Trump says US-Iran talks to begin Monday as Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed

Washington, United States. President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday, while declining to set a deadline for an agreement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resolving the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.

Trump said he preferred a deal to further military action, following days of threats of new attacks in the conflict with Iran.

Planned negotiations

Trump said on Sunday that negotiations would begin on Monday afternoon as he returned to Washington from a weekend in New Jersey. He did not provide details on the location of the talks or who would take part.

Asked whether Iran faced a deadline to reach an agreement, Trump declined to answer.

“Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people because people die, a lot of people die, and we don’t want that,” he told reporters.

Late on Saturday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked for time to complete an agreement that would lead to the “Immediate, Complete and Total” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”

He said Tehran must “rapidly make a DEAL.”

Conflict and shipping disruption

Trump has repeatedly threatened to escalate the war on Iran launched with Israel in late February, while also allowing additional time for talks that have not produced a comprehensive agreement.

The latest apparent de-escalation followed days of threats of further attacks from both sides. The conflict has spread across the Gulf and Red Sea, and has also affected a facility in Egypt on the Mediterranean.

Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which carried 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas before the war. The disruption has raised energy prices and contributed to broader inflation.

Trump has said preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons justifies higher fuel costs in the short term, but the economic effects have increased political pressure to end the conflict.

Oil prices fell by more than 4 per cent in early trading on Monday.

Diplomatic contacts

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held telephone calls with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir to discuss diplomatic efforts, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.