Donald Trump claims Iran wants ‘to work a deal’ and confirms blockade of strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Trump said that talks had hit a roadblock related to nuclear issues and that a \u201cblockade\u201d of ships transiting the strait of Hormuz had begun.<\/p>\n
He said that Iran<\/a> had \u201ccalled this morning\u201d and that \u201cthey\u2019d like to work a deal.\u201d Reuters could not immediately verify the claim.<\/p>\n \u201cIran will not have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump told reporters during an impromptu press conference at the White House on Monday. \u201cWe can\u2019t let a country blackmail or extort the world.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if oil tankers will be operating in the strait of Hormuz, he said: \u201cYeah, I think they\u2019re going to be doing very well there. And I think they\u2019re doing very well here [in the US]. You know, a lot of tankers are coming up here. They\u2019re coming in empty and out full, and we have a great capacity to take care of that business.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.54 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n A US official said \u201cthere is continued engagement between the US and Iran<\/a> and forward motion on trying to get an agreement,\u201d multiple outlets reported.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s reporting<\/a> on the ongoing US-Iran conflict directly quoted this official. A Reuters alert also mentioned continuing engagement, citing an official.<\/p>\n The mention of continued engagement comes as Donald Trump<\/a> continues to deploy strong language about Iran, adding to the confusion as to whether a diplomatic solution is on the horizon or highly uncertain.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n President Trump\u2019s comments on Iran<\/a> during a last-minute White House press conference on Monday seemed to dash hopes of speedy diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cThey will never have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump told reporters moments after he received a DoorDash delivery of McDonalds from a woman to celebrate his tax bill, which removes levies from tips.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they don\u2019t agree, there\u2019s no deal. There\u2019ll never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we\u2019re going to get the dust back. We\u2019ll get it back, either we\u2019ll get it back from them, or we\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t let a country blackmail or extort the world, because that\u2019s what they\u2019re doing. They\u2019re really blackmailing the world. We\u2019re not going to let that happen,\u201d Trump said at one point. Trump\u2019s comments came shortly after his blockade of the strait of Hormuz went into effect, which has threatened to further roil global trade and oil markets.<\/p>\n \u201cIran is a wants to be a nuclear nation so they can exterminate the world. Not going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n At another point, when Trump was asked about some sort of prior ultimatum to Iran, he said: \u201cI don\u2019t want to comment on that but it won\u2019t be pleasant\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.58 EDT<\/p>\n The US asked that Iran agree to a 20-year moratorium uranium enrichment during talks in Pakistan this weekend, Axios reported<\/a> Monday.<\/p>\n Citing a source familiar with the situation as well as a US official, Axios said that Iran<\/a> responded with a proposed \u201csingle digit\u201d timeframe.<\/p>\n The US, per Axios, also wanted Iran to \u201cremove all highly enriched uranium from the country.\u201d Iran reportedly said the nation would consent to \u201cmonitored process of down-blending,\u201d these two sources told Axios.<\/p>\n Disagreements over Iran\u2019s nuclear program reportedly remain the logjam preventing a deal.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Donald Trump claims Iran wants ‘to work a deal’ and confirms blockade of strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Trump said that talks had hit a roadblock related to nuclear issues and that a \u201cblockade\u201d of ships transiting the strait of Hormuz had begun.<\/p>\n He said that Iran<\/a> had \u201ccalled this morning\u201d and that \u201cthey\u2019d like to work a deal.\u201d Reuters could not immediately verify the claim.<\/p>\n \u201cIran will not have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump told reporters during an impromptu press conference at the White House on Monday. \u201cWe can\u2019t let a country blackmail or extort the world.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if oil tankers will be operating in the strait of Hormuz, he said: \u201cYeah, I think they\u2019re going to be doing very well there. And I think they\u2019re doing very well here [in the US]. You know, a lot of tankers are coming up here. They\u2019re coming in empty and out full, and we have a great capacity to take care of that business.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.54 EDT<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump claims<\/a> that 34 ships went through the strait of Hormuz on Sunday, saying that would be the highest number since the \u201cfoolish closure\u201d began.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Summary of the day so far<\/p>\n Here is a summary of the day so far<\/p>\n The US blockade of all Iranian Gulf ports and coastal areas has begun. Seafarers and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations have received notices warning that the blockade will apply to all vessel traffic, regardless of flag.<\/p>\n Donald Trump vows that ships approaching US blockade of Iran\u2019s ports will be \u2018eliminated\u2019. \u201cIran\u2019s navy is laying at the bottom of the sea,\u201d he wrote on social media platform Truth Social.<\/p>\n Nato allies said on Monday they would not get involved in US president Donald Trump\u2019s plan to blockade the strait of Hormuz, proposing instead to intervene only once fighting ends, in a move likely to anger Trump and increase strains in the alliance.<\/p>\n Trump lashed out on social media at Pope Leo XIV, who, over the weekend, had called for an end to war without directly mentioning the conflict in Iran. The US president posted a more than 300-word diatribe on Truth Social accusing the pope of catering to the \u201cRadical Left\u201d and being \u201cterrible\u201d for foreign policy.<\/p>\n The pope on Monday told reporters that he has \u201cno intention to debate\u201d with Trump over Iran \u2013 but went on to say that he will \u201ccontinue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Israel has summoned Italy\u2019s ambassador on Monday to protest after foreign minister Antonio Tajani condemned Israel\u2019s \u201cunacceptable attacks\u201d on civilians in Lebanon<\/a> during a visit to Beirut, an Italian diplomatic source said.<\/p>\n This comes as Tajani wrote on X that he was in Beirut to \u201cconvey Italy\u2019s solidarity following Israel\u2019s unacceptable attacks against the civilian population.\u201d<\/p>\n He called for dialogue between Lebanon and Israel and a \u201cnecessary and lasting ceasefire\u201d adding: \u201cAnother escalation like in Gaza must be avoided at all costs.\u201d<\/p>\n Tajani was in talks with Lebanese president Joseph Aoun and foreign minister Youssef Raggi.<\/p>\n Italy’s minister for foreign affairs Antonio Tajani visits Lebanon. Photograph: Lebanese Presidency Press Office Handout\/EPA<\/p>\n Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Iran-backed group Hezbollah<\/a> fired rockets at Israel on 2 March. Israel then responded with large-scale strikes and a ground invasion.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s government summoned Israel\u2019s ambassador last week after saying Israeli forces fired warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, damaging at least one vehicle but causing no injuries.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>NATO allies refuse to join Trump’s strait of Hormuz blockade<\/p>\n Nato allies said on Monday they would not get involved in US president Donald Trump\u2019s plan to blockade the strait of Hormuz, proposing instead to intervene only once fighting ends, in a move likely to anger Trump and increase strains in the alliance.<\/p>\n This comes as the US president said the country\u2019s military would work with other countries to block all maritime traffic in the waterway, after weekend talks failed to reach an agreement to end the six-week conflict with Iran<\/a>. However, now leaders from countries who are part of Nato are saying they will not get involved.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not supporting the blockade,\u201d British prime minister Keir Starmer told the BBC. \u201cMy decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there\u2019s been some considerable pressure, we\u2019re not getting dragged into the war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, and Greece have all ruled out sending naval forces to support the blockade.<\/p>\n However, France will organise a conference with Britain and other countries to create a multinational mission to restore navigation in the strait, French President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cThis strictly defensive mission, distinct from the belligerents, will be deployed as soon as the situation allows,\u201d Macron said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump vows that ships approaching US blockade of Iran\u2019s ports will be \u2018eliminated\u2019<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump has claimed to have \u201cobliterated\u201d 158 Iranian ships as part of the US blockade of Iranian shores. \u201cIran\u2019s navy is laying at the bottom of the sea,\u201d he wrote <\/a>on social media platform Truth Social.<\/p>\n He says that what they have not hit are Iran\u2019s \u201cfast attack ships\u201d, because they are not considered \u201cmuch of a threat\u201d to the US blockade. He threatened to take down these ships using the same \u201csystem of kill\u201d used against \u201cdrug dealers on boats\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWarning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal,\u201d he wrote \u2013 capitalising the words \u201cblockade\u201d and \u201celiminated\u201d.<\/p>\n He added at the end: \u201cP.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have stopped! Thank you for your attention to this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump. Photograph: Andrew Leyden\/ZUMA Press Wire\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.16 EDT<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s president Masoud Pezeshkian has condemned <\/a>US president Donald Trump\u2019s attack on Pope Leo XIV \u201con behalf of the great nation of Iran,\u201d adding that the desecration of \u201cJesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood,\u201d is not acceptable to \u201cany free person\u201d.<\/p>\n This comes after Trump launched an attack on Truth Social on the pope, calling him \u201cweak on crime\u201d and \u201cterrible for foreign policy\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI don\u2019t want a Pope who thinks it\u2019s OK for Iran<\/a> to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don\u2019t want a Pope who thinks it\u2019s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US blockade on Iranian ports begins<\/p>\n US Central Command said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian Gulf ports and coastal areas on Monday at 10am ET (5.30pm in Iran<\/a> and 1400 GMT), meaning the operation should have kicked off as of now.<\/p>\n As previously reported, seafarers and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations have received notices warning that the blockade will apply to all vessel traffic, regardless of flag.<\/p>\n The UKMTO notice said that the transit passage through the strait to or from non-Iranian destinations should not be affected by these restrictions, but UKMTO warned that vessels attempting to do so were likely to encounter a military presence.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you more details as they come in \u2013 stay tuned.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know about the blockade so far:<\/p>\n