Dubai | Iran offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz without addressing its nuclear programme, officials with knowledge of the proposal said Monday.

Iran also wants the United States to end its blockade of the country as part of its proposal, according to the two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.

Oil prices were up Monday as a standoff between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz remained despite a ceasefire, while Pakistan leaders were seeking to revive stalled talks between the two countries.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Russia Monday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin as part of a trip that included two stops in Pakistan and a visit to Oman, which shares the strait with the Islamic Republic.

Pakistan-led mediators are working to bridge significant gaps between the US and Iran, according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter.

US President Donald Trump canceled plans for his top envoys to travel to Islamabad this weekend for negotiations after Iran insisted the US should end its blockade of Iranian ports before new talks can take place.

Early Monday, the US military's Central Command said it has so far turned around 38 ships during the blockade.

Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,509 people in Lebanon, where the Israel-Hezbollah fighting resumed two days after the Iran war started.

Also, 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 US service members in the region and six UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed.

Here is the latest:

Lebanon president blasts Hezbollah for rejecting talks

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Lebanon President Joseph Aoun blasted militant group Hezbollah on Monday over its rejection of direct talks with Israel.

Lebanon's decision to hold negotiations with Israel is not “treason,” Aoun said in a statement, adding that treason is when “someone takes the country to war to achieve foreign interests”.

Harshly criticising Hezbollah without naming it, Aoun asked whether there was a “national accord” when the Iran-backed group took Lebanon to war last month.

Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on March 2, two days after the US and Israel attacked Iran. The fighting has killed over 2,500 people, wounded more than 7,000 and displaced over 1 million people.

Aoun asked how long people in south Lebanon will pay for the wars of other nations or groups, “the latest of which was the war for backing up Gaza and the war for backing up Iran”.

“I totally reject this war” when the goal is to benefit others, he said.

Aoun said he wants to end the state of war with Israel in the manner of the 1949 Armistice Agreements that brought calm along the border for years without normalising relations.

“Was the armistice agreement humiliation? I will not accept reaching a humiliating deal,” Aoun said.

French airline Transavia cancels flights over fuel costs

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Transavia France said late Sunday it is canceling some flights in May and June because of rising fuel costs.

The low-cost airline, part of the Air France-KLM group, said in a statement “the current geopolitical context in the Middle East and its repercussions on the price of aviation fuel” forced the cancellations.

French media reported the cancellations represented less than 2 per cent of the company's May and June flight programme.

Transavia said affected passengers would be able to choose between a voucher, full refund or free rebooking, which will be offered within 24 hours for the majority of cancelled flights.

China opposes US sanction on oil refinery

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China said Monday it opposed a decision by the United States to sanction one of its refineries for purchasing Iranian crude oil shipments.

The US announced Friday it would sanction Hengli Petrochemicals in China's northeastern port city of Dalian.

The measure blocks the company and others that transport Iranian oil from accessing the US financial system.

Hengli Petrochemicals is among dozens of Chinese buyers of Iran's oil. China is Iran's largest overall oil customer.

“China always opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and urges the US to stop its wrong practices of abusing sanctions and exercising long-arm jurisdiction,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said.

“We will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” Lin said.

World's largest condom company raising prices due to strait closure

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Karex, the world's largest manufacturer of condoms, said it has raised prices by up to 30 per cent to cope with escalating costs due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital channel for petrochemical supplies.

CEO Goh Miah Kiat said the company has little choice but to pass higher costs to customers for condoms, personal lubricants, probe covers and catheters as raw materials, logistics and production expenses surge.

Karex produces 5 billion condoms annually, or about a fifth of global market share, with its biggest market in the United States, according to company data.

The Malaysian firm believes demand will rise at least 30 per cent this year as “people use more condoms during periods of economic uncertainty,” Goh said.

Karex faces rising costs for nitrile latex, silicone oil and lubricant materials, natural rubber latex and aluminum foil packaging, Goh said, adding that freight costs and supplier delays have forced Karex to hold larger inventories of key materials.

Iran offers proposal to US to reopen Strait of Hormuz without nuclear agreement

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Iran is offering to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz without addressing its nuclear program, two regional officials with knowledge of the proposal said Monday.

Iran also wants the United States to ends its blockade of the country as part of its proposal, according to the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.

The new proposal, passed onto the US by Pakistan, is not likely to receive the backing of US President Donald Trump, who wants to end Iran's atomic programme as part of an overall deal including the Strait of Hormuz to make the ceasefire permanent.

“We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us,” Trump told Fox News Channel on Sunday.