Two and a half centuries after the American colonies declared independence from Britain under King George III, his descendant King Charles III lands in Washington Monday with trans-Atlantic ties under strain and security in the spotlight.

A shooting at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday sparked a last-minute security review of the four-day state visit, intended to celebrate the United States' 250th anniversary, and the U.S.-U.K. "special relationship."

Iran is offering to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz without addressing its nuclear program, two regional officials with knowledge of the proposal said Monday, as the country's foreign minister made a visit to Russia he said was an opportunity to consult with Moscow regarding the war against Israel and the United States.

Iran also wants the U.S. to end its blockade of the country as part of its proposal, said the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.

The Supreme Islamic Sharia Council, headed by Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, said that the “constitutional right” of President Joseph Aoun to pursue diplomatic negotiations to end the war with the “Zionist entity” should be respected.

The ministry included figures released Friday that 7,719 people were wounded in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war that broke out March 2.

Houssam Naddaf said no words could capture the shock of seeing an Israeli soldier smash a crucifix in his family's private garden in the southern Lebanese village of Debel — an image he recognized instantly as it spread online.

"I saw it on the internet like everyone else," he said. Naddaf had not been able to go to the house in person to see the damage because of restrictions on movement imposed by Israeli forces in the area.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday refused to be drawn into a dispute with the United States over reports that the Pentagon is weighing whether to punish members of NATO that fail to support American operations in the Iran war.

Among those in the firing line is Spain, which has refused to allow U.S. forces involved in the war to use bases on its territory or airspace. Spain says that U.S.-Israeli actions in the Iran war contravenes international law.

First came the racist abuse against Vinícius Júnior. Then the unwanted kiss by the nation's top soccer official. And now Spain is dealing with the fallout of anti-Muslim chants during a friendly match against Egypt.

Success on the pitch for both Spain's women and men's teams has been partially overshadowed in recent years by incidents of racism, sexism and xenophobia.

Three Palestinian teenagers have been killed in the occupied West Bank this week in a spike of renewed violence, the latest shot dead by Israeli forces during a mid-week raid.

Palestinians in the northern West Bank village of Tell mourned the death of Youssef Shtayyeh on Friday after health officials said he was gunned down by Israeli forces in the nearby city of Nablus.

Some residents in Beirut believe south Lebanon should be included in a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

They said a deal will not be sustainable without a lasting truce between Iran and the United States.

Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to talks to end the war Thursday, in a wide-ranging press conference en route home from his trip to Africa.

He called for a new "culture of peace" to replace the recourse to violence whenever conflicts arise.