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Iran live updates: Trump says Iran 'desperately' wants to meet for ceasefire talks amid new strikes

Seventeen U.S. service members have been killed since the war in Iran began.

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.


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US will 'face the consequences' of any Kharg Island operation, Iran official says

The U.S. will "face the consequences" if it launches any ground operation to seize Iran's Kharg Island, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, during his weekly press conference.

Asked about President Donald Trump's threats to seize the strategically-located island in the northern Persian Gulf, Baghaei said there are people in Iran who are "counting down the minutes to welcome" U.S. forces.

Baghaei told reporters that Iran's implementation of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S. "became practically impossible" as a result of the recent resumption in fighting.

Asked whether the MOU was now void, Baghaei said, "An understanding or agreement has value and validity as long as its parties adhere to their obligations; otherwise, it will be nothing more than a document on paper."

"This agreement was formed on the basis of mutual obligations, and with its violation by the United States, its implementation by Iran became practically impossible," Baghaei added.

Asked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Sunday that the U.S. was open to diplomacy with Iran, Baghaei said Iran does not believe the U.S. is negotiating in good faith.

"When the US talks about diplomacy, it means imposition, intimidation, threats and sanctions, and certainly as long as they are in this space and seek to impose their demands on the Iranian nation, our response will definitely be to defend Iran's dignity and national sovereignty," Baghaei said.

"The guarantee of implementing any treaty and agreement is the power of the parties, and we are determined to make this tool more powerful day by day," he added.

Baghaei also repeated Tehran's long-time assertion that Iran is "determined to take the necessary measures to exercise our sovereignty and to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is not abused to harm our interests."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule


Iran FM says war must end when Tehran has 'upper hand'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the IRNA state news agency in an interview on Monday that the war with the U.S. "must be ended exactly at the point where you have the upper hand in the field."

"The end of the war is possible either through absolute military victory or through negotiations," Araghchi said.

"The right time to negotiate is precisely when you have achieved a reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front," he added. "A politician must always ask this fundamental question: will continuing the war increase the achievements or the losses?"

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule


US strikes hit 9 Iranian cities overnight, state media says

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported U.S. strikes on at least nine towns and cities overnight.

Bushehr, Tabriz, Urmia, Bandar Imam Khomeini, Jask, Sirik, Mahshahr, Chabahar and Konarak were attacked in the latest wave of American attacks, IRNA said.

IRAN quoted local officials as saying that at least one person was killed and several people injured in strikes on Tabriz.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule


Kuwait and Bahrain report fresh Iranian attacks

The Kuwaiti Army issued a statement on Monday saying its air defenses "are currently confronting attacks by hostile drones," again condemning "Iranian aggression."

In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said that its air raid sirens were sounded at least twice on Monday morning. The Bahrain Defence Force later confirmed fresh Iranian attacks on the kingdom.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule