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Iran president says $6B in frozen assets in Qatar to be released as US talks challenged

Iran's president said Monday that $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets would be released by Qatar as negotiations with the United States were challenged by attacks across the Persian Gulf this weekend.

Masoud Pezeshkian's mention of the funds appear aimed at selling the Iranian public on the interim deal, particularly as its grip on the Strait of Hormuz has been challenged by efforts to open Oman's territorial waters to both inbound and outbound traffic from the Persian Gulf. Iran's attacks and threats stopped cargo ships and tankers from moving though the strait, in which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed in peacetime, creating a global energy crisis.

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3, including child, killed in Israeli drone strike on Gaza tent

An Israeli airstrike killed at least three Palestinians, including a child, in the Gaza Strip on Monday, after hitting a tent sheltering displaced people that Israel said housed a militant.

Health authorities in the coastal enclave said the strike hit a neighborhood in Deir al-Balah, one of the least damaged towns in central Gaza. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said the fatalities were two men and an 8-year-old while a third man was wounded.

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Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes and threatens to halt talks

Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a "complete halt" in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.

Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Oman for inbound and outbound traffic.

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Katz threatens Iran over Lebanon, says army preparing for 'extended stay'

Israel's defense minister said that Israeli forces had been ordered to prepare for an extended stay in the so-called security zone in southern Lebanon, after Israel and Lebanon agreed on a framework to end hostilities.

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Trump threatens to annihilate Iran after new exchange of attacks

Tehran said Sunday it carried out a third day of retaliatory strikes against U.S. attacks on Iranian territory, as both accused the other of violating their fragile ceasefire, straining negotiations meant to end the Middle East war.

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Iran says US violated peace deal as both sides trade fire

Iran on Saturday accused the United States of violating the peace deal agreed to end the Middle East war, after Washington launched strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran responded with attacks on U.S. targets in the Gulf.

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Gulf FMs say Iran proxies, missiles must be addressed for 'lasting' peace

The Gulf's top diplomats said on Thursday that dealing with Iran's proxies and missiles was key to lasting peace, and that any trade and investment with Tehran would be reversible and contingent on it respecting its deal with the U.S.

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Cargo ship hit while moving through Strait of Hormuz

A cargo ship moving through the Strait of Hormuz on a route backed by the United Nations was hit by a projectile Thursday, the British military said, as several tankers made their way out of the channel using the same path.

It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted. The report of a strike came hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using the route through the strait without Tehran's permission.

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Oman says 'no transit fees' in any future arrangement on Hormuz

Oman's top diplomat said no transit fees would be imposed in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday after Muscat and Tehran, which border the key waterway, had earlier said they were discussing service "costs".

Badr Albusaidi said "future arrangements regarding the Strait do not entail the imposition of any transit fees," during a meeting of Gulf foreign ministers in the Bahraini capital Manama with US Secretary Marco Rubio -- whose administration has repeatedly opposed any fees or tolls.

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Oil tankers navigate Strait of Hormuz despite threats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard

A series of tankers made their way out of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday despite threats to shipping from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, using a new route close to Oman's shore that has been promoted by a U.N. maritime agency.

The development comes as Iran and the United States are increasingly debating the terms of the interim deal signed last week aimed at permanently ending the Iran war — from getting ships through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf to the future of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

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