- US unserious -

Iran's foreign ministry said it has yet to reach a decision on whether to attend the next round of talks with the United States, which it accused of "violations" of their two-week ceasefire. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he was dispatching negotiators to Islamabad.

"While claiming diplomacy and readiness for negotiations, the US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a weekly press briefing.

- China 'concern' -

China expressed "concern" on Monday over the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged vessel that tried to evade a naval blockade, and urged all parties to resume peace talks.

President Donald Trump had said Sunday that the USS Spruance, a guided missile destroyer, fired on and seized the Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, in the Gulf of Oman.

- Israel Lebanon warning -

Israel's military warned Lebanese civilians against returning to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah's activities in the area were violating a ceasefire agreement struck last week.

Thousands of displaced residents have begun making their way back to parts of southern Lebanon since the truce between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Friday.

- Iran executions -

Iran hanged two men convicted of having links to Israel's spy agency, the latest in a string of executions of detainees regarded as political prisoners by rights groups since the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States.

The People's Mujahedin (MEK), an opposition group banned in Iran, confirmed the executions of MEK members Mohammad Masoom Shahi, 38, and Hamed Validi, 48.

- Israel soldier hits Jesus statue -

The Israeli army said that it had determined an image circulating on social media that shows a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ is authentic and depicts one of its troops.

The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off of a cross.

The Israel army said it viewed the incident with "great severity", adding that the "soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops", in a post to its official X account.

- Oil price bounce -

Oil prices surged on a re-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East war after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend, just a day after reopening it, citing the United States' blockade of its ports.

European stock markets were lower in late morning trading, also pressured by Tehran's announcement that it was not currently planning to attend peace talks.

- Syria foiled Hezbollah -

Syria's interior ministry said Sunday that security forces had thwarted a cross-border attack in the southern Quneitra province by a cell linked to Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which denied the accusation.

In a statement, Syrian officials said they foiled a "sabotage plot" with hidden rocket launching equipment in a civilian vehicle, which was linked to Hezbollah and "aimed to destabilise the region".

The area borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

- Lebanon PM to Paris -

French President Emmanuel Macron will on Tuesday meet Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris, his office announced, a day after a French peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon and amid a fragile 10-day truce between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

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