HEADLINES IN BRIEF

Trump confirmed US negotiators - Vice President Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner - will travel to Islamabad on Monday for a second round of talks with Iran ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline. READ MORE BELOW

Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy declared the Strait of Hormuz fully closed, warning any vessel attempting transit will be targeted; three ships were attacked on Saturday, bringing shipping to a standstill. READ MORE BELOW

A senior IRGC commander said Iran has begun rebuilding its missile and drone stockpile during the ceasefire, claiming its "speed in updating and refilling launch platforms is even greater than before the war." READ MORE BELOW

Trump renewed his threat to "knock out every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran" if Tehran does not accept US terms; Iran's Foreign Ministry called the US blockade a war crime. READ MORE BELOW

Iran's chief negotiator Qalibaf said "gaps remain wide" on key issues including the nuclear program and Hormuz, but that both sides reached "a more realistic understanding of one another" in Islamabad. READ MORE BELOW

UK counterterrorism police are investigating whether a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London are the work of Iranian proxies; Britain's chief rabbi warned of a "sustained campaign of violence and intimidation." READ MORE BELOW

The Lebanon ceasefire is holding; the Lebanese army is reopening roads and building temporary bridges over the Litani River; two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon since the truce took effect.

Spain announced it will formally propose ending the EU's Association Agreement with Israel at Tuesday's EU foreign ministers' meeting.

Islamabad is tightening security ahead of the talks; US advance security teams are already on the ground.

IN DETAIL

Second round of talks confirmed by US

Trump confirmed Sunday that US negotiators will travel to Islamabad on Monday for a second round of direct talks with Iran. Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round, will return alongside envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Trump used the announcement to repeat his threat, writing that if Iran does not accept the US offer, they would "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright offered a more measured tone on Sunday, saying talks were "actually going well" and that Washington was "not too far away from a deal." He described Trump as "a creative negotiator" who uses "pressure and uncertainty in different ways."

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi on Sunday to discuss "the need for continued dialogue." Islamabad has begun tightening security, closing tourist sites and clearing hotels ahead of the talks. US advance security teams are already on the ground.

Iran's chief negotiator, parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said Sunday that both sides had reached "a more realistic understanding of one another" in the first round, but cautioned that "the gaps remain wide and some fundamental issues are still unresolved." 

He cited the nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz as the two main sticking points, and described deep mistrust of the United States as Iran's core concern. "At the same time, we have good intentions and seek a lasting peace - one that prevents the recurrence of war," he said.

Hormuz fully closed; three vessels attacked

Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy extended the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all corridors on Saturday night, including the limited passage lane it had briefly designated for coordinated transit. 

The statement warned that any vessel attempting to cross without authorization would be targeted. Iran has linked the reopening of the strait directly to the lifting of the US naval blockade of its ports, which it calls a violation of the ceasefire.

Three vessels were attacked while attempting to cross on Saturday. US Central Command said it had turned back 23 ships bound for Iranian ports since the blockade began. Shipping tracker Kpler confirmed that vessel movement in the strait had returned to a near-standstill after 19 ships had crossed on Friday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry called the US blockade "an act of aggression" that amounts to "war crime and crimes against humanity" for "deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population." 

On the war crimes question from the US side: Trump's UN Ambassador Mike Waltz, when asked whether targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime, called it "an escalatory ladder" but defended the strikes as "perfectly acceptable in the rules of land warfare."

Iran rebuilding missiles during ceasefire

A senior IRGC commander said Iran has used the ceasefire period to repair and restock its missile and drone arsenal. A commander of the Revolutionary Guard's Aerospace Force said the speed of restocking "is even greater than before the war." 

Iranian state media aired footage of missiles and drones in warehouses alongside mobile launch platforms. The US and Israel have said they degraded Iran's military capabilities significantly over the course of the nearly seven-week war.

Lebanon: ceasefire holds, roads reopen, soldiers killed

The 10-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, which took effect Friday, continued to hold on Sunday. The Lebanese army reopened the Khardali road linking Nabatiyeh and Marjayoun and the road connecting Tyre with Bourj Rahhal.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect, with several more wounded.

Residents from the northern Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona demonstrated outside the US Embassy in Jerusalem against the ceasefire, saying Hezbollah remains a threat. 

UK investigates Iranian proxy links to antisemitic arson campaign

Metropolitan Police counterterrorism officers are investigating whether a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites across north London are connected to Iranian proxy networks. 

Fires have targeted synagogues, four Jewish charity ambulances in the Golders Green neighborhood, and a Persian-language media outlet critical of the Iranian government. A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia - the same group that claimed attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands — has claimed responsibility online.

No injuries have been reported in any of the incidents. Several people have been arrested. 

Britain's chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned that "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum." Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attacks "abhorrent," adding: "Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain."

Diplomatic efforts

Spain announced it will formally propose ending the EU's 2000 Association Agreement with Israel at Tuesday's EU foreign ministers' meeting. "A government that violates international law cannot be our partner," Prime Minister Sánchez wrote on X. 

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Fidan described Israel's military operations as the work of "a fundamentalist government" that is "a problem for the whole world." Argentina's President Milei arrived in Israel on Sunday for a three-day visit, meeting Netanyahu and visiting the Western Wall.