Top US Senate Democrats again try for war powers resolution – as it happened

When asked if he posted the image himself, Trump said at the White House:

double quotation markI thought it was me as a doctor and it had to do with the Red Cross.”

He added that “only the fake news could come up with that one” in reference to people drawing connections between himself and Christ in the image.

You can see our most recent post on the controversy, and the video’s here:

The head of Hezbollah called on Lebanon on Monday to pull out of direct talks with Israel set to take place in Washington on Tuesday – the first such talks in decades.

Naim Kassem spoke in a televised address on the eve of the scheduled meeting between Lebanon and Israel’s ambassadors to the US as both sides set a framework for negotiations.

“We refuse negotiations with the Israeli entity. These negotiations are pointless,” Kassem said in the address, calling it a “free concession” to Israel and the US.

double quotation markThe opportunity is still there. We call for a historic and heroic position to cancel these negotiations.”

Kassem called for a return to the ceasefire that halted the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, the AP reports. At the time, talks were done indirectly, with the US, France and the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon mediating.

In the current war, Lebanon’s government – which says it is committed to disarming the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group – called for direct talks early on. Last week, Israel announced its approval of talks.

Lebanon hopes for a ceasefire as a prerequisite – similar to the Iran and US talks brokered by Pakistan – but Israel has framed the talks as peace negotiations with Hezbollah’s disarmament as a priority, with no mention of a truce or a withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon.

Circling back to JD Vance’s comments about whether more talks with Iran are ahead, the US vice-president said Washington had made its red lines clear on ending the war and it was now up to Tehran to take action.

Vance told Fox News on Monday:

double quotation markI really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table. We actually made very clear what our red lines were.

There are two things in particular where the president of the United States really said we have no flexibility.”

Vance listed them as US control of Iran’s enriched uranium, and a verification mechanism to ensure it does not develop a nuclear weapon in future.

He also said, quoted by AFP:

double quotation markIt’s one thing for the Iranians to say that they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. It’s another thing for us to put in place the mechanism to ensure that’s not going to happen.”

Vance led a US delegation that met Iranian officials in Pakistan at the weekend but the talks ended without a deal to end the more than six-week US-Israeli war against Iran.

A senior military officer or diplomat is expected to represent Australia at this week’s summit on reopening the strait of Hormuz, set to be led by France and the UK.

The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said the summit of at least 40 countries would seek to “advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends”.

Australia’s defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio it was yet to be confirmed who would attend the talks on behalf of Australia, expected to take place towards the end of the week.

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, attended the first summit remotely earlier this month.

Conroy said:

double quotation markThe key thing is there’s the coalition of nations that are really keen to see a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.”

Trump also spoke about his much-criticised social media post in which an image showed him wearing a biblical-style robe and laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers – while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly.

The sky above is filled with eagles, an American flag and vaporous images, as the AP reports.

Trump told reporters at the White House:

double quotation markI did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and it had to do with the Red Cross. It’s supposed to me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. A lot better.”

The president blamed the “fake news” for any confusion over the image, which drew criticism from a wide range of people, including some of Trump’s own evangelical supporters, who objected to the notion that Trump was likening himself to Christ.

Donald Trump on the White House grounds, left, and the image in a now-deleted post on his Truth Social platform. Composite: AFP via Getty Images, @realdonaldtrump via Truth Social

Even Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, assailed the “desecration of Jesus” while also speaking up to defend Pope Leo.

Trump’s post on Sunday night was deleted from his account late on Monday morning. He didn’t provide details on how that happened.

Donald Trump refused to apologise to the pope on Monday after criticising Leo XIV for his opposition to the war in Iran – and the US president sought to explain away his now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus by saying he had thought the image was of him as a doctor.

Trump was asked about his comments toward the US-born head of the Catholic church, as well as the post depicting himself as a saint-like healer, in a hastily called question-and-answer session with reporters at the White House, the Associated Press is reporting.

Trump said:

double quotation markHe was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result.”

Trump added that “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things, so I’m not” going to apologise.

double quotation markHe went public. I’m just responding to Pope Leo.”

More in next post.

More now on US vice-president JD Vance urging the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality” amid the escalating row between Donald Trump and Pope Leo over Iran.

Vance is quoted as telling Fox News:

double quotation markI certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality ... and let the President United States stick to dictating American public policy.”

As mentioned in the last post, Vance’s comments came after Trump launched an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV, saying on Truth Social that the US-born pontiff was “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy”, was “catering to the radical left” and was hurting the Catholic church.

Trump later posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, appearing to “cure” a man – and later deleted it after a backlash from some of his religious supporters.

Pope Leo leads Sunday’s Regina Caeli prayer from the window of his office overlooking Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Photograph: Giuseppe Lami/EPA

Leo said after Trump’s criticism that he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war.

Trump’s attack came after Leo denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” as fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran and urged political leaders to stop and negotiate peace.

US vice-president JD Vance is also being quoted as saying the Vatican should “stick to matters of morality”.

The comments come after President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, saying he was “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” and was hurting the Catholic church.

The US-born pontiff said in response that he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war.

Trump’s attack came after Leo denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” as fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran and urged political leaders to stop and negotiate peace.

We’ll have more on Vance’s comments soon.

US vice-president JD Vance says the US made a lot of progress in its weekend talks with Iran in Pakistan.

Asked whether more talks were coming, Vances also said on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier on Monday that the ball was in Iran’s court.

He also said – quoted by Reuters – that the US expected Iran would make progress on opening the strait of Hormuz, warning that the negotiations would change if Tehran did not.

JD Vance speaks at a news conference on Sunday after meeting representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters

JD Vance is reportedly saying of the prospect of a second round of talks with Iran that the ball is in Tehran’s court.

The US vice-president led the American negotiating team at weekend negotiations with Iran in Pakistan that failed to reach an agreement.

Donald Trump said on Sunday that he didn’t care if Iran came back to negotiations with the US. “I don’t care if they come back or not. If they don’t come back, I’m fine.”

Thanks for reading our ongoing coverage of the Middle East crisis.

While Monday has seen lots of rhetoric about the US-Israel war on Iran, there has been little meaningful movement toward a diplomatic off-ramp. And, it’s quite possible that President Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade will make things worse.

Here’s a roundup of today’s news so far.

Donald Trump said that his planned Hormuz blockade had begun. Trump said that the blockade will be on all Iranian ports along the strait from Monday onward; approximately 20% of the global oil and gas supply moved through this waterway prior to the war. Seafarers as well as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations have received advisories indicating that Trump’s blockade will apply to all ship traffic, regardless of the vessel’s flag.

The US President claimed that Iran wanted to reach a deal. He insisted that the US will not agree to any deal that would permit Iran to have a nuclear weapon. “We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world,” he said at a last-minute White House presser on Monday.

After receiving a McDonald’s delivery at the beginning of said press conference, Trump invoked bellicose language in discussing Iran. “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we’re going to get the dust back. We’ll get it back, either we’ll get it back from them, or we’ll take it,” he said. At one point, when questioned about some sort of prior ultimatum regarding Iran, Trump said, “I don’t want to comment on that but it won’t be pleasant”.

There were reports indicating that US officials were trying to shepherd successful talks. One official told CNN: “There is continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get an agreement.” Meanwhile, CNN reports that some admin officials are having internal talks about how a second sit-down with Iranian officials might look, should the opportunity arise.

Nato allies said on Monday that they will not join in Trump’s Hormuz blockade. The Nato nations proposed getting involved only after the fighting ends.

British prime minister Keir Starmer spoke out about their decision not to get involved in the blockade. “We’re not supporting the blockade,” Starmer told the BBC. “My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there’s been some considerable pressure, we’re not getting dragged into the war.”

Trump slammed Pope Leo XIV on social media in response to the pontiff’s call for an end to the war. He claimed that the pope was trying to appease the “Radical Left.” Leo XIV said he had “no intention to debate” Trump over Iran but would continue to advocate for peace.

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