- Recovering Iranian uranium will be 'difficult': Trump -

US President Donald Trump said Monday the United States obtaining uranium from Iran would be "long" and "difficult" in the aftermath of last year's US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites.

"Operation Midnight Hammer was a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: "Therefore, digging it out will be a long and difficult process."

The US leader regularly uses the term "nuclear dust" to refer to Iran's stock of enriched uranium but he has also sometimes used it to refer to material left from US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

- Oil down after another surge -

Hanging onto the hope of resumed negotiations in Pakistan, oil prices fell Tuesday after soaring the previous day following the seizure of an Iranian cargo ship by the United States and the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.

At around 0300 GMT, the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark, was down 1.2 percent at $88.50 and Brent crude from the North Sea, the global benchmark, was down 0.4 percent at $95.12 a barrel.

- More than 20 Iranian 'shadow vessels' transit past US blockade -

On Tuesday, shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd's List reported that more than 20 Iranian so-called "shadow vessels", had transited past the US blockade.

The channel in peacetime sees around 120 daily transits, according to the site.

- UNSC condemns killing of French peacekeeper in Lebanon -

The UN Security Council on Monday condemned the killing of a French peacekeeper in Lebanon, whose death France has blamed on Hezbollah.

The Frenchman was killed and three others wounded when their unit was ambushed on Saturday as it headed to a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) outpost cut off from the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

- Iran 'preparing' in case of new fighting -

Iran's parliament speaker said his country has been "preparing to show new cards on the battlefield" against the United States, if fighting resumes following a two-week ceasefire.

"By imposing a blockade and violating the ceasefire, Trump wants to turn this negotiating table into a surrender table or justify renewed hostilities, as he sees fit," said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who headed the Iranian delegation to previous talks in Pakistan.

"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the last two weeks we have been preparing to show new cards on the battlefield," he wrote on X.

- US to host new Israel-Lebanon talks -

The State Department will host new talks on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity, after a previous meeting saw the start of a tense ceasefire.

"We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments," the official said.

- Hormuz blockade stays until deal: Trump -

President Donald Trump said the United States would not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran had agreed a peace deal to end the war.

"THE BLOCKADE, which we will not take off until there is a 'DEAL,' is absolutely destroying Iran," Trump said on social media. "They are losing $500 Million Dollars a day, an unsustainable number, even in the short run."

- Lebanon says 2,387 killed in Israel war -

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,387 people since the war with Iran-backed Hezbollah erupted six weeks ago, a Lebanese government body said in a new toll.

- US delegation to talks -

A US delegation will head to Pakistan "soon" for a new round of peace negotiations with Iran, a source familiar with the plan told AFP, as Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend.

- US-Iran 'mistake' -

French President Emmanuel Macron called the Iranian and US blockades of the Strait of Hormuz "a mistake on both sides".

- UAE busts Iran-linked group -

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said they arrested members of an Iran-linked group plotting "terrorist" acts in the country, attempting to recruit Emiratis and funnelling funds to "suspicious" foreign entities.

- Tehran airports reopen -

Iran reopened its main Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports in Tehran, the country's aviation authority said, after closures caused by the weeks-long war.

- Call for ceasefire extension -

Moscow called for the US-Iran ceasefire to be extended beyond its expiry on Wednesday and stressed diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict should continue, following a call between the Russian and Iranian foreign ministers.

- 'Israel talks separate' -

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said planned talks with Israel were "separate" from the Iran-US negotiations.

He said the talks aimed to end hostilities and Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.

Lebanese state media meanwhile reported an Israeli drone struck a town, Qaqaiyat al-Jisr, despite the ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

- Qatar flights -

Qatar's aviation authority said it would begin allowing flights from foreign airlines to land at its main airport for the first time since the start of the Middle East war.

- Dutch aid on fuel -

The Dutch government said it would allocate more than 950 million euros ($1.1 billion) to help compensate businesses and individuals for the surge in petrol prices since the war's outbreak.

- China 'concern' -

China -- the main buyer of Iranian oil -- expressed "concern" over the weekend US seizure of the Iranian-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz and urged all parties to resume peace talks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call that "normal traffic" through the vital Strait of Hormuz "should be maintained".

burs-des/sla/ane/mtp