President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.
UN official reports 'alarming' surge in south Lebanon violence
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Monday reported an "alarming and concerning intensification of violence" in southern Lebanon over the weekend.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon -- UNIFIL -- recorded what Dujarric said were "intense kinetic activities across its area of operations over the weekend," including several Israel Defense Forces airstrikes, helicopter attacks, indirect fire and maritime actions in Lebanese waters.
"Meanwhile, UNIFIL peacekeepers discovered and neutralised several unexploded ordnance. Peacekeepers also continued to encounter restrictions on their freedom of movement and incidents of aggressive behavior," Dujarric said.
People and rescue workers gather on a destroyed house that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Zahrani village, southern Lebanon, on, Aug. 15, 2026.
Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
3:15 AM EDT
Strait of Hormuz still a 'conflict zone,' energy secretary says
While President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News that the Strait is still a "conflict zone" where disruptions to ship traffic remain, acting as hurdles to transporting oil and gas.
Wright said that trackers of the ships going through the Strait have been turned off due to the conflict, meaning public data does not accurately reflect the true number of vessels transiting the Strait. He asserted that 30 ships went through the waterway on Sunday and that "millions" of barrels have been moving through per day.
Wright said that U.S. military escorts of commercial shipping demonstrate the control the U.S. has over traffic in the strait, but did not acknowledge the Iranian threat that necessitates those escorts and that continues to keep traffic low.
Wright was pressed over the fact that these numbers of ships moving through the Strait are still lower than pre-war levels. He said he couldn't predict the future when asked when he thinks those traffic levels would rise.
"We're fixing a 47-year-old problem with this government in Iran and the threat of nuclear weapons, but it does cause some disruption in the short term. President Trump's policies have made us ready for that disruption," Wright said.
When asked about a timeline for the end of the war, Wright said Trump is "playing the long game."
-ABC News' Isabella Murray and Michelle Stoddart
3:03 AM EDT
Drones targeted office of Iraqi Kurdistan PM
Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in northwestern Iraq, said in a post to X on Monday that his personal office was targeted by Iranian drone attacks.
Drones also targeted the home of the head of the region's security and intelligence agency, Barzani said in his post.
"I condemn these reckless and unacceptable attacks in the strongest terms. This is a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region," he wrote. "These attacks will not deter us from carrying out our duties and protecting our citizens."
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said in a statement that he had ordered a probe into "the sources and origins of the attack."
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
2:34 AM EDT
Kushner says Hamas will have 'chance to perform' on Gaza peace deal
Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner told Fox News of what he called a "very, very" good meeting about the Trump administration's Gaza peace plan.
The meeting came amid deep skepticism from Netanyahu about the next steps in pursuing peace with Hamas. Kushner separately met with Hamas officials over the weekend.
"I think there were some valid concerns that they raised that we were able to address, and we were able to go through some of the misunderstandings and misinformation that's been out, as well," Kushner said of his meeting with Netanyahu.
Kushner said he urged Netanyahu to give Hamas the chance to prove themselves -- "and if they don't follow through now on their commitment, everyone will see that they're not genuine about peace and that Israel will have a lot more support from the U.S. and others to go on and finish the job in an appropriate way."
People walk past tents sheltering displaced Palestinians amid the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, on Aug. 17, 2026.
Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo
Kushner insisted that Hamas will need to hand over its weapons and suggested the group could do so in as little as 30 days. He said tunnels built by Hamas could be filled up within the next 60 to 90 days.
"We're very committed to the fact that we have the plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until the demilitarization occurs. Nobody wants to put more money into a place that's gone on for so long, if it's just going to be taken over by terrorists or blown up again," Kushner said.
On his meeting with Hamas leaders, Kushner said "they said all the right things," but the U.S. remains skeptical until they see real action on the ground.
"It's very, very hard to trust a terrorist organization that committed these terrible atrocities. We had a very cordial meeting, and they said all the right things. We're going to give them a chance to perform, and it's going to be based on actions and steps. And I hope it will be true," Kushner said.
