With escalating attacks against U.S. bases and its allies over the past week, Iran's leaders are showing considerable unity over their war strategy: hanging tough, determined to show Iran can endure more than America and its allies can.

But within the leadership, there are sharp differences over what the endgame should be.

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Monday with Nechirvan Barzani, leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, as official sources told AFP the talks aimed to advance an integration deal between Damascus and Syria's Kurds.

Syrian state news agency SANA said Sharaa received Barzani at the presidential palace in Damascus, in the first visit by the head of Iraq's Kurdistan region since the December 2024 ouster of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday there were currently no negotiations with the United States but there were talks with Oman over the management of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump added that a plan was in place for U.S. forces to carry out "the biggest attack since World War II" on Sunday. But he decided to scrap the plan and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.

President Donald Trump has played this hand before during the 5-month-old Iran war.

It starts with a grim warning to Tehran that he's on the cusp of ordering U.S. forces to "obliterate" its power plants or seize key parts of its oil industry if its leaders don't quickly agree to U.S. terms to end the war. It ends with him edging away with a last-minute declaration, sometimes at the behest of Gulf allies, that he's going to give diplomacy more time.

Israel has shared "serious security concerns" with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said as Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday evening killed at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza.

The remarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, were some of the first public comments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi agreed overnight to a compromise proposal formulated by Qatari and U.S. mediators regarding an arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, two informed diplomats told Israel's Channel 12.

Overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza hit multiple residential buildings and killed at least eight people, authorities said Sunday, despite Hamas saying it agreed to the latest stage of a deal to end the war.

Hamas said Friday it had agreed to a plan championed by U.S. President Donald Trump that includes provisions for handing over its weapons and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced overnight that the United States and Israel had agreed to hold off on new strikes on Iran -- provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is "rapidly" reached.

Fears had mounted that the fighting could escalate once again after Trump threatened to hit Iran "very hard" and was reportedly considering renewed heavy attacks, including against energy infrastructure.

Iran's military accused the United States of "escalating tensions" in the Middle East on Saturday and warned countries in the region against cooperating with Washington during the ongoing conflict.