\u201cThis deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!\u201d Trump wrote, ostensibly referring to an Iranian commitment not to enrich uranium, though it is unclear if that would be a permanent one, as he last week indicated that he would be willing to suffice with a 20-year Iranian halt on uranium enrichment \u2014 itself an about face after repeated assertions that Iran must never be allowed to enrich uranium.<\/p>\n
While the allegedly planned strike has been put off for now, Trump wrote that he instructed his top generals to \u201cbe prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment\u2019s notice, in the event that an acceptable deal is not reached.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump later told reporters that the leaders of UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar had told him \u201cthey think that they are getting very close to making a deal\u201d and accordingly requested that he hold off the planned Iran attack for \u201ctwo or three days.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Trump added that he informed Israel before making the announcement on Truth Social.<\/p>\n Since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, Trump has repeatedly threatened major military assaults against Iran only to later call them off amid claims that progress was being made in negotiations.<\/p>\n Tehran has made no indication that it is prepared to permanently halt its nuclear program or curb its missile program or support for proxies \u2014 all demands that Israel has pressed the US to make.<\/p>\n \t Prior to Trump\u2019s announcement, the sides appeared to be moving closer toward another military confrontation, with the Axios news site citing a US official who called Iran\u2019s latest counterproposal for permanently ending the war insufficient, adding that negotiations were \u201cnot making a lot of progress.\u201d The official said that if Iran was not more responsive, there would have to be a \u201cconversation through bombs.\u201d<\/p>\n Iranian media reports had, earlier, described Washington\u2019s demands as \u201cexcessive.\u201d But later on Monday, the country\u2019s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Trump had committed to freezing sanctions on Iranian oil during ongoing nuclear talks.<\/p>\n If true, that would represent a new concession by the US. The US Treasury Department\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control would issue waivers while negotiations continue, according to the report.<\/p>\n Relatedly, a senior Iranian source told Reuters that Washington has also shown flexibility on allowing Iran to maintain limited peaceful nuclear activities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.<\/p>\n The back-and-forth came amid reports<\/a> that Israel and the US were preparing for the possibility of renewing strikes on Iran, and a day after Trump warned that the \u201cclock is ticking\u201d for Tehran to agree to a deal, \u201cor there won\u2019t be anything left of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Iran to meet various ultimatums and then backed off. A New York Times\/Siena poll<\/a> published on Monday found that the war was unpopular among US voters and dragging down his popularity ahead of this year\u2019s US midterm elections, with his approval rating sinking to 37 percent.<\/p>\n Two Middle East officials told<\/a> the New York Times that the United States and Israel \u201care engaged in intense preparations, the largest since the ceasefire took effect,\u201d for a possible renewal of attacks on Iran this week.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene a small group of senior ministers and aides Monday evening for a security discussion, the office of one of the ministers told The Times of Israel, after a similar discussion Sunday night.<\/p>\n The US official told Axios that the fact that Iran submitted a counterproposal was a good sign, but that war could resume if talks remained stalled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for the Iranians to throw bit of candy out,\u201d the official reportedly said. \u201cWe need some real, sturdy, and granular conversation [regarding the nuclear program]. If that\u2019s not gonna happen, we will have a conversation through bombs, which will be a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n \t In previous terms<\/a> for a deal dismissed by Trump, Iran had refused to relinquish its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium, and insisted on the \u201cright\u201d to enrichment. It denies seeking nuclear weapons, but has enriched uranium to levels with no civilian application.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side,\u201d Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said during a press briefing Monday.<\/p>\n Exchanges are \u201ccontinuing through the Pakistani mediator,\u201d he said, without providing details.<\/p>\n Baghaei defended Iran\u2019s demands, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of long-standing sanctions. \u201cThe points raised are Iranian demands that have been firmly defended by the Iranian negotiating team in every round of negotiations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also defended an Iranian stipulation that the US pay war reparations, describing the conflict as \u201cillegal and baseless.\u201d<\/p>\n \t On the possibility of another military confrontation, Baghaei said Iran is \u201cfully prepared for any eventuality.\u201d<\/p>\n On Sunday, Iran\u2019s Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States. The US had refused to release \u201ceven 25 percent\u201d of Iran\u2019s frozen assets or pay any reparations for war damage, according to Fars.<\/p>\n The report said the US had also made clear it would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Mehr news agency said, \u201cThe United States, offering no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations.\u201d It described the US conditions as \u201cexcessive.\u201d<\/p>\n In an earlier proposal, which was sent last week, Iran had called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel\u2019s campaign in Lebanon, as well as a halt to a US naval blockade on Iranian ports in place since April 13. It also called for the lifting of all US sanctions on Iran and the release of its assets frozen abroad.<\/p>\n Fars said the Iranian proposal had emphasized that Tehran would continue to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit Iran has largely kept closed since the start of the war with the US and Israel on February 28. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8.<\/p>\n Iran announces new body to manage Hormuz<\/p>\n Also on Monday, Iran\u2019s top security authority announced the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran wants to charge ships to traverse.<\/p>\n On its official X account, the Supreme National Security Council shared a post for the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), saying it would provide \u201creal\u2011time updates on the #Hormuz_Strait operations and latest developments.\u201d<\/p>\n The account of the Revolutionary Guards navy shared the same post.<\/p>\n It was not immediately clear what the new body would do, but earlier this month Iranian English-speaking broadcaster Press TV said it constituted a \u201csystem to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz\u201d and that ships passing through the strait were sent \u201cregulations\u201d from Iranian authorities via email.<\/p>\n \t Iran\u2019s grip over the waterway has rattled global markets and given Tehran significant leverage, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports. In peacetime, the route accounts for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, along with other key commodities including fertilizer.<\/p>\n As the strait remains largely closed, Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said Monday that commercial oil inventories are depleting rapidly, with only a few weeks\u2019 supply left.<\/p>\n Birol also said at the G7 meeting in Paris that the release of strategic oil reserves had added 2.5 million barrels of oil per day to the market, but that these reserves are not limitless.<\/p>\n Since the war began, Iran has repeatedly said that maritime traffic through the strait would \u201cnot return to its pre-war status\u201d and last month it said it had received the first revenue from tolls on the waterway.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament\u2019s national security commission, said Iran \u201chas prepared a professional mechanism to manage traffic\u201d through the strait, adding that it will be \u201cunveiled soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Iran warns Gulf countries against ties with Israel<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in the wake of Israeli claims<\/a> that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials visited the United Arab Emirates during the war, Iran warned \u201csome countries in the region\u201d against cooperation with the Jewish state.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that there have been many exchanges between the Zionist regime and some countries in the region is not hidden from our view,\u201d said Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.<\/p>\n \u201cThe countries of the region, including the UAE, should learn from what happened in the last two or three months,\u201d he said, adding that the contacts \u201chave emboldened the Zionists in committing crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n The UAE has denied that any such visit occurred.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26138776179747-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump speaks about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/99987-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly cabinet meeting on May 17, 2026. (Screenshot\/GPO)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26137624957466-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIran\u2019s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan\u2019s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour\/ICANA via AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260518__B3734G3__v2__HighRes__TopshotOmanIranUsIsraelWarHormuz-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tVessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman\u2019s northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026. (AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260518__B37349E__v1__HighRes__OmanIranUsIsraelWarHormuz-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tVessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman\u2019s northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026. (AFP)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DUAL-13-640x400.jpeg\")
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