Trump signals more Iran talks, says Tehran overplayed hand

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects his envoys to engage in further negotiations with Iran in the coming days, while stressing that Tehran has not yet put forward terms acceptable to Washington for ending the ongoing conflict. "I expect more talks with Iran (this week)," Trump told US news website Axios in an interview, adding: "They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand."

Military option remains on the table

Asked whether Washington is weighing a return to military strikes against Iran, Trump indicated the option stays available. Meanwhile, he said the US military is actively facilitating the transit of petroleum shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that tanker traffic hit record levels over the weekend. He said more than 20 million barrels of crude passed through the chokepoint, the highest volume recorded since hostilities erupted.

Iran ready for diplomacy and war, Araghchi says

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Iran is prepared to negotiate with the US but "fully prepared" to respond to renewed military attacks. His remarks followed indirect diplomatic exchanges last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Araghchi met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner through Qatari mediators. Tehran reportedly offered to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear talks within a week on the condition that Washington lifts its naval blockade, removes sanctions on oil sales, and reinstates a regional ceasefire.

Seven-month war grinds on after proposal rejected

Trump turned down the proposal Saturday, as the two nations remain locked in the seven-month Iran war that began with large-scale strikes by the US and Israel in late February.