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Conflicting signals from leaders of the United States, Iran and Israel on Monday left a murky picture of whether peace talks were underway, and what prospects there were for ending the war in the Middle East any time soon.President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States and Iran were engaging in "very strong talks" toward resolving the war that began on Feb. 28, which had produced "many, like 15 points," of agreement. He said he was postponing until Friday his threat to attack Iranian power plants while talks take place.But the speaker of Iran's parliament denied on social media that any such negotiations were underway, accusing Trump of issuing false statements to calm rattled energy markets. Iranian officials said their country would continue to fight.Later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, after speaking with Trump, did not state whether peace talks were being held, but said that his American counterpart believed it was possible to "leverage" the military achievements to "realize the objectives of the war in an agreement." Netanyahu, in a video statement, said Israel would pursue its campaigns against Iran and its ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah.Whatever the truth about possible negotiations, the war continued to rage on multiple fronts. The U.S. and Israeli militaries said Monday that they had carried out fresh waves of strikes on Iran, and Israel continued its offensive in Lebanon. Iran claimed attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf countries, though it was not clear if any of them penetrated air defenses.Trump said that his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, were leading negotiations, and that the United States was communicating with one of Iran's leaders, without identifying the person. He said the U.S. side was demanding an end to Iranian nuclear enrichment and elimination of the country's uranium stockpiles that could be used to one day make a bomb, terms that Iran had previously rejected.The war's global fallout has seen the price of oil and gas rise sharply since late February -- a crisis that is now worse than the oil shocks in 1973 and 1979 combined, according to the head of the International Energy Agency.Trump's statement about talks with Iran immediately reduced energy prices somewhat, but it was unclear how long that could last without tangible progress toward ending the war. The president has repeatedly given optimistic assessments that temporarily eased market jitters, only to have prices rise again.More than 2,000 people have been killed since the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran that ignited the conflict more than three weeks ago, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, where Israel has fought a second front with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.Here's what else we're covering:--Israel's military faced scrutiny Sunday about Iranian missiles that hit Dimona, a city 8 miles from Israel's main nuclear facility, and the nearby city of Arad on Saturday night. More than 10 people were seriously injured and dozens more hurt in the strikes, renewing concerns that Israel might be holding back on using its most sophisticated air defenses to avoid depleting them.--Israel's military chief said Sunday that its campaign against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed armed group in Lebanon, had "only just begun," adding that Israeli forces were preparing to push deeper into that country. Israel Katz, Israel's defense minister, ordered the military to step up the demolition of bridges and houses in Lebanon, deepening fears that Israel is preparing for a long-term occupation in the country's south.--Iran's U.N. ambassador said that at least 1,348 civilians had been killed in the country since the start of the war -- a toll that has not been updated for over a week. On Friday, a Washington-based group, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, reported that at least 1,398 civilians had been killed. More than 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed, authorities there said Thursday. At least 15 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel, officials have said. The American death toll stood at 13 service members.