Iran said Monday it had a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations with the United States, shortening a process that was initially expected to last seven days.
The United Nations migration agency said more than 300,000 people in Yemen had fled renewed fighting. China, for its part, sends a special envoy to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East this Monday. Read our full coverage here.
Iran plans to reopen Strait of Hormuz, resume nuclear talks in two days
Iran said it had a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations with the United States if Washington met its demands.
The announcement comes as the region prepares for a possible return to fighting, although Iran’s top diplomat said Sunday he hoped the United States would choose “diplomacy on other paths”.
Iran previously said the plan could be implemented in a week if the United States met seven conditions, including lifting the blockade of Iranian ports. Iran now says ships passing through the reopened strait should follow a route agreed between Iran and Oman and travel under Iranian supervision. Separately, Iranian officials said the United States must lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales and agree to a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the plan remained the basis for negotiations with Washington through mediators, despite the shorter implementation deadline. “This once again demonstrates Iran’s good faith approach,” he added.
Baghaei gave no indication that Tehran had changed its demands or that Washington had accepted his proposal.
President Donald Trump has alternated between pursuing diplomacy and threatening massive bombing of Iran in public comments.
More than 300,000 Yemenis have fled fighting, UN says
The United Nations migration agency said people are struggling to find shelter and basic necessities as humanitarian groups have limited access to those in need.
They fled as renewed fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces broke a four-year truce, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation in one of the Middle East’s poorest countries.
Yemen’s southwest province of Taiz continues to host displaced families, but many are fleeing south to Aden, which has now hosted more than 56,000 people, according to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration.
“After years of conflict, families in Yemen are once again forced to flee, often with little more than the clothes on their backs,” Abdusattor Esoev, head of the IOM mission in Yemen, said on Sunday.
“They urgently need shelter, food, clean water and health care. Without additional funding, thousands of families could be left without the help they urgently need,” he added.
China to send special envoy to Iran and Gulf
China announced Monday that it plans to send a special envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia between early and mid-November. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told reporters the envoy would focus on easing tensions and promoting regional stability.
The Gulf region “should not become an arena of great-power rivalries and geopolitical conflicts,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Monday, according to a report of their meeting.
The move comes as China seeks to expand its influence in a rapidly changing region, which it depends on a large part of its oil.
Strikes on Gaza kill 2
Two Israeli airstrikes killed two men in southern Gaza early Monday, according to Nasser Hospital, where their bodies were taken. A strike killed a man in his home; the other killed a man in a tent.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Major fighting between Israel and Hamas has been largely halted thanks to the October 2025 ceasefire. Israel continues to launch almost daily strikes on Gaza, allegedly targeting militants, even though these strikes regularly kill or injure women and children. Israel says Hamas uses civilians as human shields.
Around 1,580 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, bringing the total death toll to more than 74,500, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, does not distinguish between civilians and militants.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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