US Iran war highlights: US threatens sanctions on businesses working with ‘sanctioned Iranian airlines’

US Iran war highlights: Businesses working with Iranian airlines risk US sanctions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday, calling the warning a part of a campaign to put economic pressure on Iran during the US and Israel's war against Tehran. Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the war, two regional officials said Monday, AP reported. Under the proposal, discussions on the larger question of Iran's nuclear program would come later.

Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday said the US had been “requesting” Tehran for negotiations, adding that America had not achieved “even one of their goals” in their conflict.

“It is clear that Iran has stood up against the world's greatest superpower, and they have not achieved even one of their goals. This is why they have requested negotiations, and we are currently considering it,” Araghchi told Russian media, according to his Telegram channel.

Araghchi is in St Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid stalled negotiations with the US after meetings in Pakistan and Oman.

During his meeting with Putin, Araghchi said Iran was a “stable, solid and powerful system”, adding that Russia had stood by Iran. Putin, for his part, assured Araghchi that Moscow would do “everything that serves your interests and the interests of all the peoples of the region” to secure peace in West Asia.

Russian officials confirmed Araghchi's visit on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting would focus on the escalating war. Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, said the foreign minister planned “to hold consultations with the Russian authorities on the current situation in the talks, the ceasefire and developments around the conflict” in the Gulf.

He added that “given bilateral relations between the two countries and the fact that Iran and Russia, as neighbours, see eye-to-eye on a number of regional and international issues, we have seen regular communication at the high and top levels.”

Iran's new deal to the US

Iran has proposed a phased deal to the US, offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for ending hostilities. The plan focuses on removing the US naval blockade and restoring oil flows while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage, Axios reported.

US-Iran peace talks stagnant

The visits come as Iran and the United States remain at odds over how to resume negotiations. Araghchi said it is unclear whether US President Donald Trump is committed to diplomacy, particularly after Washington cancelled plans to send envoys to Pakistan.

The US has proposed continuing talks by phone, but Iran has declined direct engagement for now. Tensions linked to the Strait of Hormuz remain a key concern, affecting both security and energy flows. Vessel traffic remains sharply lower than pre-war levels, according to MarineTraffic data.

Israel bombs Lebanon amid ceasefire

Then there is the deteriorating situation in Lebanon. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, already tenuous, has failed to hold after PM Benjamin Netanyahu ordered fresh strikes on Lebanon. Despite a US-brokered extension meant to hold for at least three weeks, Israel has repeatedly bombed the country. Over four people died in fresh strikes, Lebanese media reported.