LIVE: Israel steps up attacks on Lebanon; countries urge dialogue, end of Iran war

Twice on Monday, President Donald Trump said he'd wrangled a confession of sorts from an Oval Office predecessor who he said had expressed regret in a private conversation about not attacking Iran the way Trump has been doing for more than two weeks.

But there's just a little problem: Representatives for the four living former presidents — three Democrats and one Republican — said none have been in touch with Trump recently.

Trump declined to name the former president when reporters asked who it was, saying he didn't want to “embarrass him.”

The Republican president first told the story during extended remarks about the Iran war as he opened a meeting of the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center.

He repeated that Iran had been a threat to the United States for decades but said he is the only president who had the courage to do something about it.

“Look, for 47 years, no president was willing to do what I'm doing, and they should have done it a long time ago," he said. "It would have been a lot easier. There's no president that wanted to do it.

“And yet every president knew. I've spoken to a certain president, who I like, actually, a past president, a former president. He said, 'I wish I did it, I wish I did,' but they didn't do it. I'm doing it,” Trump continued.

Representatives for each of former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden said they had not spoken with Trump recently. Trump and all four past presidents were last together in the same space for his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025 — well before the war.

The United Arab Emirates briefly closed and then reopened its airspace Tuesday, temporarily halting flights in a crucial travel hub, as the country's military said it was facing incoming attacks from Iran.

The temporary disruption came as war in the Middle East continued to rage. The Israeli military early Tuesday reported a salvo of Iranian missiles as sirens sounded south of the Sea of Galilee. No injuries were reported.

The US and Israel had pummelled military targets in Iran's capital a day earlier, with Israel stepping up bombardments of Iran-backed militants in Lebanon.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday said the ongoing conflict involving Iran cannot be resolved through military means and stressed that only a political solution can bring lasting stability.

“Bombing it into submission is, in all likelihood, not the right approach,” to creating a democratic government in Iran, he said. “There will be no military solution here.”

Responding to US President Donald Trump's calls to send warships to police the Strait of Hormuz, Merz said, “NATO is a defensive alliance, not an interventionist one.”

NATO troops deployed for 18 years to Afghanistan and its 2011 air campaign helped topple Libya's late leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Merz also warned Israel that a ground offensive in Lebanon could spur an exodus of refugees.

The German chancellor condemned Hezbollah for entering the conflict “on behalf of Iran” and called on the Lebanese militant group to stop attacking Israel and to disarm.

At the same time, he urged Israel to avoid attacking civilians in Lebanon and said a wider ground war “would further exacerbate the already highly tense humanitarian situation.” “We therefore urge our Israeli friends: Do not take this path,” Merz said of a broader ground offensive. “It would be a mistake.”

Massive explosions were heard in Beirut on Monday as Israel launched new attacks on the Lebanese capital before dawn, saying it was striking infrastructure related to the Iran-linked Hezbollah militia group.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel after the US-Israeli attack of Iran on Feb 28.

The Israeli army has issued evacuation orders for many neighbourhoods in Beirut as well as southern Lebanon.

Israel's strikes have displaced more than 1 million Lebanese — or roughly 20% of the population — from large swaths of the country's southern region and its capital's southern suburbs, according to the Lebanese government, which says some 850 people have been killed.

Russia on Monday renewed its call on all parties involved in the West Asia conflict to immediately cease hostilities and refrain from attacks on civilian infrastructure.

In a statement posted on its web portal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the loss of civilian lives and suffering in both the Gulf Arab states and Iran must stop.

Moscow also offered its “existing capabilities to facilitate a long-term and sustainable resolution to the conflict”.

"With their treacherous, unprovoked attack on Iran, the United States and Israel have unleashed an unprecedented cycle of violence in the Middle East, with no end in sight,” the ministry said.

Instead of seeking ways to de-escalate and return to negotiations, mutual hostility continues to escalate, with increasingly deadly and destructive strikes being inflicted, it said.

"We renew our urgent call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and shift the situation to a political and diplomatic framework. Above all, we call on all parties to refrain from attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure and to stop the loss of life and suffering among civilians, both in the Gulf Arab states and in Iran," the statement said.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday called for a dialogue to tackle the current conflict in West Asia.

Dar, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and exchanged views on the latest developments in the ongoing regional situation and its broader implications, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Dar "emphasised the importance of diplomatic engagement, dialogue, and sustained efforts to promote peace, stability, and security in the region,” it said.

Separately, Acting US Chargé d’Affaires Zachary Harkenrider met Dar in Islamabad, and their discussions focused on Pakistan-US bilateral relations and ongoing regional developments, the FO said in a separate statement.

Dar "emphasised the importance of diplomatic engagement and underscored the urgent need to promote peace and stability in the region,” it said.

The latest engagements of Dar are a part of wider Pakistani efforts to contain the Middle East conflict, and both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Dar have been frequently interacting with the Muslim leaders.

Pakistan’s role has been acknowledged by Iran, whose Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi, in a post in the Urdu language, thanked Islamabad for supporting his country.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his counterparts from the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) in Brussels focusing on global flashpoints in Ukraine and West Asia as well as ways to deepen India's relations with Europe.

Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to the Belgian capital at the invitation of EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Kaja Kallas to attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the bloc.

“The stronger convergence between India and EU in a multipolar world is also expressed in closer consultations. Discussed the West Asia conflict, the Ukraine situation and the Indo-Pacific in today’s gathering,” he said.

The Foreign Affairs Council discussed how to better protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, including possible contributions by the EU's naval mission Aspides, and a European security strategy, Kallas told reporters.

The closure of the strait is hurting the global economy and it is helping Moscow fund its war, Kallas said, days after the US temporarily lifted sanctions on procurement of Russian crude oil.

She said the focus on the Middle East should not take the focus away from the war in Ukraine, and the easing of US sanctions on Russian oil sets a "dangerous precedent".

"We also discussed developments in the Middle East and in Ukraine. De-escalation, stability and energy security are our shared objectives," she added.

Iran's top diplomat says the key Strait of Hormuz is only cut off for vessels of the United States, Israel and their allies.

“From our perspective it is open,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said of the strait. “It is only closed to our enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.” Araghchi spoke at a press conference in Tehran on Monday.

A vessel tracker says a first tanker carrying non-Iranian oil has transited through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Pakistani-controlled tanker Karachi, which carries crude oil from Abu Dhabi, passed the strait on Sunday, according to data from MarineTraffic.

The tanker is now sailing in the Gulf of Oman, it said.

Italy is the latest country to react cautiously to Trump's demand that allies help open the Strait of Hormuz.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels on Monday that Italy backs reinforcing EU naval missions in the Red Sea.

But he added: “However, I don't think these missions can be expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz, especially since they are anti-piracy and defensive missions.” US President Donald Trump said he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, as Iranian strikes continued to rain down on Gulf countries.