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President Donald Trump announced Monday "productive conversations" with Iran and the postponement of a deadline for the country to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s post on his Truth Social platform Monday said he would hold off on strikes for five days amid talks with Iran, roughly 12 hours ahead of the previous deadline he had set.
Trump's approach has shifted from diplomatic efforts to secure the waterway, to considering sanctions relief, and now to issuing direct threats against civilian infrastructure inside the Islamic Republic.
Rocket trails are seen in the sky amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on March 23, 2026. Israel warned its citizens to expect weeks more fighting against Iran, after Washington and Tehran traded t …
Trump and his allies maintain they anticipated the possibility of Iran blocking the strait. However, the president’s erratic strategy has drawn criticism from those who argue he entered the conflict without a clear exit plan and is now scrambling for solutions. On Saturday, he issued his latest ultimatum: reopen the strait within 48 hours or face the destruction of Iran’s power plants.
Trump warned that the United States would "obliterate" Iran’s power grid if the waterway is not fully reopened within that timeframe. In response, Tehran said any such strike would trigger retaliatory attacks against U.S. and Israeli energy and infrastructure targets across the region.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the death toll from the Iran war has soared to over 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members, and civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Here's the latest on the war with Iran on Monday:
Wright says oil prices have not risen high enough to trigger a significant drop in demand
11:30 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says disruptions in the global oil market are "temporary" and says price surges caused by the Iran war are not yet steep enough to trigger a significant drop in demand.
"Prices have not risen high enough yet to drive meaningful demand destruction," Wright said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, the AP noted.
Oil prices have jumped to over $100 a barrel and U.S. gasoline prices spiked to almost $4 a gallon. But Wright said "pragmatic solutions" to release oil from a strategic reserve and allow sanctioned oil already in transit to enter the market should help mitigate the price shocks.
He said Asia has been the most deeply affected by the supply disruptions.
Trump stresses that he believes Iran wants a deal ‘very badly’
10:15 a.m. ET: On Monday, Trump told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One that "All I’m saying is, we are in the throes of a real possibility of making a deal."
"And I think, if I were a betting man I’d bet for it. But again, I’m not guaranteeing anything," Trump said, according to the Associated Press.
Trump discusses Iran’s nuclear program
10:05 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that while speaking to reporters on Monday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would retrieve Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a possible agreement with the Islamic Republic.
"It’s very easy, if we have a deal with them, we’re going down and we’ll take it ourselves," Trump said as he departed from a weekend in Florida.
According to the AP, Trump said any deal with Iran would include ending the country’s nuclear capabilities.
"We want to see, no nuclear bomb, no nuclear weapon. Not even close to it," he said.
Trump claims US has been holding talks with ‘respected’ Iranian leader
10 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that his Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held talks Sunday into the evening.
Trump said talks would continue today.
The AP noted that Trump did not name any official or officials representing Tehran. Trump said the U.S. has not talked to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Trump added if a deal is reached with Iran, the U.S. will move to take Iran’s enriched uranium critical to its disputed nuclear program.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry denies negotiations with US, state-owned IRAN newspaper says
8:45 a.m. ET: "Remarks by the U.S. president are part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans," the Associated Press reported, citing the newspaper.
"While there have been initiatives by regional countries to de-escalate tensions, Iran’s response has been clear: It did not start the war and all such requests should be directed to Washington."
Iran state TV says Trump backed down
7:55 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Iranian state television offered Tehran’s first reaction to President Donald Trump’s decision to extend a deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz by five days.
The deadline should have been around 0000 GMT Tuesday. Instead, Trump on Monday said he extended it by five days.
Reacting to the news, Iranian state television said in a graphic on screen: "U.S. president backs down following Iran’s firm warning," according to the AP.
Trump says talks ongoing
7:30 a.m. ET: President Donald Trump added that the suspension of his threat to attack Iranian power plants was "subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions."
Trump’s announcement came as the United Arab Emirates reported its air defenses were attempting to intercept new incoming Iranian fire Monday afternoon.
Prior to Trump’s announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged talking by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan. Turkey has been an intermediary before in negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
The Kremlin warns US against striking Iran’s nuclear power plant
6:15 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, the Kremlin said Monday that any U.S. strikes on Iran’s Russia-built nuclear power plant could trigger "irreparable" consequences.
Asked about President Donald Trump’s warning to "obliterate" Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the "catastrophically tense" situation in the region could only be settled by political and diplomatic means, the AP noted.
Peskov warned that any strikes on nuclear facilities would be "extremely dangerous and fraught with possibly irreparable consequences," adding that Russia has "conveyed relevant signals" to the U.S.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.