U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that talks with Iran will begin Monday as efforts continue to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz but he declined to set a deadline for reaching an agreement.
Trump, speaking to reporters Sunday after arriving back in Washington, said talks would start Monday afternoon, but did not say where they would take place or who would take part. “Would I prefer to make a deal? When asked if Iran had a deadline for reaching an agreement, he said, I’m not trying to kill people, because people die. A lot of people die and we don’t want that.”
Earlier, Trump had disclosed on Truth Social that Iran and other Middle Eastern nations asked for more time to reach a deal that would result in “the Immediate, Complete and Total” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” while declaring that Tehran must “rapidly make a DEAL.”
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The talks follow months of rising tensions following the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas passes, has driven up energy prices, although oil prices fell by more than 4% in early trading on Monday amid renewed hopes for diplomacy.
Iran, meanwhile, ramped up its diplomatic activity, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meeting with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Iranian officials also confirmed talks with Oman on a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz are nearing completion, stressing the negotiations are “no link to the Strait of Hormuz being opened or closed. That’s another discussion.
Even with the diplomatic efforts, Israel held firm to its hardline stance. Energy Minister Eli Cohen warned: “With or without an agreement, and regardless of any outside commitments, if Iran tries to renew its nuclear program or advance its ballistic missile industries, we will be there. We will act, and we will strike.”
Last week, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington to discuss diplomatic, economic and military options to curb Iran’s nuclear programme, while Tehran continues to deny pursuing nuclear weapons.
