• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has touched down in Russia, where he is set to meet President Vladimir Putin on Monday. He said his Moscow trip "is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian colleagues regarding the developments related to the war". Mr Araghchi said on his Telegram account that he will also meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Why it matters: Russia and Iran are longstanding partners and Moscow remains a key diplomatic backer of Tehran, as tensions with the US persist. Russia is the latest stop on an overseas tour for Mr Araghchi, which has also included Pakistan and Oman, with efforts to revive US-Iran talks appear stalled. Diplomatic outreach is widening: Mr Araghchi also held a phone call with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani yesterday and spoke with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
  • Iran has managed to sneak about four million barrels of oil past the US blockade of Hormuz, ship-tracking firm TankerTrackers.com has estimated. Furthermore, it has just loaded 4.6 million barrels from terminals onto ships in the Gulf, freeing up storage capacity and suggesting more blockade-breaker runs are in the works. Follow our live updates here.
  • President Donald Trump defended his decision to cancel his envoys’ trip to Pakistan, saying that Iran ‌can reach out to the US if it wants to negotiate ​an end to the ​war between the two countries. "If they ⁠want to talk, they ​can come to us, or ​they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have ​nice, secure lines," Mr Trump said ​in an interview with Fox News. He also said the war could "come to an end very soon". Two months since the US-Iran war, what comes next? Join a live discussion with a panel of experts to find out. Register here.
  • Iran has presented the US with a new proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage, Axios reported.
  • In Lebanon, the fragile ceasefire is under growing pressure as Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah increase attacks on each other despite a US-brokered extension to the ceasefire. Lebanese authorities said on Sunday that 14 people, including two children and two women, had been killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, with 37 others wounded.
  • Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss expanding strategic relations and regional developments, the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs said. It also highlighted US efforts to bring about peace between Lebanon and Israel.
  • Oil prices extended gains on Monday, ​rising nearly 2 per cent as shipments through the vital Strait of Hormuz remained limited, keeping global oil supplies tight. Brent crude futures rose $2.16, or 2.05 per cent, to $107.49 a barrel by 4am UAE time, ⁠the highest since April 7, and US West Texas Intermediate was ​at $96.17 ⁠a barrel, up $1.77, ‌or 1.88 per cent.
  • Two of Benjamin Netanyahu’s most prominent political rivals are to join forces in a bid to unseat Israel's longest-serving prime minister at an election this year. Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett, a right-wing leader, and Yair Lapid, a centrist, announced an alliance between their respective parties.
  • Politicians from Iraq’s largest Shiite parliamentary bloc, the Co-ordination Framework, failed to nominate a candidate for prime minister, missing the constitutional deadline that expired at midnight.
  • The trials of prominent officials from the regime of ousted Syrian president Bashar Al Assad began yesterday, with Atif Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa, appearing in court in Damascus. Najib was arrested in January last year, and is accused of committing "crimes against Syrians". A cousin of Al Assad, he is under US sanctions due to his alleged role in a crackdown against protesters in 2011.
  • Egypt has begun a diplomatic drive to rally support from other African nations in its water dispute with Ethiopia, and to counter growing Israeli influence in the continent, analysts and sources say.
  • Mali's Defence Minister ​Sadio Camara was confirmed dead on Sunday after militants linked to Al Qaeda staged one of their largest attacks in years.
  • Iran has achieved a new level of precision in its drone and missile capabilities by relying on Chinese and Russian-made guidance chips linked to satellite systems, defence analysts and officials have told The National.
  • US Federal Reserve officials will approach this week's two-day policy meeting with questions mounting over the economic fallout of the Iran war and the central bank's leadership transition.
  • The UAE has set up a Dh1 billion ($272 million) fund to support the industrial sector, one of the central planks of the country's economic diversification agenda.
  • The shipping of oil, gas and other commodities would take months to normalise – even if the Strait of Hormuz fully opens, analysts have said.
  • Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will miss the ​rest ​of the Premier League season ​after suffering a hamstring injury ⁠in a 3-1 win ⁠over Crystal Palace, according to Egypt national team ​director Ibrahim Hassan.
  • Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visits Russia
  • Meeting of the UN Security Council on maritime security
  • 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

This newsletter was compiled by Vanessa Ghanem, Arab Affairs Editor.

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