Israel Continues Its Strikes Amid Reports That Iran Is Keen to De-escalate

Since Friday, 224 people have been killed in Iran by Israeli strikes, while Iranian attacks killed 24 people in Israel

- Bloomberg

Israel and Iran exchanged fire for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, stoking fears of an all-out war with the potential to drag in others in the oil-rich region and force the US into a more hands-on stance.

Iran fired several waves of drones and missiles over the last 24 hours, while Israel continued hitting the Islamic Republic's capital, Tehran, and killing one more senior military official.

Since Friday, 224 people have been killed in Iran, according to the government, which said most of the casualties were civilians. Iranian attacks killed 24 people in Israel, according to the Israeli government press office, and injured 592.

Tehran is signaling it wants to de-escalate hostilities with Israel and is willing to resume nuclear talks with the US as long as Washington doesn't join the Israeli attacks, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday citing Middle Eastern and European officials it didn't identify. A similar report by Reuters says Iran conveyed the message through Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Oil fell on the WSJ report, with Brent futures dropping around 4%—they rose over 10% Friday. US Treasuries pared earlier drops and European bonds gained as traders reacted to diminishing concerns about inflation.

It's not clear whether Israel would agree to stop missile strikes. Israeli officials have said they want to ensure Iran doesn't have the capacity to build a nuclear weapon.