Iran says policy unchanged as oil holds near $115

Iran stated on Sunday that its foreign policy remains fixed regardless of whether the United States resumes military strikes.

President Donald Trump framed his next move in binary terms during an interview with Fox News, asking if he should finish the conflict or make a deal. He referenced a potential new operation called Epic Fury, the name of the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign that started on Feb. 28. Trump also asserted that the U.S. now controls the Strait of Hormuz and criticized the 2015 nuclear agreement signed by former President Barack Obama.

Brent crude traded near $115 a barrel early Monday. Prices climbed late last week due to supply concerns linked to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a tanker leaving the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile on Friday, disabling the vessel. The crew was safe. Iran claimed it hit at least four tankers near the strait on Thursday, a claim Trump said was invented to raise prices before the midterms.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a televised event in Tehran that the prospect of war has not changed government thinking. He stated, "Whether there is war or not, our policies remain the same." He added that Washington and Israel had tried twice already and would achieve no different outcome. Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed that indirect contacts with the U.S. are continuing through intermediaries, even though direct talks have stalled for weeks.

Regional leaders arrived in Tehran on Monday for security meetings. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani General Asim Munir, and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei. Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the visit supports de-escalation and backs mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan. These talks come eight months after the region entered a state of war.

Violence continued in Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh. The coalition also destroyed two launchers in Sanaa. The Houthis claimed they hit Riyadh's international airport hours after flights resumed and struck oil pumping stations with drones. Earlier attacks this month closed the airport for more than two weeks and forced Saudi Arabia to postpone its investment conference until 2027.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran and its proxies might attack to disrupt Tuesday's elections. He told reporters, "Don't test us." Defense Minister Israel Katz dismissed a Channel 12 report of a clash with army chief Eyal Zamir over a new directive as entirely baseless. Netanyahu had called the report rubbish. Iran's foreign ministry said the U.S. election result makes no difference to Tehran.

Additional U.S. forces, including a third aircraft carrier group, have been deployed to the region. American diplomatic staffing in the area has been reduced. Speculation grew that Trump could order new strikes after the midterm elections.