Middle East live: Trump says Iran talks going on ‘right now’ after slamming ‘duplicitous’ leadership
Middle East live: Trump says Iran talks going on ‘right now’ after slamming ‘duplicitous’ leadership
US President Donald Trump on Monday said talks with Iran “are going on right now”, adding that the negotiations represented the last chance for Tehran to sign a good deal. Earlier on Monday, after Iran said there were no talks under way, Trump slammed what he called Iran’s “unbelievably duplicitous” leadership. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Trump says Iran faces ‘decapitation’ if it doesn’t strike deal
Trump says oil firms making ‘too much money’ from Iran shortage
US President Donald Trump said Monday that major oil companies are making “too much money” due to high prices stemming from the crude shortage caused by the Iran war.
“I don’t like it. They’re making too much money, okay? Based on a shortage, they’re making too much money,” Trump told journalists at the White House.
Trump says talks with Iran are going on ‘right now’
US President Donald Trump said Monday that negotiations with Iran were happening “right now,” describing it as a final opportunity for Tehran to make a deal.
Talks are “going on right now,” Trump told journalists at the White House, adding: “This is a last chance for them to sign a good document.”
Trump-backed board says Israeli withdrawal from Gaza only after ‘complete’ Hamas disarmament
US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace said on Monday that an Israeli withdrawal in Gaza would only take place after Hamas’s “complete” disarmament, following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We note that the full withdrawal of the IDF beyond the Yellow Line will take place only once decommissioning (of weapons) is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators,” the board wrote on X, referring to a demarcation line between the area under Hamas control and that held by the Israeli army. “Israel and the Board of Peace share a common understanding of the ultimate objectives,” it added.
Trump tells Iranians ‘Deal, or Total Surrender’
President Donald Trump lashed out Monday after Iran denied it was in negotiations with the United States, declaring in an angry social media post that a US military blockade will continue until there is a “Deal, or Total surrender.”
Calling Iran “duplicitous” for “openly and proudly” saying it was not negotiating, Trump wrote: “Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused, for decades.”
After Donald Trump’s latest U-turn, uncertainty remains over talks with Iran
Between the U-turns, the posturing, the denials and the flexing of military might, it’s hard to know exactly where negotiations between the US and Iran are actually at – if they have gone anywhere.
While US President Donald Trump says negotiations are under way, Tehran has denied that any are planned but that it is in talks with Oman.
Six Saudi tankers turn away from Aden, ship-tracking data shows
Six Saudi-flagged supertankers have changed course in the Gulf of Aden in recent days and are heading to southern Africa amid threats by Yemen’s Houthi movement to target Saudi shipping, ship-tracking data showed on Monday.
The tankers, which were empty of cargo after returning from destinations in Asia, were sailing in formation towards southern Africa, rather than opting to transit the southern Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, according to AIS ship-tracking on LSEG and MarineTraffic.
Saudi officials did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Iran says it discussed with Oman new Hormuz route involving one path with entry and exit lanes
Iran has been discussing with Oman creating a new route through the Strait of Hormuz that would be one path with entry and exit lanes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a televised press conference.
US, Israel agree to pause further strikes on Iran after weeks of violence
After weeks of escalating attacks and fears of an even wider war, President Donald Trump says the US and Israel have agreed to pause further strikes on Iran if a deal to end the conflict can be reached quickly.
The announcement marks a dramatic change in tone after Trump recently warned Iran it would be hit “very hard”.
Iran swiftly denied there was any such agreement, dismissing Trump’s account and casting fresh doubt over whether diplomacy is any closer.
Pentagon looking for ‘creative and unconventional’ ideas to punish Iran in mass email, reports CNN
CNN reports that an officer in the US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) intelligence branch sent an email on July 29 to a broad group of military analysts, asking them to pitch “creative and unconventional” ideas to punish Iran.
CNN says that such crowdsourcing-style query by email is not common in the US military.
Iran says it discussed new Hormuz route with Oman
Iran has been discussing the creation of a new route through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. It would be one path with entry and exit lanes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a televised press conference.
Israel conveys ‘concerns’ to US on Gaza plan
Israel has conveyed concerns to the United States on a Gaza plan hailed by President Donald Trump after Hamas said it had agreed on disarmament, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Monday.
“Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts. The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel’s positions,” Doron Spielman, spokesman for the prime minister’s office, said in a response to AFP.
Iran FM says no talks ‘currently’ between Tehran and Washington
Iran’s foreign ministry said there were currently no negotiations with the United States but there were talks with Oman over the management of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing.
Iran executes two people accused of working for Israel
Iran executed two Iranian nationals on Monday after accusing them of sending sensitive military and security location coordinates to Israel during the Iran-war, the Fars news agency reported.
Trump says Gulf leaders’ input weighed heavily in decision to hold off on ordering new Iran strikes
US President Donald Trump said Sunday he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump added that a plan was in place for US forces to carry out “the biggest attack since World War II” on Sunday. But he decided to scrap the plan and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.
Two tankers with Saudi oil exit Red Sea over weekend, data shows
Two tankers laden with Saudi oil crossed the Bab el Mandeb strait over the weekend, while traffic in the Strait of Hormuz slowed following reports of vessel attacks, shipping data showed on Monday.
The number of commodity vessels that passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait fell to 18 on Sunday, from 27 on Saturday and 28 on Friday, the Kpler data showed.
UK faces recession if Strait of Hormuz stays closed, forecaster warns
Britain’s economy is likely to shrink in 2027 if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen to shipping before the middle of next year, forecasters at accountants EY warned on Monday.
EY slightly nudged up its growth forecast for this year to 0.8 percent from 0.9 percent, on the basis that the Strait reopens by the end of September, and sees growth of 1.2 percent in 2027 on that basis.
“If the Strait of Hormuz reopens in the coming months, we expect the UK to avoid a more pronounced downturn, but an extended closure into 2027 would raise inflation and could push the economy into contraction next year,” EY UK Chief Economist Peter Arnold said.
Tanker off Oman reports explosion near vessel
The master of a tanker off the coast of Oman has reported hearing an explosion near the vessel, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported Sunday.
“The vessel and crew are all reported as safe,” said the UKMTO. The incident happened 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, in Oman, the monitor added.
Oil tumbles as Trump cancels attack on Iran to reach nuclear deal
Oil prices lost more than $5 a barrel at Monday’s open after US President Donald Trump held off from a fresh attack on Iran, in order to reach a quick deal that would halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures slipped $5.52, or 6.28 percent, to $82.41 by 22:02 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $79.40 a barrel, down $5.27, or 6.22 percent.
Trump says new talks with Iran to begin Monday after calling off strikes
US President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran will begin Monday after he decided to hold off on new strikes against the Islamic republic to pursue a deal.
“Obviously, they don’t want to be attacked. They knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming,” Trump told reporters on Sunday aboard Air Force One. “Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon.”
Yesterday’s key developments:
- Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza for a second straight day, killing at least 18 Palestinians, medics said, despite US President Donald Trump‘s announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s ceasefire agreement.
- The crew of an Iranian commercial ship that was hit in a Ukrainian attack and the body of a sailor killed in the incident have returned to Iran, according to Iran‘s semi-official ISNA news agency in a report on Sunday.
- Iran on Sunday said it was nearing a deal with Oman over a new route through the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the US called off major strikes to allow for diplomacy.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters)
