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Iran on Monday denied President Donald Trump’s assertion that negotiations with the United States were about to begin, insisting that no meetings are planned and that no diplomatic contacts with Washington are currently taking place.

The denial came after Trump announced that he had decided against authorizing military strikes on Iran and instead would pursue a diplomatic path.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people.”

He also declared, “Now what we’re doing is talking to them, in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” though he did not specify where the discussions would take place or who would participate.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei dismissed Trump’s statement, saying there are no negotiations underway with the United States and no meetings scheduled. He added that Iran has no intention of receiving foreign delegations or sending its own negotiators abroad in the coming days.

Baghaei said all of Iran’s negotiating officials are currently inside the country, with the exception of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who is on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq. He added that the only ongoing diplomatic discussions involve Oman and are focused on issues related to the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior Iranian official also told Reuters that no negotiations with the United States are planned and said Araqchi is expected to remain unavailable until at least the end of the week.

The latest exchange follows a pattern that has emerged since Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury” alongside Israel more than five months ago, in which threats of U.S. military action have repeatedly been followed by renewed efforts to pursue diplomacy.

Despite those efforts, Iran has consistently refused to resume negotiations with Washington since a memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict fell apart in early July.

The Trump administration has said its goals include dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, weakening Tehran’s ability to threaten neighboring countries, and creating conditions that could lead to political change within the Islamic Republic. Analysts continue to debate how much progress has been made toward those objectives.

The military confrontation has produced repeated cycles of escalation and retaliation involving U.S. forces, Iran, America’s Gulf allies, and commercial shipping, with periods of fighting alternating with diplomatic outreach.

One of the central sticking points remains the Strait of Hormuz. The United States maintains that the June memorandum required Iran to keep the strategic waterway open, while Iranian officials contend the agreement explicitly preserved Tehran’s authority over maritime traffic through the strait.

Some analysts believe such an interpretation would leave Iran with greater influence over the shipping lane than it had before the conflict, a result they argue would represent a setback for the Trump administration.

Iran has continued to reject U.S. demands concerning the Strait of Hormuz, and the uncertainty surrounding the vital waterway has contributed to rising global oil prices and politically sensitive increases in gasoline prices in the United States.

Oil markets reacted positively on Monday after Trump opted not to proceed with military action, with Brent crude prices falling by more than 4% to roughly $84 per barrel.

Meanwhile, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that the captain of a vessel traveling through the Strait of Hormuz observed an explosion in the water near the ship overnight. No injuries were reported.

The British government is facing sharp criticism after new figures revealed it plans to spend more than £130 million more on aid for “Palestine” than on security measures to protect Britain’s Jewish community, prompting opponents to accuse Labour of putting the wrong priorities first.

According to the Daily Express, the Labour-led government has committed £381 million in funding for “Palestine,” compared to £250 million designated for security measures protecting Jewish individuals and institutions amid a sustained wave of antisemitic attacks. The allocation means spending on “Palestine” exceeds funding for Jewish security by roughly 50%.

Opposition leaders blasted the disparity, arguing that the government should be prioritizing the safety of British citizens before increasing overseas assistance.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said: “Labour’s priorities are all wrong. This extraordinary funding, some of which will likely end up in the hands of the undemocratic and unaccountable Palestinian Authority, exceeds funding recently pledged for protecting British Jews from antisemitic violence and hatred.”

Patel added: “Labour Ministers must focus on using British leverage to help disband the abhorrent terrorist organisation Hamas and ensure reform of the Palestinian Authority, to provide a peaceful future for the people in the region.”

Reform UK MP Richard Tice also condemned the funding decision, calling it “yet another example of Labour prioritising foreign citizens above our own. While British Jews are being threatened and attacked on our streets, we are expected to stump up 50% more to Palestinians.”

The criticism comes as Britain continues to grapple with a surge in antisemitic violence. Among the most serious incidents was the stabbing of two Orthodox Jewish men in Golders Green in late April.

Following that attack, British authorities raised the national terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe,” marking the first such increase in more than four years.

In May, a German citizen assaulted Jewish worshippers outside a London shul during the Yom Tov of Shavuos.

That same month, a chareidi Jewish woman was attacked with a belt in London’s Stamford Hill. Also on that day, a Jewish child was assaulted outside a school in Amhurst Park after a woman allegedly shouted antisemitic slurs and punched the child.

In a separate incident during May, an Israeli man was reportedly attacked by five individuals after they heard him speaking Hebrew.

Statistics released for 2025 showed that the United Kingdom recorded the highest per-capita rate of violent antisemitic attacks anywhere in the world, documenting 121 serious assaults against a Jewish population of roughly 300,000.

Then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has since resigned, addressed the growing wave of antisemitism in May, saying: “It is not enough to simply declare ‘we stand with Jewish communities’ – we must show it and act.” He added that “only by working together can we eradicate antisemitism from every corner of society.”

A new study by researchers at Tel Aviv University has found that Israel’s elevated emigration trend continued through 2025, marking the third consecutive year in which record numbers of Israelis left the country for extended periods, raising concerns about the long-term impact on the nation’s economy and security.

According to the report, 90,922 Israeli citizens spent at least three consecutive months outside Israel during 2025. That figure is nearly identical to the 91,499 recorded in 2024 and slightly above the 86,509 departures documented in 2023.

Over the three-year period from 2023 through 2025, a total of 268,509 Israelis left the country for three months or longer. Researchers noted that this is dramatically higher than the 183,219 departures recorded during the comparable period between 2013 and 2015.

The study was prepared by Prof. Itai Ater, who heads the Economists for Democracy forum, Prof. Nati Bergman, head of Tel Aviv University’s School of Economics, and Doron Zamir, a doctoral student in the university’s Faculty of Management. Their analysis is based on data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

Because official migration figures based on 12 consecutive months abroad have not yet been released for 2025, the researchers relied on data tracking Israelis who remained outside the country for at least three months. They said the two measurements have an exceptionally strong correlation—0.96—making the shorter-term data a reliable indicator of longer-term migration trends.

Based on that methodology, the researchers estimate that between 45,000 and 50,000 Israelis will ultimately qualify as official emigrants for 2025 under the government’s 12-month definition.

Prof. Ater said, “Even in 2025 we see very troubling numbers of Israelis leaving the country for a significant period. These figures do not yet pose an immediate danger to Israel’s resilience, but if the trend continues without change, there is a real risk of harm to Israel’s security and economy.”

The researchers noted that public debate over emigration has intensified since late 2022 amid Israel’s political turmoil, widespread protests, and the war that followed the Oct. 7 massacre. They said the purpose of the study is to provide an updated assessment using official government data.

The report also points to previous research showing especially sharp increases in emigration among physicians, PhD holders, engineers, academics, and higher-income earners.

Despite the concerning numbers, the researchers said the greatest threat lies not in the current level of departures but in the possibility that the trend accelerates. They warned that additional political instability, security challenges, or economic difficulties could trigger a “snowball” effect, in which continued emigration encourages even more Israelis to leave, potentially inflicting lasting damage on both the economy and Israeli society.