Energy prices keep rising with no sign of progress toward a deal to end the U.S.-Iran standoff and Hezbollah rejecting the Lebanon ceasefire.

The trip comes as Iranian negotiators seek separate tracks for a deal over the Strait of Hormuz and talks on broader peace, including nuclear issues.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran's nuclear ambitions remain the central issue in any negotiations. In an interview on FNC's "Special Report," Rubio said that Tehran already uses the Strait of Hormuz as an "economic nuclear weapon" and would threaten the entire Middle East if it obtained an actual nuclear weapon.

Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war stalled again over the weekend as both sides dug in on their demands, even as they face mounting pressure to reach a compromise.

Tehran is said to have proposed a plan that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while leaving questions about its nuclear program for later negotiations.

Abbas Araghchi is holding talks with a Russian delegation on the Iran war, he earlier blamed the US for a breakdown in peace negotiations.

Iran’s foreign minister traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Oil rose amid rising tensions related to the Strait of Hormuz.

By Andreas Rinke and Kirsti Knolle BERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday Iran's leadership was humiliating the United States and getting U.S. officials to travel to Pakistan and then leave without results,

On Saturday, President Donald Trump called off a trip to Islamabad that two of his chief negotiators—Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff—were planning to make in the hopes of ending the war in Iran. That conflict,

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday, where he participated in talks focused on ending the war with the U.S., Iranian state media reported.

Iran's foreign minister arrived in Russia on Monday, after a whirlwind weekend of diplomacy, seeking to gain political leverage and foreign backing as peace talks with the U.S. remain on hold.