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• Get the latest updates on the war with Iran here.
Key developments
• Ceasefire latest: Some Trump aides said he is now more seriously considering a resumption of major combat operations in Iran, according to sources. Trump has said the ceasefire is on “massive life support” following Iran’s latest counterproposal to end hostilities. The talks are unlikely to make significant progress until Trump meets his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week, a regional source told CNN.
• Iran rejects criticism: Iran’s foreign ministry said earlier that its proposal, which state media reported included recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, was “reasonable” and “generous.”
• Energy crisis: Oil prices are climbing after Trump’s dismissal of Iran’s latest terms, sparking fears of a fresh escalation in the conflict that would keep the vital Strait of Hormuz closed even longer.
Trump can't "enter Beijing triumphantly," advisor to Iran's supreme leader says
US President Donald Trump should not mistake the current lack of fighting between the US and Iran as a victory as he heads to Beijing for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader has warned.
“Mr. Trump, never imagine that by taking advantage of Iran’s current calm, you will be able to enter Beijing triumphantly,” Ali Akbar Velayati said according to a report from Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“We defeated you on the “battlefield”; so never think that you will emerge victorious in diplomacy as well”
Trump said Monday that the monthlong ceasefire between the US and Iran is on “massive life support.”
Both Iran and the US have fired shots at each other in the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire took effect.
Sources: Trump more seriously considering resuming combat operations than he has in weeks
President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with how the Iranians are handling negotiations to end the war, and some Trump aides say that he is now more seriously considering a resumption of major combat operations than he has in recent weeks.
Trump has grown impatient with the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as what he perceives as division in Iranian leadership that is preventing them from making substantial concessions on nuclear talks, sources familiar with the discussions said. The latest response from Iran, which Trump has deemed both “totally unacceptable” and “stupid,” has led several officials to question whether Tehran is willing to take on a serious negotiating position, they said.
There are different camps within the administration that are recommending alternating paths for how to proceed, the sources said. Some, including officials in the Pentagon, have argued for a more aggressive approach to pressuring the Iranians to the table — including targeted strikes that further weaken Tehran’s position. Others, however, are still pushing to give diplomacy a fair shot, the sources said.
Many in Trump’s orbit want Pakistani mediators to be far more direct in their communications with the Iranians. Some Trump officials have long questioned whether the Pakistanis are aggressively conveying Trump’s displeasure with the state of talks, as Trump has done publicly. Some administration officials also believe that Pakistan is often sharing a more positive version of the Iranian position with the US than what reflects reality, two of the sources said.
There has been an intense push by countries throughout the region and by Pakistan to convey to the Iranians that Trump is frustrated and this is the last chance for them to seriously engage in diplomacy, but it does not appear that Iran is listening or taking anyone seriously, a regional official said Monday.
This official said that the US and Iran are operating on two different tolerances and timelines in their approach to negotiations, and Tehran has withstood economic pressure for decades.
Trump met with again with his national security team at the White House on Monday to discuss options moving forward. Sources familiar with the talks say a major decision on how to proceed is unlikely to be made prior to the president’s departure to China, which is slated for Tuesday afternoon.
CNN’s Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.
Former US negotiator: Getting a deal with Iran is "much tougher" now
A former State Department negotiator told CNN on Monday it is now “much tougher” to get a deal with Iran than it was when he participated in negotiating the 2015 nuclear accord between Tehran and major world powers.
Alan Eyre, a key Farsi-speaking member of President Barack Obama’s negotiating team for the Iran nuclear deal, told CNN’s Omar Jimenez that President Donald Trump’s accusations of Iranian backtracking reflect “either miscommunication or fabrication.” He said he found it “unbelievable” that Iran would agree early in the current talks to export all of its highly enriched uranium directly to the United States. “A lot of what we are hearing in public is not tracking with underlying reality, from either side,” he said.
Eyre, who is currently a fellow at the Middle East Institute, also said that Iran is “a lot less likely” to make a deal than it was in 2015, when it had “a relatively more moderate leadership.” Now it has a “more hard-line and radical leadership,” and more issues are on the table than just its nuclear program, notably the Strait of Hormuz, he said.
“So it’s going to be much much tougher to get a deal now with this Iranian administration,” Eyre said.
US offering up to $15 million for information on IRGC's financial mechanisms
The Trump administration is offering a reward of up to $15 million “for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms” of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as the United States seeks to ratchet up pressure against Tehran.
The bounty is being offered by the State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program and comes amid efforts by the administration to choke off the Iranian economy and pressure Tehran into a deal.
The Rewards for Justice Program is offering the bounty for information “on the sources of revenue for the IRGC, IRGC-(Qods Force), its branches or its key financial facilitation mechanisms,” including front companies, people helping the IRGC evade sanctions or financial institutions doing business with them.
It is also looking for information on “how the IRGC is transferring funds and materials to its terrorist and militia proxies and partners,” “financial institutions or exchange houses facilitating IRGC transactions,” or businesses owned by the IRGC.
Earlier Monday, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 12 individuals and entities for their roles in allegedly enabling the IRGC’s sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China.
US sanctions companies it says enable Iranian oil sales to China ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
The Trump administration on Monday imposed sanctions on 12 companies and individuals it says are helping to facilitate the sale and shipment of oil from Iran to China.
The announcement comes just days before President Donald Trump is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touted the move in a statement, insisting the agency will “continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out terrorist acts and to destabilize the global economy.”
China’s support for Iran will likely be a topic for discussion in Beijing.
Last month, CNN reported that US intelligence indicated China was preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran, according to three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said a monthlong ceasefire between the US and Iran is on “massive life support.”
Iranian negotiator says Tehran is “prepared for any option”
Iran’s top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Monday that his country is “prepared for every option” as negotiations with the United States remain at an impasse.
“Our armed forces are prepared to deliver a lesson-giving response to any aggression,” Ghalibaf said on social media. “A strategy of miscalculation and mistaken decisions will always produce mistaken results; the whole world has understood this by now. We are prepared for every option. They will be surprised.”
Later Monday, Ghalibaf said in another post that “there is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal” submitted by Iran earlier this month.
“Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another,” Ghalibaf added. “The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it.”
Ghalibaf, who served as lead negotiator in talks last month with the US in Islamabad, Pakistan, has been criticized by Iranian hard-liners in recent weeks for a supposedly lenient attitude toward the US.
The parliamentary speaker made his latest statements after US President Donald Trump called Iran’s latest proposal “unacceptable” and said the ceasefire is on “massive life support.”
Why talks between Iran and the US are deadlocked
The negotiations deadlock between the US and Iran stems from differing priorities, with US President Donald Trump seeking what one analyst said was a “quick and easy” triumph that includes immediate concessions on Iran’s nuclear program, while Tehran is determined to delay those demands and snag its own concessions first.
In one of its proposals, Iran has put forward a staggered, phased approach to negotiations, with the initial stages focused on declaring an end to the war on all fronts, lifting sanctions and ending any US naval blockade, while deferring talks on its nuclear program to later stages.
Trump, however, has demanded that Iran formally halt its nuclear program for a defined period — US officials seem to want at least 10 years — and turn over its existing stockpile of an estimated 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
“There’s a clash of perception,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the London-based Chatham House think tank. “We’re in a standoff because President Trump doesn’t understand why these guys are not making a deal to save themselves.”
“They will not give him concessions at the start of the agreement because they don’t trust him,” Vakil said, adding that the Iranians have been “personally burnt by him.”
Read the full analysis here.
Gas and diesel spike is costing American households nearly $300 each
American consumers are facing a $37 billion hit from the spike in gasoline and diesel prices since the war with Iran started, according to research from Brown University.
As of Monday afternoon, that increase in costs amount to more than $284 per household.
The estimates are based on the Iran War Energy Cost Tracker, a Brown University tally of the extra cost for gasoline and diesel since the war started on February 28.
The tracker compares current prices with a “no-war” counterfactual estimate of where energy prices would be without the conflict.
The surge in gasoline prices — from $2.98 a gallon when the war started to $4.52 on Monday — is costing American consumers $20 billion, according to Brown.
Diesel, a crucial fuel for farmers, truckers and railroads, is just 18 cents away from the all-time high set in 2022, according to AAA.
Diesel is adding another $16.9 billion in costs to Americans. Brown said the diesel cost estimate includes both the direct and indirect impact to consumers.
More context: The tally does not incorporate broader costs to consumers, including from fewer jobs, slower economic growth, surging military spending and higher interest costs on US debt.
Hezbollah reports three attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah said it launched three attacks on Israeli forces in two parts of southern Lebanon on Monday, putting further strain on the ceasefire proclaimed last month by US President Donald Trump.
The militant group said it targeted Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in a drone strike in the town of Tayr Harfa on Monday morning. It claimed that “flames were seen rising from one of the fuel tankers at the site.”
Hezbollah said it launched another drone strike on an Israeli position in the town three hours later, that time targeting an Israeli military Humvee.
It also said it targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Deir Seryan riverbed on Monday afternoon.
Asked by CNN for comment, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Hezbollah had launched a number of rockets and drones toward Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
Monday’s strikes come after an Israeli soldier was killed in a drone attack near the border with Lebanon on Sunday.
CNN’s Dana Karni contributed to this report.
Catch up on what Trump just told reporters at the Oval Office
US President Donald Trump answered questions on the Iran war while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, saying that the current ceasefire with Tehran is on “massive life support.”
Here’s a look at what else he said about the conflict:
- Trump accused Iran of reneging on an agreement to allow the US to remove its supply of enriched uranium.
- He expressed frustration with the state of talks to end the Iran war, telling reporters that Iranian leaders “change their mind” when the parties appear to reach points of agreement.
- Trump also said there are “moderates” and “lunatics” in dealing with Iran, and the “moderates are dying to make a deal.”
- The president told reporters he has “the best plan ever” to end the war, again blasting an Iranian counterproposal as “simply unacceptable.”
- Trump said he’s “very disappointed in the Kurds” when discussing efforts to arm the Iranian people.
CNN’s Michael Williams, Adam Cancryn, Donald Judd, Aileen Graef and Morgan Leason contributed to this reporting.
Trump says he’s “disappointed in the Kurds”
President Donald Trump said Monday he’s “very disappointed in the Kurds” when discussing efforts to arm the Iranian people.
“They want to go out on the streets. They have no weapons. They have no guns. We thought the Kurds were going to give us weapons, but the Kurds disappointed us,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
CNN reported in March that CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran.
Trump claimed he knew the effort wasn’t going to work. “I said it wasn’t going to work, by the way, I just have to say it. I disagreed with what they did. They gave it. I said they’ll never get there. And I was right,” he said.
“We sent some guns with ammunition, and it was supposed to be delivered, but they kept it,” Trump added.
Trump says Iranian negotiators "change their mind" after appearing to agree to deal
President Donald Trump expressed frustration Monday with the state of talks to end the Iran war, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Iran’s leaders “change their mind” when the parties appear to reach points of agreement.
“Look, I’ve had to deal with them four or five times – they change their mind,” Trump said. “They’re very dishonorable people, the leadership.”
The president said that leaders in Iran who took over after their predecessors were killed in strikes have been “more reasonable.” But that hasn’t produced a deal.
“I’ve had that in business many times that, you know, the mind changes,” Trump said. He said the sides would appear to a “make a deal, and then the next day they send you a document that takes five days to get there, when it should have been there in 20 minutes.”
“You know, it’s pretty simple document,” he added. “They will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump says he has the “best plan ever” to end war with Iran
President Donald Trump told reporters Monday he has “the best plan ever” to end the war with Iran, again blasting an Iranian counterproposal as “simply unacceptable.”
Speaking from behind the Resolute Desk, the president blasted Iran’s latest offer — which he called “a stupid proposal” — saying any agreement between the two nations would require Iran to pledge to stop pursuing a nuclear program.
“You know, in war, you have to change, you have to be flexible, you have a lot of plans, but you have to do different plans in different days,” Trump said.
“But I have a great plan — but the plan is they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he added. “And they didn’t say that in their letter.”
Trump says Iranian moderates are "dying to make a deal"
President Donald Trump said there are “moderates” and “lunatics” in dealing with Iran, and the “moderates are dying to make a deal.”
“You have the moderates, and you have the lunatics. And I think the moderates are more respected. The lunatics want to fight till the end,” he told reporters in the Oval Office Monday.
Trump said he thinks the moderates are “more respected.”
“The moderates are dying to make a deal. And then you have the lunatics, and I guess they’re a little bit afraid of the lunatics,” he said.
Ceasefire with Iran is on "massive life support," Trump says
President Donald Trump said Monday that the monthlong ceasefire between the US and Iran is on “massive life support.”
While Trump said the ceasefire remains in place, he said it is “unbelievably weak.”
“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office.
Both Iran and the US have fired shots at each other in the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire took effect.
Trump accuses Iran of reneging on deal to remove enriched uranium
President Donald Trump on Monday accused Iran of reneging on an agreement to allow the US to remove its supply of enriched uranium.
“They did two days ago,” he said from the Oval Office. “But they changed their mind, because they didn’t put it in the paper.”
Trump’s remarks followed his declaration that the most recent Iranian counterproposal to end the war was “unacceptable.”
In negotiations leading up to that proposal, the president said, Iran told the administration that it would give up its enriched uranium, but that the US would have to come and remove it.
“They told me, number one, you’re getting it, but you’re going to have to take it out,” Trump said of the uranium buried under the nuclear sites that the US bombed last year. “The site was so obliterated that there’s only one or two countries in the world that could get it.”
Trump added that China was the other country the Iranians said was capable of retrieving the uranium.
Despite those discussions, Trump said Iran did not include that agreement as part of its latest submission to the US.
“They just can’t get there,” he said. “They agree with us and then they take it back.”
Trump indicates he'll keep dealing with Iranian regime
US President Donald Trump indicated Monday he would continue pursuing a diplomatic solution with the current Iranian regime despite dismissing the latest proposal to the US.
“They’re going to fold,” Trump told Fox News’ John Roberts when asked about hardliners in the regime and whether there needs to be more change to leadership. “I will deal with them until they make a deal,” the president said, according to Roberts.
Trump reiterated that he could resume Project Freedom but said the US Navy guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz would “only be a piece of it,” according to Roberts. He also told CBS News on Monday that a possible resumption of the project would be “much more severe.”
In the same CBS phone interview, the president said the latest Iranian response did make concessions on the nuclear issue but said they were “not enough.”
Progress in Iran-US talks may depend on outcome of Trump's China visit, source says
Talks between the United States and Iran won’t make significant progress before President Donald Trump meets with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping later this week, according to a regional source close to the negotiations process.
The source told CNN that movement on the talks will “depend on the results of President Trump’s visit to Beijing.”
The source pointed out that it was “very likely” that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi will be in Delhi for the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting on Thursday and Friday - the same days that Trump is in Beijing.
The source told CNN that Araghchi’s presence at the BRICS meeting “is important,” as the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt will also likely be in attendance. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries facilitating backchannel dialogue between the US and Iran that is being mediated by Pakistan.
The Saudi and Egyptian foreign ministers have yet to confirm they will be attending the conference.
“China is going to be an important player in ensuring that the dialogue continues,” the source added.
Trump calls for federal gas tax suspension, which would require act of Congress
President Donald Trump said Monday that he wants to suspend the federal gas tax, in an effort to bring down gas prices that would require action from Congress.
In an interview with CBS News, Trump pushed for halting the taxes for an indefinite period, with plans to phase them back in when prices jolted by the war with Iran go back down.
“We’re going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we’ll let it phase back in,” he said, according to CBS News.
The federal gas tax imposes an 18.4 cent-per-gallon levy on gas and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel. But suspending those excise taxes would require an act of Congress — a step that lawmakers have declined to take in prior periods of elevated gas prices.
