 ballistic missiles

The ministry said the missiles were launched toward its capital, Riyadh.

4 wounded after interception debris causes fire in Dubai

Emergency teams responded early Tuesday to a fire in an abandoned house in Al Badaa, a residential area in Dubai, after debris fell following an air defense interception, injuring four people, the Dubai Media Office said.

In Bahrain, authorities said warning sirens were sounded.

Gulf allies privately make the case to Trump to keep fighting until Iran is decisively defeated

Gulf allies of the United States are arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to U.S., Gulf and Israeli officials.

Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there’s a dramatic shift in Iranian behavior, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

While regional leaders are broadly supportive now of the U.S. efforts, one Gulf diplomat described some division, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the calls for increasing military pressure on Tehran.

The UAE has emerged as perhaps the most hawkish of the Gulf countries and is pushing hard for Trump to order a ground invasion, the diplomat said.

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Arab leaders meet in Saudi Arabia as Iran war pressures the region

The leaders of wealthy Gulf states Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well as key U.S. ally Jordan held an in-person meeting on Monday to discuss regional tensions and ways to avoid further escalation.

After the summit in Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, the three leaders put out statements warning that continued Iranian attacks, including strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure, mark a dangerous escalation.

The talks focused on coordinating a regional response, backing diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and managing the economic fallout of a conflict that has disrupted energy markets and trade routes across the region.

Rubio lashes out at Spain and other NATO allies over lack of support for Iran war

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused America’s NATO allies of abandoning the United States in an hour of need, adopting Trump’s hostile rhetoric toward the alliance.

Rubio complained bitterly that NATO ally Spain had barred U.S. planes involved in the war against Iran from overflying its airspace. Rubio has generally been supportive of NATO even as Trump has lashed out against alliance members for not stepping up during the war.

But on Monday he let loose, alleging in an interview with Al Jazeera that Spain’s leftist leaders are “bragging” about cutting off its airspace even as the U.S. has pledged to defend their country.

He said the alliance is useful for the U.S. because it allows America to station troops and equipment in Europe, “but if NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked but then denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement.”

Iran rebuts Trump’s claim of negotiations, again

Monday’s back-and-forth between U.S. and Iranian officials mirrored previous exchanges over whether there are actually negotiations to end the war.

Trump told The New York Post he was negotiating with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who then rebutted the claim in a post on X. So did a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

Qalibaf said the U.S. was promoting “desires as news while threatening our nation at the same time.”

Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said no negotiations had taken place, while confirming that intermediaries had delivered a set of proposals to Iran. He said Iran would “not forget the betrayal that was inflicted upon diplomacy in two instances within less than a year,” referencing the June 2025 and February 2026 indirect talks that preceded attacks by Israel and the U.S.

Trump last week floated the prospect of negotiations, temporarily easing some spikes in oil prices. Iranian officials later denied talks were taking place. At the time, they accused the U.S. of negotiating with itself, while state media reported on alternative Iranian proposals.