Oil prices rise as U.S. and Iran appear locked in a costly stalemate

The Secretary-General of the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said in a statement Monday that the group's leadership "categorically reject direct negotiations" that the U.S. has been brokering between Israel and Lebanon's government. "Those in the position of authority must know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon nor themselves. …