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Key developments
• Peace talks: US President Donald Trump does not appear open to Iran’s proposal to end the war, sources said. The proposal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz but leave questions about Tehran’s nuclear program for later negotiations. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously gave Pakistan a list of “red lines” to be conveyed to the US, according to state media.
• Iran’s diplomatic push: Russia’s Vladimir Putin said he received a message last week from Iran’s new supreme leader, who has not been seen since he was announced as his late father’s successor. Putin made the remarks in a meeting with Araghchi in Russia, where they discussed the war.
• US “humiliated”: Germany’s leader Friedrich Merz said the US is “being humiliated” by Iran, as he criticized Washington’s attempts to extricate itself from the war.
Putin says he received message from Iran's elusive new supreme leader
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he received a message last week from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard from since he was announced as his late father’s successor more than six weeks ago.
“Please convey to the Supreme Leader my appreciation for his message and my best wishes for his good health and well-being,” Putin said Monday during a meeting in St. Petersburg with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a readout from the Kremlin.
“We see how courageously and heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence and sovereignty,” Putin said, adding Russia “will do everything that meets your interests and the interests of all peoples in the region in order to ensure that this peace is achieved as quickly as possible.”
Questions have been swirling about Khamenei’s wellbeing given his prolonged absence as the war between the US, Israel and Iran grinds on.
A source told CNN last month that Khamenei had suffered a fractured foot, a bruised left eye and minor lacerations to his face in the same wave of strikes that killed his father and Iran’s top military commanders.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the US “has indications” that Khamenei is still alive, though he said it’s not clear how much credibility the new supreme leader has in Iran.
“We don’t have evidence that he’s not (alive). I think the question between alive and in power are two different questions,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News.
Another report on Reuters cited unnamed sources as saying he is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and new negotiations with Washington.
CNN’s Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.
Trump does not appear open to Iran’s latest proposal to end war
President Donald Trump signaled Monday he was unlikely to accept Iran’s latest proposal to end the conflict after Tehran proposed a plan that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while leaving questions about its nuclear program for later negotiations.
Two people familiar with the matter said Trump conveyed his views during a Monday meeting with top national security officials where Iran was discussed. One of the people said Trump was not likely to accept the plan, which was transmitted to the US over the last few days.
Reopening the strait without resolving questions over Iran’s nuclear enrichment or stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium could remove a key piece of American leverage in the talks, officials said.
Yet allowing the waterway to remain blocked would prolong the higher energy prices that have caused the cost of gas to spike in the US.
It wasn’t clear after Monday’s meeting what Trump’s next steps would be. American officials say they remain concerned at what they regard as divisions within Iran’s regime, and are unsure who retains ultimate decision-making power over a prospective deal.
Yet Trump has sounded skeptical in public at the idea of restarting the US bombing campaign, which is on hold after he extended a ceasefire last week.
The White House has declined to comment on the specific contours of the negotiations.
"Some promising signs" on Hamas demilitarization agreement, Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday said “there were some promising signs” in recent days on an agreement about Hamas’ demilitarization.
“We’re very focused on that. There’s been some progress made on that despite public announcements from Hamas. But ultimately we have to see it happen, and we’re hopeful in the next few days we may have good news on that,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News, according to a transcript released by the US State Department.
Rubio would not say if the US would support Israel resuming military operations if a demilitarization agreement is not reached.
“Let’s hope we can avoid that. That’s not the outcome we want,” he said.
In mid-April, the US and Hamas held their first direct talks since the Gaza ceasefire, reached in October, as part of efforts to advance the fragile US-brokered agreement, two Hamas sources said.
Rubio stresses future deal with Iran must prevent nuclear weapon
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the new Iranian proposal “is better than what we thought they were going to submit,” but emphasized that a future deal must block Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
As CNN reported, the new proposal would see the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but would push off discussions of the nuclear issue, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In an interview with Fox News Monday, Rubio declined to speculate on if this would be acceptable to President Donald Trump or what would happen if a deal is not reached, deferring to the president.
“Suffice it to say that the nuclear question is the reason why we’re in this in the first place,” he said, according to a transcript released by the State Department, saying Iran’s nuclear program “remains the core issue.”
The top US diplomat argued that Tehran is “serious about figuring out how can they buy themselves more time.”
“They’re very experienced negotiators, and we have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” he said.
He noted “there are still questions about whether the person submitting it had the authority to submit that offer … and what it means.”
“One of the impediments here is that our negotiators aren’t just negotiating with Iranians,” Rubio said. “Those Iranians then have to negotiate with other Iranians in order to figure out what they can agree to, what they can offer, what they’re willing to do, even who they’re willing to meet with.”
He said the US has indications that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is alive but questioned whether he has “the clerical credentials to actually act as supreme leader.”
Rubio says US is "aware" of Israel's strikes on Lebanon during ceasefire
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is “aware” of Israel’s strikes on Lebanon during the fragile ceasefire and said the US has urged Israel “to make sure their responses are proportional and targeted.”
“So far that appears to be the case,” Rubio said in a Monday interview with Fox News, according to a transcript released by the US State Department.
“We’re aware they’re going to happen,” the top US diplomat said. “And even in the agreement what’s abundantly clear, okay, is if Hizballah is about to launch a bunch of rockets against Israel and against the villages to the north, that Israel has a right to address that before it happens.”
Asked if the administration is “open to a scenario where Israel maintains a buffer zone indefinitely inside of Lebanon,” Rubio said, “no.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz has said the Israeli military intends to destroy villages in southern Lebanon and has barred the 600,000 Lebanese who have fled from returning to their homes “until the safety and security of northern Israeli residents is ensured.”
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich last month suggested annexing southern Lebanon.
A CNN review of satellite imagery shows hundreds of buildings – most of which appear to be homes – have been either completely flattened or rendered uninhabitable in southern Lebanon, and satellite imagery and videos from after the April 16 ceasefire announcement show demolitions continuing apace, with excavators and armored vehicles clearly visible.
Russia's UN ambassador defends Iran, compares Western countries to pirates
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations accused Western countries of hypocrisy at a Security Council meeting Monday, saying that Iran has every right to limit traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
“There was an attempt to pin full responsibility on Iran as if it was Iran which attacked its neighbors and Iran is deliberately obstructing the navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” said Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia. “In times of war, a coastal state that is under attack may limit navigation in its territorial waters for the purpose of security.”
Earlier this month, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council draft resolution aimed at securing freedom of navigation in the strait.
Nebenzia went further Monday, comparing Western countries to pirates. He also denounced Ukrainian attacks using long-range aerial and naval drones against Russian-linked tankers in the Mediterranean and European support for Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian trade vessels in the Black Sea.
“Unlike pirates who raise their black flags with a skull and crossbones in their vessels, Western countries are attempting to conceal their lawless actions with references to unilateral coercive measures,” Nebenzia said.
“This is merely a fig leaf, the purpose of which is to conceal the fact that the (European Union) is engaged in blatant robbery at sea,” the diplomat added.
Israeli military chief warns of danger of “unethical incidents” during wars on multiple fronts
Israel’s military chief has warned of the danger of “unethical incidents” as the country faces the possibility of ongoing wars on multiple fronts in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza.
Speaking it an operational update for senior military officers, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said his responsibility is to ensure the security of the country and preserve the military’s values. “I am aware that this has been a long and complex period, but the unethical incidents we have seen are not justified. We must not compromise on our values. Erosion of values and standards can be as dangerous as operational threats,” he said.
Last week, Israel jailed two soldiers for defacing a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon and photographing it. Days later, the IDF said it was investigating after a video appeared to show troops using earth-moving equipment to damage solar panels and a vehicle in the same town.
On Sunday, the IDF said it would “examine” any allegations of Israeli soldiers looting homes or business in territory occupied by the military. “The phenomenon of looting, if it exists, is disgraceful. If such incidents occurred, we will investigate them,” Zamir said Monday.
Reflecting on two and a half years of war, Zamir made clear that Israel is “still in a multi-front operation,” seizing territory in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. Hinting at the possibility of a long-term occupation of land, he said, “We must be prepared to remain in these areas as long as sustained security for our communities has not yet been ensured.”
“We continue to remain prepared and vigilant for any scenario in all sectors — 2026 may continue to be a year of multi-front combat,” he said.
US and Iran aren’t as far apart as they seem, sources familiar with mediation say
The US and Iran may not have met for a second round of talks in Pakistan, but the two sides are not as far apart as they seem, according to sources familiar with the mediation process.
Intense diplomacy continues behind the scenes, the sources say, and ongoing talks are centered around a staged process in which the first part of a potential deal would focus on returning to the status quo before the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions or tolls.
The issue of Iran’s nuclear program – which both the US and Israel cited as their casus belli – would be addressed later.
US President Donald Trump has previously said that any deal would require Iran to forfeit its supply of near bomb-grade uranium and give up enrichment, demands Iran has steadfastly refused to accept.
According to the sources, mediators are applying pressure on both sides to reach an agreement, with the next few days being especially crucial. Hanging over it all is the chance that the US may decide to disengage and return to war.
Tehran to make decision regarding talks with US, Iran's top diplomat tells Putin
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his meeting Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin included detailed discussions on “the war and the aggression” by the United States and Israel.
Araghchi briefed Putin on a diplomatic process mediated by Pakistan aimed at fully ending what he called the “imposed war” and establishing peace and security in the Persian Gulf region, including the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Iran is reassessing how to proceed with diplomacy to end the war, Araghchi said, citing US and Israeli military action against Iran and what he described as Washington’s destabilizing approach to negotiations.
Araghchi blamed slow progress on what he called Washington’s “destructive habits.” He said these include insisting on “unreasonable demands,” frequently changing positions, using threatening rhetoric and repeatedly breaching commitments.
Tehran will “make the appropriate decision regarding the current diplomatic process” in light of those factors, Araghchi said to Putin.
Araghchi’s trip to Russia follows recent visits to Oman and Pakistan. Earlier, he gave Pakistani officials a list of “red lines” to convey to the US, including on “nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.”
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met Iran’s deputy defense minster, Brig. Gen. Reza Talaei-Nik, on Monday.
Belousov said in a statement that Russia supports resolving the conflict “exclusively through diplomatic means,” backs Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is “ready to do everything possible” to help resolve the situation.
CNN’s Kosta Gak contributed to this report.
Trump huddles with team on Iran amid stalemate in talks
President Donald Trump is meeting today with top national security officials to discuss the ongoing stalemate in discussions with Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
CNN had reported earlier the meeting was planned, citing two sources familiar with the matter. At an afternoon press briefing, Leavitt confirmed Trump had met with his national security team, but added that it was unclear whether the meeting was ongoing.
“You’ll hear directly from the president, I’m sure, on this topic very soon,” Leavitt said.
The meeting comes after the president abruptly canceled plans for his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to travel to Pakistan for another round of negotiations over the weekend.
Officials had planned discuss Trump’s options for moving ahead, including whether or not to resume the US bombing campaign that’s on hold after the president extended a ceasefire last week. Trump has appeared hesitant in public on reviving the conflict.
Trump said he decided to call off the trip because Iran hadn’t provided a satisfactory negotiating proposal and claimed they returned after the cancellation with an updated document.
But he still sounded skeptical of dispatching his team on a lengthy flight to Islamabad without a clearer picture of which concessions Iran could agree to or who precisely was in charge in Tehran.
Hezbollah "playing with fire," Israeli defense minister warns
Hezbollah is “playing with fire” and the country will burn if the Lebanese government does nothing to stop it, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the United Nations’ special coordinator for Lebanon on Monday.
Hezbollah leader “Naim Qassem is playing with fire and (Lebanese President Joseph) Aoun is gambling on the future of Lebanon,” Katz said while meeting with Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, according to an Israeli readout.
Despite a declared ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah continue to strike each other, with each side accusing the other of breaking the truce. Sunday was the deadliest day for civilian deaths in Lebanon since the ceasefire began, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, which reported 14 civilians killed throughout the country.
Later Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to senior Israeli military personnel that Israel is allowed to continue fighting under the current ceasefire agreement, adding that Israel has not yet fulfilled its war aims.
Expert casts doubt on US-Iran peace prospects as Tehran presents new proposal
The chances of a breakthrough between the US and Iran are slim unless Washington shifts its stance on the war, an expert said after reports emerged of a new Iranian proposal to end the conflict.
“The two sides are presenting very maximalist positions, and I don’t think that there will be a breakthrough right now unless the US will change its mind,” Danny Citrinowicz, from Israel’s Institute of National Security Studies, told CNN’s Becky Anderson.
Iran’s proposal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz but leave the state of talks on key US demands unclear.
“I have serious doubts the US will accept this offer, because then the US will lose leverage on the nuclear file,” he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says US is “being humiliated” by Iran
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said today that the United States is “being humiliated” by Iran as he criticized Washington’s attempts to extricate itself from a war it entered without laying out clear objectives.
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” Merz said during a visit to a school in Marsberg, central Germany.
He criticized what he called a lack of American strategy, pointing to Iraq and Afghanistan as warnings for entering wars without exit strategies.
“The whole affair is ill-considered to say the least,” Merz said. “At the moment, I cannot see what strategic exit the Americans are now opting for.”
He reiterated Berlin’s desire for the war to end as soon as possible to avoid further damage to the world’s economy.
Germany has been part of a coalition, led by Britain and France, which is seeking to secure safe passage for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz after a permanent ceasefire is reached.
“We offered to send in minesweeper boats from Germany to help free the passage from mines, as it has clearly been, at least partially, mined,” he said, according to a Reuters translation.
“We can help there, but first the fighting needs to end. And at the moment I do not see how this can be realized in the near future because the Iranians are clearly stronger than one thought, and the Americans clearly don’t seem to have a convincing negotiating strategy.”
Bahrain strips dozens of citizenship over Iran support
Bahrain has stripped dozens of people of their citizenship for expressing sympathy for Iran, “glorifying” its actions, or “engaging in espionage with foreign entities,” according to the state news agency.
A total of 69 people, including those accused of supporting Iran as well as their families, were named by the Bahrain News Agency as having lost their citizenship. The agency added that all of them were of “non-Bahraini origin.”
Bahrain, which has a majority Shiite population, has witnessed protests in support of Iran during the conflict. On April 19, Bahraini King Hamad bin Eissa Al Khalifa told senior officials to “immediately” take measures against those who have “betrayed the homeland and start “considering who deserves Bahraini citizenship and who does not.”
The government has banned protests and has arrested and charged dozens of individuals for showing support for Iran.
Some of the Gulf Arab countries that came under attack from Iran during the war have arrested dozens of people accused of supporting Tehran.
This month, Kuwait arrested 24 people accused of “financing of terrorist entities.” And last week, the United Arab Emirates arrested 27 people accused of “establishing and operating a secret organization within the country, pledging allegiance to foreign entities, and harming national unity and social peace.”
The Iran war might be paused, but things are heating up in Lebanon. Here's why that matters
As the ceasefire in Iran holds, with Tehran and Washington looking for a resolution to the deadlock, fighting between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon is only escalating.
The Lebanese government – which has called on Hezbollah to disarm – has said that peace talks with Israel should be separate from the Iran war.
But Tehran has linked the two conflicts, insisting on a halt to Israeli strikes on Lebanon as a condition for an end to the war with the US and Israel.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Lebanon is mounting, with fourteen people – including two children – killed by Israeli strikes on Sunday, according to the Lebanese health ministry, despite an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire brokered by Washington.
The Israeli military told CNN on Sunday that it is targeting “terrorists and military infrastructure sites” belonging to Hezbollah, but rights groups argue that the military offensive is mirroring tactics used in Gaza – from heavy strikes on critical infrastructure and healthcare facilities, to the targeting of journalists.
The conflict in Lebanon has exposed deep structural cracks in the country’s governance.
On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun slammed Hezbollah for rejecting negotiations with Israel, accusing it of “treason,” and saying it has dragged Lebanon into a war that is against its interests.
Hezbollah has doubled down on its position. Its media spokesperson told CNN on Monday that the group is prepared to use 1980s tactics in its war with Israel, activating “martyrdom squads” – referencing suicide attacks – to prevent Israel from gaining a foothold in the south.
This post has been updated.
Iranians put forward new proposal to US, source says
The Iranians have put forward a new proposal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz but leaves the state of talks on key US demands unclear, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Iran’s proposal would reportedly require Washington to first end the war and provide guarantees that it would not resume, according to a report in Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Al Mayadeen TV that was cited by Iran’s state-linked Tasnim News Agency. Negotiations over navigation through the strait and Iran’s nuclear program — key priorities for the Trump administration — would come only in later stages.
“If an agreement is reached, the process will move to the second phase to discuss how to manage the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the war,” Al Mayadeen reported. Discussions on Iran’s nuclear program would start only once those conditions are met.
Axios first reported that the White House has received a proposal under which Iran is demanding an end to the war before discussing the nuclear program. The report also claimed Iranian leadership is divided about what nuclear concessions should be considered.
The White House reiterated that President Donald Trump, who plans to gather his national security team on Monday to discuss the proposal and options moving forward, “holds the cards.”
“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the US will not negotiate through the press. As the president has said, the United States holds the cards and will only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” assistant press secretary Olivia Wales said in a statement to CNN.
Iran's foreign minister meets Putin, discusses "strategic relationship"
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in St. Petersburg today.
The pair discussed Moscow’s commitment to its strategic relationship with Tehran, Russian state news agency TASS and Iranian media reported.
The meeting comes after peace talks between the US and Iran failed to materialize over the weekend.
Putin outlined his support for Iran during the meeting and said: “We see how courageously and heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence, for their sovereignty,” TASS reported.
Putin also said he had received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to TASS.
Khamenei has not been seen or heard from in public since becoming Iran’s leader, and only written messages have been released in his name.
The two countries have previously cooperated on some military matters. During the war, Russia has provided Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of American troops, ships and aircraft, according to multiple sources familiar with US intelligence reporting. And Iran has provided Russia with Shahed drones and short-range ballistic missiles to target Ukraine.
Correction: This post has been updated to clarify the meeting took place in St. Petersburg.
Trump to meet with security officials as Iran's foreign minister meets Putin. Here's the latest.
Iran talks
- After US-Iran talks stalled over the weekend, there has been some diplomatic signaling by both countries today. President Donald Trump plans to discuss options for the war going forward, including whether the US will resume its bombing campaign, with top national security officials today, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
- Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi passed a list of Tehran’s “red lines” to intermediary Pakistan, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. Those red lines included “nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.” Araghchi is visiting Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin and discuss the war.
Strait of Hormuz
- Araghchi also stopped in Oman on a whirlwind diplomatic tour and said Monday that the two countries reached some agreements in their talks, which focused on the crucial strait.
- Iranian cargo is still transiting the strait, according to the latest shipping data, in defiance of a US blockade against Iranian ports. It’s unclear whether any of the ships leaving Iran have been intercepted. Still, most ships that have transited the waterway in recent days have followed a route designated by Iranian authorities, and about half of them loaded at Iranian ports, shipping data shows.
Global economic fallout
- Oil prices rose today to a three-week high after peace talks stalled over the weekend, while US gas prices nudged up a penny to $4.11 a gallon.
- Stock markets seemed less fazed by the possibility of a prolonged war. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both closed at record highs Friday, as investors were buoyed by optimism over artificial intelligence. But consumer confidence in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is at a three-year low.
CNN’s Tim Lister, Eleni Giokos, Nadeen Ebrahim, Mustafa Qadri, Hanna Ziady and Eugenia Yosef contributed reporting.
Saudi Arabia welcomes Iranian pilgrims with flowers, video shows
Iranian pilgrims were welcomed by authorities in Saudi Arabia with flowers and gift bags as the Hajj season began, a video carried by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency showed.
The first flight carrying Iranian pilgrims bound for the Saudi city of Medina departed on Monday, Fars said, adding that more Iranians will head to the kingdom for the annual pilgrimage in the coming days.
Around 30,000 Iranian pilgrims are expected to participate in this year’s Hajj, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said, citing Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization.
The Hajj has long been a flashpoint in Saudi-Iranian relations, reflecting the larger geopolitical rivalry between the two countries. Tensions over the Hajj have periodically turned deadly, from clashes involving Iranian pilgrims in the late 1980s to disputes following the 2015 stampede.
This year’s Hajj comes just weeks after Iran targeted Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes against its own territory, bringing the two into rare direct confrontation.
