Netanyahu vows to keep bombing Iran amid Trump’s push for talks (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

The US president “believes that there is a chance to leverage the massive achievements of the IDF and the US military,” the Israeli PM said

The Strait of Hormuz could be “open very soon” if diplomatic talks go well with Iran, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday. The Iranian Foreign Ministry, however, has flatly denied the US president’s claims that any talks have taken place, either directly or through an intermediary.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that his “friend” Trump believes “there is a chance to leverage the massive achievements of the IDF and the US military in order to achieve the goals of the war through an agreement” – but emphasized that Israel is “continuing to strike” both Iran and Lebanon in the meantime.

Trump upped the ante over the weekend, threatening strikes on Iranian energy facilities if Tehran did not lift its threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, to which Iran responded by publishing a list of power stations and energy facilities across the Gulf that it would target. Iran has kept the vital shipping route closed to most vessels since February 28, when the US and Israel launched the first wave of strikes against the country.

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Here are the latest developments:

• Trump has announced that he called off strikes targeting Iranian energy facilities, following alleged “productive conversations” with Tehran. Trump also claimed that there will be “a very serious form of a regime change” inside Iran. Tehran has denied that any conversations took place with the US.

• Asked if Iran would still be able to control the crucial waterway, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping channels, Trump replied it would be “jointly controlled” by him and “whoever the next Ayatollah” is. Tehran, however, has already announced the Islamic Republic’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

• Trump’s announcement coincided with significant losses on European markets and triggered a volatile bounce, as well as a 10% drop in the price of crude oil.

Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.