US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he decided to pause US strikes on Iran in order to give negotiations another chance, while warning that he could order a restart of strikes if talks with Iran fail.

"We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don't work out, we will go back to very strong military action," Trump said in an interview with US online news outlet Axios.

Asked how long he was willing to give diplomacy, he said, "Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all."

Trump said he decided to pause strikes on July 24 because the countries that are mediating as well as other countries in the region had asked him to give talks with Iran another chance.

Later, the president told reporters that Iran sought talks only after its military was battered by the US military.

"I think there's a good chance that something could happen," Trump said aboard Air Force One en route to an event in Michigan. "And if it does, good, if it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago."

Trump said that his administration and the Israeli government are "pretty close" to being on the same page regarding Iran.

"We have a little difference, but pretty close," he said of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to visit the White House on Tuesday.

Trump also reiterated that Iranian assets controlled by the United States will be used to cover damage to ships attacked when transiting the Strait of Hormuz. "We're going to use Iran's money to pay for the damage they did," he said.

Negotiations between Oman and Iran have made progress, though no deal has been reached, according to reports citing regional sources.

The latest diplomatic moves came as tensions continued to ripple across the Middle East region, with multiple fronts witnessing heightened military activities and retaliatory actions.

Iran says negotiations not underway with US 

Iran said on Monday that it is not currently engaged in negotiations with the US and that any future talks would depend on Washington changing its conduct.

Addressing a press briefing, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei dismissed reports that Tehran had sought negotiations with the US.

"That does not accord with our principles. Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are merely reports," Baghaei said in his comments carried by the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

He said Iran has consistently viewed diplomacy as a tool for safeguarding its interests.

"We have never hesitated to use diplomatic tools to protect our national interests. We consider diplomacy a means of protecting Iran's national interests," he said.

"At the present time, we are not conducting any negotiations with the American side," Baghaei said while acknowledging that mediators may be conveying messages between the two sides.

Asked about Iran's conditions for starting negotiations, he said the US "must first demonstrate more responsible behavior."

"The United States must learn how to behave like a responsible government," he said, accusing Washington of acting "like a mafia gang" over the past one to two years by disregarding international law.

"As long as this behavior continues, we cannot hope to create a favorable public atmosphere," he added.

On Sunday, Iranian military spokesperson Amir Mohammad Akraminia said the US had halted its attacks over the previous two days and that Iran's counter-operations had also stopped.

Netanyahu departs for Washington

Netanyahu on Monday flew to Washington for a meeting with Trump scheduled for Tuesday, according to a statement issued by his office.

Israel's state-run Kan TV News and other local media outlets reported that the takeoff was made unusually from the Nevatim military airbase in the Negev desert in southern Israel, rather than from Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu said before his departure that he would discuss with Trump mainly the Iranian issue, Israel's security and efforts to expand the circle of peace around Israel.

Israel's Channel 12 News reported that Netanyahu is expected to present Trump with up-to-date intelligence on Iran's progress toward a nuclear bomb, express opposition to the US demand for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and Syria, and ask the US president not to sell weapons systems and F-35 jets to Türkiye.

Houthis claim drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities

Amid the growing spillover of regional tensions, Yemen's Houthi group said on Monday that it had launched drone strikes on facilities involved in transporting crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, saying the operations were in response to alleged Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group had targeted "a number of sensitive sites and facilities" involved in transporting crude oil along the route using "multiple drones." He did not identify the targeted locations or provide details on the number of drones used in the operation.

The Houthi claim came hours after Saudi Arabia said its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed drones launched from Iraq that attempted to target oil facilities in the kingdom's Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh. Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said the drones were launched by Iran-backed armed groups operating in Iraq.

The latest development came amid a sharp escalation that began last week when the Houthi group imposed a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, saying the move was a response to what it described as a blockade on areas under its control.

Since then, both sides have exchanged a series of military strikes, with the Houthis claiming attacks on Saudi-linked vessels and energy infrastructure and the Saudi-led coalition conducting airstrikes on Houthi-held sites in Yemen.

Iraq orders probe into alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi on Monday directed security authorities to investigate the alleged drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory on Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi military said.

The government is examining all available evidence and will pursue legal action against anyone found involved, according to a statement by Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces.

"The Iraqi government reaffirms its constitutional and unwavering commitment to the principles of good neighborliness and to preventing Iraqi territory from being used as a route or launching point for any attack targeting brotherly or friendly countries," the statement read.

The Iraqi announcement followed Saudi Arabia's report earlier in the day that its air defenses downed several drones launched from Iraqi territory toward the kingdom's oil sites.

(With input from agencies)