What to know about the Iran war today: President Trump said Monday he was “under no pressure whatsoever” to make a deal with Iran after the regime said it has no plans to attend peace talks in Pakistan with Mr. Trump’s top three negotiators, including Vice President JD Vance. The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz intensified over the weekend as U.S. forces fired on and then seized an Iranian vessel, and with Tehran refusing to accept diplomacy amid the ongoing blockade of its ports and exports. With no clear path to a diplomatic resolution of the seven-week war and the U.S.-Iran ceasefire set to expire this week, uncertainty over when the strait might reopen is pushing global oil prices back up and weighing on U.S. stocks.
Trump warns Iran will “see problems like they’ve never seen before” if they don’t negotiate. Speaking on the John Fredericks radio show, President Trump predicted Monday that Iran will negotiate with the U.S., but “if they don’t, they’re going to see problems like they’ve never seen before.” He also reiterated that he believes the Iran war is “very close to being over.” Mr. Trump has said his Vice President JD Vance, senior envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan for another possible round of U.S.-Iran peace talks, as a two-week ceasefire between the two countries is set to expire this week. It’s not clear whether Iran plans to send a delegation to Islamabad.
U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband stated, “The era of fossil fuel security is over,” as Britain is expected to introduce measures to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels amid rising costs due to the conflict in Iran.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, cast further doubt on future negotiations with the U.S. on Monday, saying: “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats.” He added, “Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table— in his own imagination— into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.”
Iran on Monday executed two members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq opposition group who were convicted of spying for Israel, with the judiciary chief warning of “no leniency.”
In less than 48 hours this weekend, President Trump went from saying Iran has “agreed to everything” to warning that if Iran doesn’t sign a U.S.-backed deal, the “whole country is getting blown up.”
Lebanese government body reported that Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,387 people since the war with Hezbollah erupted six weeks ago, with 7,602 wounded.
President Trump on Monday said he’s in no rush to reach an agreement with Tehran, despite earlier threats. He wrote on Truth Social, “I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly! Time is not my adversary, the only thing that matters is that we finally, after 47 years, straighten out the MESS that other Presidents let happen.”
A British trade group reported no incidents for 24 hours in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, following a tanker being fired upon by Iranian gunboats and a container ship being hit by a projectile over the weekend.
Oil prices were climbing Monday, but the moves were more modest than earlier in the war. U.S. stocks, meanwhile, are giving back a bit of their record-breaking rally. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% from its all-time high.
The U.S. will host a second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon later this week, a State Department official told CBS News.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country wouldn’t submit to force following President Trump’s threat to attack Iran’s power plants and bridges. He accused U.S. officials of sending unconstructive and contradictory signals.
President Trump told Bloomberg on Monday that Vice President JD Vance would depart later in the day for Pakistan for a second round of talks with Iran, contradicting an earlier remark. Iran has not confirmed participation.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said there was still no plan to send a delegation from Tehran to Pakistan for talks, citing the ongoing U.S. naval blockade and “other excessive demands from the American side.”
President Trump said Monday on Truth Social that Israeli officials did not convince him the U.S. should go to war with Iran, but that he chose to engage due to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the imminent expiration of the ceasefire, saying “war benefits no one” and “every rational and diplomatic route should be used to reduce tensions.”
President Trump told The Hill that his energy secretary, Chris Wright, is “totally wrong” that gas prices in the U.S. may not dip below $3 this year, insisting they would drop “as soon” as the war ends.
President Trump told the New York Post that Vice President JD Vance, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on their way to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, however, stated there were “no plans for the next round of negotiations.”
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said they had dismantled an Iran-linked extremist cell “planning to carry out systematic terrorist and sabotage operations” in the UAE, arresting at least 27 men.
More than 60 nations sent representatives to Brussels for talks with Palestinian representatives on stability, security and long-term peace in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by a photo of an Israeli soldier striking a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon, vowing “harsh disciplinary action.”
Pakistan’s Interior Minister met separately with the ambassadors from Washington and Tehran in a bid to bridge differences, as prospects for U.S.-Iran talks remained uncertain.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warned of possible attacks by Iran-linked militias against U.S. citizens and targets across Iraq, accusing “some elements associated with the Iraqi government” of complicity.
Iran’s forensic chief, Abbas Masjedi, said at least 3,375 people had been killed in the conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
Brigadier General Majid Mousavi, commander of the Aerospace Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed Iran has restocked its missile and drone arsenal faster during the ceasefire.
The U.S. military is poised to have three aircraft carriers in the Mideast, with the USS Gerald R Ford returning to the Central Command’s area of operations and the USS George HW Bush heading to the region.
Oil prices climbed more than 5% while world shares were mixed Monday as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran isn’t currently planning to attend talks with the United States, the regime said, after President Trump sent U.S. negotiators to Pakistan. The ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and the seizure of an Iranian ship were cited as sticking points.
Hezbollah claimed its first attack on Israeli forces since a 10-day ceasefire, detonating explosives against an Israeli tank convoy in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army confirmed an image of a soldier striking a statue of Jesus Christ in south Lebanon is authentic and said “appropriate measures will be taken against those involved.”
The Iranian military headquarters vowed a swift response to the U.S. seizure of an Iranian vessel, calling it “maritime piracy” and a violation of the ceasefire.
President Trump said Sunday on Truth Social that a U.S. Navy destroyer intercepted and seized the Iranian-flagged ship Touska in the Gulf of Oman, blowing a hole in its engine room after the crew refused to stop. He renewed his threat to target civilian infrastructure in Iran if a peace deal is not reached.
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