Iran live updates: US 'low-keying' negotiations with Iran, Trump says

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press conference on Monday that there are no direct negotiations ongoing between Iran and the U.S.

Existing communications are limited only to the exchange of messages through intermediaries, Baqaei said. He added that Tehran's focus is now "on advancing negotiations with Oman to determine the final destination of the shipping route" through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Management and security of the Strait of Hormuz is Iran's responsibility," Baqaei said, adding that Tehran will not allow the strategic waterway to reopen unless the U.S. agrees to key Iranian demands, among them reconstruction funding and the lifting of sanctions.

"According to the agreements, the previous traffic routes will be replaced by a middle and safe route, which will act as a temporary route until a new traffic separation plan is reached," Baqaei said of the plan under discussion by Iran and Oman.

"The main goal of the ongoing diplomatic negotiations is to reach a lasting understanding with Oman to establish complete security in this vital waterway," he said.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

The Yemeni Armed Forces said in a statement that at least four soldiers and three civilians were killed in an attack on the Red Sea port city of Mocha by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Sunday.

At least 30 other people were injured, the army's official spokesperson -- Col. Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili -- said in the statement.

The attack involved the use of drones and missiles, Nuzaili said, and targeted "civilian infrastructure, employee residences and their families, power generation stations and civilian sites within the city, in addition to military sites," the spokesperson added.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Hamas said in a statement Sunday that it "affirms its commitment" to Trump's 15-point plan for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel in the Gaza Strip "and establishing a clear timetable for their implementation."

The Hamas statement came in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments earlier in the day at an Israeli cabinet meeting that he would reject the plan, stating that "the IDF will not make any withdrawal until Hamas is truly disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and citizens."

"We call upon the mediators, guarantors, and the Peace Council to assume their responsibilities, ensure the commitment of all parties to what has been agreed upon, and prevent any violations or breaches that could disrupt the implementation process or undermine the ceasefire agreement," the Hamas statement continued, in part.

Hamas will "continue to engage positively and responsibly with efforts aimed at completing the implementation of the agreement," the statement further said.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the U.S. was “semi-negotiating” with Iran amid reports from Iranian state media that no formal negotiations were underway between the two countries.

“We are low-keying it," Trump said during a brief phone call with Axios on Sunday.

"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” Trump added, Axios reported.

Iran confirmed earlier Sunday that "messages were being exchanged" through intermediaries but declined to call them negotiations.

“Trump stressed that Iran ‘is in very bad shape’ economically and has no money to pay its troops,” according to Axios, and further said “the U.S. naval blockade has exacerbated the Iranian regime's economic crisis.”

"It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game," the president also said, according to Axios.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr