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Donald Trump claims Iran wants 'to work a deal' and confirms blockade of strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump said Iran wants to make a deal and that he will not come to any agreement that allows Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.
Trump said that talks had hit a roadblock related to nuclear issues and that a “blockade” of ships transiting the strait of Hormuz had begun.
He said that Iran had “called this morning” and that “they’d like to work a deal.” Reuters could not immediately verify the claim.
“Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters during an impromptu press conference at the White House on Monday. “We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world.”
When asked if oil tankers will be operating in the strait of Hormuz, he said: “Yeah, I think they’re going to be doing very well there. And I think they’re doing very well here [in the US]. You know, a lot of tankers are coming up here. They’re coming in empty and out full, and we have a great capacity to take care of that business.
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Circling back to JD Vance’s comments about whether more talks with Iran are ahead, the US vice-president said Washington had made its red lines clear on ending the war and it was now up to Tehran to take action.
Vance told Fox News on Monday:
I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table. We actually made very clear what our red lines were.
There are two things in particular where the president of the United States really said we have no flexibility.”
Vance listed them as US control of Iran’s enriched uranium, and a verification mechanism to ensure it does not develop a nuclear weapon in the future.
He also said, quoted by AFP:
It’s one thing for the Iranians to say that they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. It’s another thing for us to put in place the mechanism to ensure that’s not going to happen.”
Vance led a US delegation that met Iranian officials in Pakistan at the weekend but the talks ended without a deal to end the more than six-week US-Israeli war against Iran.
Tom McIlroy
A senior military officer or diplomat is expected to represent Australia at this week’s summit on reopening the strait of Hormuz, set to be led by France and the UK.
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said the summit of at least 40 countries would seek to “advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends”.
Australia’s defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio it was yet to be confirmed who would attend the talks on behalf of Australia, expected to take place towards the end of the week.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, attended the first summit remotely earlier this month.
Conroy said:
The key thing is there’s the coalition of nations that are really keen to see a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.”
Trump also spoke about his much-criticised social media post in which an image showed him wearing a biblical-style robe and laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanates from his fingers – while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly.
The sky above is filled with eagles, an American flag and vaporous images, as the AP reports.
Trump told reporters at the White House:
I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and it had to do with the Red Cross. It’s supposed to me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. A lot better.”
The president blamed the “fake news” for any confusion over the image, which drew criticism from a wide range of people, including some of Trump’s own evangelical supporters, who objected to the notion that Trump was likening himself to Christ.
Even Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, assailed the “desecration of Jesus” while also speaking up to defend Pope Leo.
Trump’s post on Sunday night was deleted from his account late on Monday morning. He didn’t provide details on how that happened.
Trump refuses to apologise to Pope Leo
Donald Trump refused to apologise to the pope on Monday after criticising Leo XIV for his opposition to the war in Iran – and the US president sought to explain away his now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus by saying he had thought the image was of him as a doctor.
Trump was asked about his comments toward the US-born head of the Catholic church, as well as the post depicting himself as a saint-like healer, in a hastily called question-and-answer session with reporters at the White House, the Associated Press is reporting.
Trump said:
He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result.”
Trump added that “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things, so I’m not” going to apologise.
He went public. I’m just responding to Pope Leo.”
More in next post.
Vance urges Vatican to 'stick to matters of morality'
More now on US vice-president JD Vance urging the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality” amid the escalating row between Donald Trump and Pope Leo over Iran.
Vance is quoted as telling Fox News:
I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality ... and let the President United States stick to dictating American public policy.”
As mentioned in the last post, Vance’s comments came after Trump launched an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV, saying on Truth Social that the US-born pontiff was “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy”, was “catering to the radical left” and was hurting the Catholic church.
Trump later posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, appearing to “cure” a man – and later deleted it after a backlash from some of his religious supporters.
Leo said after Trump’s criticism that he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war.
Trump’s attack came after Leo denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” as fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran and urged political leaders to stop and negotiate peace.
US vice-president JD Vance is also being quoted as saying the Vatican should “stick to matters of morality”.
The comments come after President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, saying he was “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” and was hurting the Catholic church.
The US-born pontiff said in response that he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war.
Trump’s attack came after Leo denounced a “delusion of omnipotence” as fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran and urged political leaders to stop and negotiate peace.
We’ll have more on Vance’s comments soon.
Vance says ball in Iran's court over prospect of more talks with US
US vice-president JD Vance says the US made a lot of progress in its weekend talks with Iran in Pakistan.
Asked whether more talks were coming, Vances also said on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier on Monday that the ball was in Iran’s court.
He also said – quoted by Reuters – that the US expected Iran would make progress on opening the strait of Hormuz, warning that the negotiations would change if Tehran did not.
JD Vance is reportedly saying of the prospect of a second round of talks with Iran that the ball is in Tehran’s court.
The US vice-president led the American negotiating team at weekend negotiations with Iran in Pakistan that failed to reach an agreement.
Donald Trump said on Sunday that he didn’t care if Iran came back to negotiations with the US. “I don’t care if they come back or not. If they don’t come back, I’m fine.”
Afternoon Summary
Thanks for reading our ongoing coverage of the Middle East crisis.
While Monday has seen lots of rhetoric about the US-Israel war on Iran, there has been little meaningful movement toward a diplomatic off-ramp. And, it’s quite possible that President Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade will make things worse.
Here’s a roundup of today’s news so far.
Donald Trump said that his planned Hormuz blockade had begun. Trump said that the blockade will be on all Iranian ports along the strait from Monday onward; approximately 20% of the global oil and gas supply moved through this waterway prior to the war. Seafarers as well as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations have received advisories indicating that Trump’s blockade will apply to all ship traffic, regardless of the vessel’s flag.
The US President claimed that Iran wanted to reach a deal. He insisted that the US will not agree to any deal that would permit Iran to have a nuclear weapon. “We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world,” he said at a last-minute White House presser on Monday.
After receiving a McDonald’s delivery at the beginning of said press conference, Trump invoked bellicose language in discussing Iran. “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we’re going to get the dust back. We’ll get it back, either we’ll get it back from them, or we’ll take it,” he said. At one point, when questioned about some sort of prior ultimatum regarding Iran, Trump said, “I don’t want to comment on that but it won’t be pleasant”.
There were reports indicating that US officials were trying to shepherd successful talks. One official told CNN: “There is continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get an agreement.” Meanwhile, CNN reports that some admin officials are having internal talks about how a second sit-down with Iranian officials might look, should the opportunity arise.
Nato allies said on Monday that they will not join in Trump’s Hormuz blockade. The Nato nations proposed getting involved only after the fighting ends.
British prime minister Keir Starmer spoke out about their decision not to get involved in the blockade. “We’re not supporting the blockade,” Starmer told the BBC. “My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there’s been some considerable pressure, we’re not getting dragged into the war.”
Trump slammed Pope Leo XIV on social media in response to the pontiff’s call for an end to the war. He claimed that the pope was trying to appease the “Radical Left.” Leo XIV said he had “no intention to debate” Trump over Iran but would continue to advocate for peace.
As the prospect of a diplomatic resolution to end the US war on Iran remains in the balance, President Trump has directed some of his attention to attacking the media.
“For those people that still read The Failing New York Times and, despite the fact that Iran has been totally OBLITERATED, Militarily, and otherwise, you would think that Iran is actually winning or, at the very least, doing quite well — But that’s not true, and The New York Times knows that it’s FAKE NEWS!” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday afternoon.
Trump, who this morning posted an AI-generated image depicting him as Jesus Christ-like and later deleted it, also invoked rhetorical questions about “shame” and “decency.”
UN secretary general António Guterres is pushing for the US and Iran to resume negotiations that would end the war.
“After weeks of destruction & distress, it is clear that there is no military solution to the current conflict in the Middle East. I call for resumption of talks for an agreement to be reached,” Guterres said on X. “The ceasfire must absolutely be preserved. All violations must cease. All parties to the conflict must respect the freedom of navigation, including in the strait of Hormuz, in line with international law.”
Guterres’ post comes hours after Donald Trump confirmed that his blockade of the strait of Hormuz had gone into effect. Meanwhile, the prospect of resumed talks remains uncertain.
US officials are reportedly having internal discussions related to logistics for a possible second meeting with Iranian officials, in the event such an opportunity comes up. But Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly told French president Emmanuel Macron that irrational US demands had thwarted an agreement during this weekend’s peace talks, per CNN.
“We have clearly stated the ceasefire conditions and remain committed to them,” Pezeshkian said to Macron, according to an Iranian state media report cited by CNN. “The US excessive demands prevented reaching an agreement… Iran will continue negotiations only within the framework of international law.”
Top US Senate Democrats once again trying for war powers resolution
Top US Senate Democrats are once again trying to stop Donald Trump’s war in Iran.
A half-dozen Democratic senators, including Arizona’s Mark Kelly and New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand, on Monday joined a cohort of colleagues who have been filing resolutions to end the conflict and limit Trump’s war powers in Iran. Republicans have thwarted prior efforts.
“Americans want Washington to improve their lives, not to drag us into another endless conflict in the Middle East that is putting American service members at risk and driving up costs at home,” Kelly said in a statement. “Congress has the power to stop this chaos and hold this president in check, and that’s exactly what we should do. Then Washington can focus on what the American people need, starting with lowering costs.”
Leading Democrats in the US House and Senate have said that they will force votes this week as part of their effort to stop the war, per MSNBC.
Julia Kollewe
Oil prices have fallen back after briefly rising to above $100 a barrel as Donald Trump claimed Iran had made contact and wanted “very badly” to strike a deal in the face of his blockade of the strait of Hormuz.
The Brent crude international benchmark rose above the key psychological threshold earlier in the day, at one point up 6.9% to $101.70 a barrel on news of the US president’s plan to block the waterway to Iranian marine traffic.
However, it later eased back to a little more than $99 a barrel after Trump said the blockade had come into force at 10am ET (3pm BST), and the Iranians had subsequently got in touch.
Trump administration officials are having internal discussions surrounding the details for possible second meeting with Iran before the US-Iran ceasefire ends next week, CNN reports.
These discussions are unfolding in the event an opportunity for a meeting avails itself but, CNN notes, it’s unknown whether such a sit-down would actually happen.
“We need to be prepared to stand something up quickly should things head in that direction,” a source told CNN. These officials are talking about things such as possible meeting dates and locations, as well as mediators, if continuing negotiations make progress.
News of a potential meeting comes as Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz went into effect. Trump’s move threatens to disrupt not only an integral global trade route, but put still more upward pressure on oil prices.
The UK’s deputy prime minister David Lammy told the US vice-president JD Vance that it is “vital” for shipping to flow freely in the strait of Hormuz.
Lammy met Vance and the US secretary of state Marco Rubio to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East.
A statement from Lammy’s office said they discussed security in the strait, adding that the UK government “is focused on supporting and sustaining the ceasefire and turning it into a lasting agreement”.
“It is vital that shipping flows freely again through the straits of Hormuz,” it said, adding that Lammy highlighted the UK’s effort to achieve this.
The UK will co-host an international summit of more than 40 nations this week to discuss how to safeguard shipping through the strait of Hormuz when the Iran conflict finally comes to an end.
The Guardian’s political editor in the UK Pippa Crerar has this explainer on the UK’s likely role in the strait once the war ends:
The German chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end fighting in southern Lebanon and engage in direct peace talks with the Lebanese government, according to a German government spokesman.
In a telephone conversation with Netanyahu, Merz also expressed his “grave concern” about developments in Palestine and demanded that there “must be no de facto partial annexation of the West Bank”, the government spokesman said. The spokesperson said Merz offered Germany’s continuing support for efforts “to reach a diplomatic understanding between the United States and Iran”.
Talking to reporters in Berlin, Merz criticised the peace talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan last week as not well prepared.
When fighting broke out once more between Hezbollah and Israel after the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Israel launched a ground invasion and bombing campaign of southern Lebanon. The campaign has displaced more than 1.2 million and left 2,000 dead. Will Christou, who is reporting from Lebanon, looks into Israel’s plans for the country.
Although oil prices lingered slightly under $100 per barrel on Monday, US stocks have remained steady, suggesting that traders think there could be hope for a diplomatic solution that would stave off chaos for the global economy, the Associated Press reports.
The S+P 500 increased 0.5% during afternoon trading, making up for a previous decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 32 points, or 0.1%, just after 2 2pm Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite sat 0.7% higher, the AP said.
Energy markets remain more jittery as crude oil increased more than 4%, the AP noted. However, that was a less intense shift than markets have seen since the war broke out in late February.
Donald Trump’s blockade of the strait of Hormuz still poses a risk if negotiations do not prove successful. Blocking the strait will further disrupt the flow of oil into the international market.
US official says US and Iran still 'trying to get an agreement'
A US official said “there is continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get an agreement,” multiple outlets reported.
CNN’s reporting on the ongoing US-Iran conflict directly quoted this official. A Reuters alert also mentioned continuing engagement, citing an official.
The mention of continued engagement comes as Donald Trump continues to deploy strong language about Iran, adding to the confusion as to whether a diplomatic solution is on the horizon or highly uncertain.
