Tensions over the US-Israel war on Iran intensified Monday as President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s response to a US peace proposal as ‘totally unacceptable,’ while global powers moved to contain the fallout. China confirmed Trump will visit Beijing this week for talks expected to cover Iran and trade, as the UK and France prepare a multinational meeting on securing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Follow our live coverage for the latest updates:

07:55 AM, 11 May 2026

Oil soars as Trump rejects Iran’s terms

Oil prices rose in Asian trade on Monday after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s terms for ending the war in the Middle East, while stocks were mixed.

Trump’s repudiation of Iran’s response to his latest peace proposal raised the likelihood of further violence and disruptions to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.

“President Trump’s swift rejection of these counter-demands underscores the wide gulf between both sides, pointing to a risk of prolonged uncertainty rather than rapid de-escalation,” said Lloyd Chan at Japanese bank MUFG.

“For oil markets, this suggests a persistent geopolitical risk premium as Hormuz disruptions drag on,” Chan said.

Stocks were mixed, with the Nikkei down 0.4 percent and the Hang Seng off 0.34 percent but Seoul’s Kopsi was up four percent, boosted by tech stocks.

In Tokyo, Nintendo shares plunged almost 10 percent after the Japanese gaming giant warned Friday of lower profits this year and said it would hike the price of its Switch 2 console.

06:45 AM, 11 May 2026

Pentagon denies senator’s claim that US munitions are running low

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed back against comments made by Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who alleged that American munitions have been significantly ‘depleted’ amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

Kelly, a former Navy captain, criticised President Donald Trump in a CBS interview on Sunday, arguing that the decision to enter the conflict lacked a “strategic goal, plan or timeline,” and warning that it had led to heavy use of key US weapons systems that could take years to replace.

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) May 10, 2026

He said Pentagon briefings had referenced stock levels of systems including Tomahawk missiles, ATACMS, SM-3, THAAD and Patriot interceptors, describing the figures as “shocking” in the context of the ongoing conflict.

Responding on social media platform X, Hegseth dismissed Kelly’s remarks and accused him of disclosing sensitive information, writing: ’Captain’ Mark Kelly strikes again. Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a ‘CLASSIFIED’ Pentagon briefing he received.

06:15 AM, 11 May 2026

China confirms Trump’s visit this week

President Donald Trump will visit China from May 13 to 15, Beijing confirmed on Monday, with the US leader expected to discuss Iran and trade with his Chinese counterpart.

Washington and Beijing have been at loggerheads over key issues ranging from trade tariffs to the Middle East war and Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.

Trump was originally meant to visit in late March or early April, but postponed his trip to focus on the Iran war.

“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Trump is expected to push Xi on Iran while aiming to ease trade tensions, according to US officials.

05:35 AM, 11 May 2026

Oil prices rise more than 3 percent

Oil prices surged at the opening of trading today shortly after US President Donald Trump announced his rejection of Tehran’s response to the proposal presented by Washington to end the war.

Brent crude futures rose by US$3.21, or 3.17 percent, to reach $104.50 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $3.06, or 3.21 percent, to $98.48 per barrel.

04:53 AM, 11 May 2026

Fresh strikes: Israel-Lebanon ceasefire on the brink

New Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon and continued cross-border fire from Hezbollah are raising alarms that the fragile, US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon may be nearing collapse.

What had been described as a “tense-but-holding” truce is now showing visible strain, as both sides accuse the other of violations and civilians once again find themselves caught in the escalation.

Read more here.

04:00 AM, 11 May 2026

Trump calls Iranian peace proposal response ‘totally unacceptable’

Diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran appeared to stall again even as a fragile ceasefire holds across a region still rattled by weeks of strikes, naval incidents and mounting economic pressure.

Overnight on Sunday and into early Monday (may 11, 2026), US President Donald Trump stated in a socmed post that Iran’s proposal is “totally unacceptable” after Tehran responded to Washington’s latest proposal for ending the war.

03:44 AM, 11 May 2026

Arab Parliament Speaker condemns drone attack on Kuwait

Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, strongly condemned the hostile drone attack within Kuwait’s airspace, stressing that such acts constitute a flagrant violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty and a direct threat to the security and stability of the region.

In a statement, Al Yamahi expressed the Arab Parliament’s full solidarity with Kuwait in all measures it takes to safeguard its security and preserve the safety of its territory and airspace, underscoring that Kuwait’s security is an integral part of Arab national security.

02:31 AM, 11 May 2026

Bahrain condemns continued Iranian aggression against UAE

The Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemned and denounced the continued blatant and unjustified Iranian attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, which include the recent launch of two UAVs that were successfully engaged by UAE air defences.

01:56 AM, 11 May 2026

Saudi Arabia strongly condemns targeting of territorial lands, waters of UAE, Qatar, Kuwait

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation, in the strongest terms, of the treacherous targeting of the territorial lands and waters of each of the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, and the State of Kuwait, reaffirming the Kingdom’s solidarity with all measures taken by the sisterly Gulf states to protect their security and stability.

01:39 AM, 11 May 2026

UK, France to host defence ministers meeting on Hormuz

The UK and France will on Tuesday host a multinational meeting of defence ministers on military plans to restore trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the British government said.

“The Defence Secretary John Healey will co-chair a meeting of over 40 nations, alongside his French counterpart, Minister Catherine Vautrin, for the multinational mission’s first Defence Minister’s meeting,” a defence ministry statement said Sunday.

The announcement came hours after Iran warned London and Paris against sending warships to the region.

12:10 AM, 11 May 2026

Netanyahu speaks with Trump amid Iran ceasefire push

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a call with US President Donald Trump on Sunday evening, according to Israeli officials and a source familiar with the conversation, as Iran submitted its response to a US ceasefire proposal, CNN reported.

The conversation comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Washington to advance negotiations with Tehran.

Video footage showed Netanyahu briefly leaving a meeting with community leaders to take the call.

In a recent interview, Netanyahu said there is still “work to be done” on Iran, and highlighted agreement with Trump on addressing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, a key issue in the talks.

GN