OPEC slightly lowered its forecast for oil demand growth on Monday, citing the impact of US tariffs on the world economy.

The Saudi-led oil cartel said in a monthly report that it now expects demand to grow by 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025, down from a previous forecast of 1.4 million bpd.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and French President Emmanuel Macron called for an "urgent" ceasefire in Gaza during a phone conversation on Monday, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

"They emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire, the acceleration of humanitarian aid delivery, the rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land and the Palestinian Authority assuming responsibility in the Gaza Strip," the agency reported.

Doha and Cairo are pursuing a $7.5 billion package of direct Qatari investment in Egypt, the two Arab nations said in a joint statement on Monday.

"The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation... they agreed to work toward a package of direct Qatari investments totaling $7.5 billion, to be implemented over the next phase," Qatari official media said, citing the statement issued a visit by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to the gas-rich Gulf state.

The Kremlin on Monday hailed last week's talks on the Ukraine conflict between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff.

"Such contacts are extremely useful and very effective," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding the talks in Saint Petersburg presented a "needed channel" through which Putin and Trump could pass information to each other.

The European Union on Monday announced a new three-year financial support package for the Palestinians worth up to 1.6 billion euros.

"We are stepping up our support to the Palestinian people. €1.6 billion until 2027 will help stabilize the West Bank and Gaza," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Monday in Damascus with Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, accompanied by a Lebanese ministerial delegation comprising the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and interior.

The meeting was also attended by Syrian Defense Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

A senior Hamas official said on Monday that the Palestinian group is prepared to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a "serious prisoner swap" and guarantees that Israel will end the war in Gaza.

Hamas is engaged in negotiations in Cairo with mediators from Egypt and Qatar — two nations working alongside the United States to broker a ceasefire in the besieged territory.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was on a visit to Rabat on Monday, where he is expected to discuss security cooperation with his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit.

Talks will primarily focus on migration cooperation, the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, according to the French interior ministry.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, will arrive in Tehran on Wednesday for discussions with senior Iranian officials, state media reported, ahead of new round of talks between Iran and the United States.

During his visit, Grossi is set to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), the state news agency IRNA reported on Monday, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Moscow, Russian state agencies said Monday, citing the foreign ministry.

"We are expecting Iranian colleagues, talks with Sergei Lavrov as well as meetings with Russian officials are planned," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, after Iran announced that its top diplomat was heading to Moscow later in the week.