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Brent crude dropped below US$97 a barrel after both sides said talks had made progress.Oil prices fell nearly 7 per cent on Monday (May 25) as optimism grew that the United States and Iran were moving closer to a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even though Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down US$7.24, or almost 7 per cent, at US$96.30 a barrel at 2:29pm ET (Tuesday, 2:29am, Singapore time) and US West Texas Intermediate CLc1 futures were down US$6.30, or 6.5 per cent, at US$90.88. Trading...

Mehek Cooke@MehekCookeTrump just turned the Abraham Accords into an accountability trap for the Gulf states and Iran walked right into it.Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey have never held Iran accountable is due to exposure. They share a neighborhood. They can't sanction, shame, or confront Iran while having zero security architecture binding them to the West or to each other.The Abraham Accords change that math entirely. Once Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are signatories, they aren't just recognizing Israel they are locking themselves into a collective security posture.A breach of the Iran deal becomes their problem...

The regime in Iran is lying to you and your negotiators (period, stop!). Do not believe a word they say. I know you want to get out of this mess. All Americans want this unnecessary war to end. Keep in mind, as you have been told many times, Iran is still the leading state sponsor of terrorism (all anyone needs to say is Hezbollah, Hamas & Houthis, never mind IRGC-QF). None of these organizations are going away with this deal. How about getting them to first publicly apologize for killing American Soldiers and U.S. Marines many times over (especially on...

WASHINGTON — The White House vowed “no dust, no dollars” for Iran on Sunday — asserting that unless the Islamic Republic gives up its enriched uranium, it will get no sanctions relief — as President Trump tapped the brakes on forecasting a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump revealed Saturday that the US and Iran were close on a memorandum of understanding that would get oil flowing again while allowing 30 days for nuclear negotiations. The plan unleashed panic among some Republicans and Israel backers — prompting Trump officials to clarify that no deal was imminent,...

Any discussion of leadership change in Tehran appears to be out.CAIRO (AP) — A deal appears to be emerging between the United States and Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend said it had been “largely negotiated.”It is not clear when or how the deal might be finalized and when its various parts will take effect. Trump spoke after calls with allies in the Middle East, including a separate call with Israel. Details come from two regional officials and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity...

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the deal that they are working on will involve "no dust, no dollars" and will not be like the failed Iran deal of Barack Obama, that it will be a good deal, or there will be no deal. He clapped back at criticism from people he said didn't know the Now, Trump has dropped a big update to the deal — that ultimately, it could turn out to be a more far-reaching peace deal. He said negotiations were proceeding "nicely" with Iran. Trump announced on Truth Social that he had held a conference call...

Political commentator Scott Jennings gave the Iran debate a much-needed dose of plain English after he received a briefing from a senior Trump administration official. Jennings' central point was simple: President Donald Trump used force when force became necessary, then paused further strikes when diplomacy had a chance to save lives. Trump's critics have spent years calling him reckless, impulsive, and incapable of restraint. Now he's showing patience, and many of those same voices still can't bring themselves to admit what sits in front of them. Trump has said talks with Iran remain active, but he has also warned his...

Washington’s war hawks are molting down over President Trump’s outreach to Iran. Senator Ted Cruz says that he is “concerned.” Senator Roger Wicker fears a “disaster.” Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deemed a preliminary agreement with Iran “not remotely America First.” Trump and his advisors are having none of it. Responding to Pompeo, White House communications director Steve Cheung observed that “he should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals.” Trump, who angered Senate Republicans earlier this week by proposing a $1.8 billion slush fund for January 6 victims and by endorsing Ken Paxton...

Although full details of Trump’s Iran deal, which is still being negotiated, have not been provided by the administration, the president has come under fire for supposedly caving to the mullahs and failing to mete out harsh enough consequences for the terroristic regime.Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earned the president’s wrath for saying the deal resembles former President Barack Obama’s ridiculous 2015 agreement — where we literally dumped pallets of cash on a runway despite not making meaningful progress against their nuclear ambitions — while other hard-line Republicans like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, North...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama, which gave Iran massive amounts of CASH, and a clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon. Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet. So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about. Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals! President DJT...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is pushing back on fellow Republicans who have criticized an emerging deal being negotiated by the Trump administration to end the war with Iran. Paul, who has criticized the war while joining with Democrats to support War Powers Resolution votes to curb President Trump’s actions, said those criticizing Trump should give him room to operate. “War virtually always ends with negotiations,” Paul wrote in a post on X. “Critics of President Trump’s peace negotiations should give President Trump the space to find an American First solution.” Trump on Saturday said the U.S. was getting close to...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump One of the worst deals ever made by our Country was the Iran Nuclear Deal, put forth and signed into existence by Barack Hussein Obama and the rank amateurs of the Obama Administration. It was a direct path to Iran developing a Nuclear Weapon. Not so with the transaction currently being negotiated with Iran by the Trump Administration - THE EXACT OPPOSITE, in fact! The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will...

President Trump vowed Sunday Iran will never have a nuclear weapon — after top GOP Senators openly voiced skepticism over the reported details of the delicate peace deal. Trump, who previously said on Saturday that his negotiators were “finalizing” the agreement, suggested in a post on Truth Social Sunday morning that he would wait until the right agreement could be struck. “I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed,” he said. “Both sides...

Iran has agreed to surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of a “largely negotiated” deal to end the war, according to US sources.The deal includes an “apparent commitment” to giving up the uranium, but a concrete plan of how this would be done is expected to be established in further rounds of talks, two US officials told The New York Times.Iran’s nuclear programme has been a sticking point in negotiations since the US and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April, and agreeing to give up its uranium would represent a major concession from the Islamic Republic.However,...

It's beginning to look a lot like there's a deal with Iran in the making. President Trump has been making optimistic remarks, while noting that the United States is sticking by its one primary point, which is preventing Iran from ever making or obtaining a nuclear weapon. On Sunday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in India, delivered the latest news on that front. 🚨 JUST IN: Sec. Marco Rubio says MAJOR PROGRESS has been made with Iran, and GREAT NEWS could be coming soon on the Strait of HormuzLFG! 🔥Rubio is dealing overseas, working hard!"Maybe more news coming...

Multiple reports have indicated that U.S. negotiators believe that Iran has committed to giving up its nuclear ambitions and its highly enriched uranium as a part of a broader peace deal with President Donald Trump. On Saturday afternoon, President Trump announced that an “agreement has been largely negotiated” between Washington and Tehran. However, Mr Trump said that the final details of the deal were still being discussed and would not be made public at the time. According to a report from the New York Times, citing “two U.S. officials”, the Islamist regime in Iran verbally agreed to U.S. negotiators that...

Iran is expected to agree to a 60-day memorandum of understanding that will ultimately end the war between the US and Iran if negotiated terms are met in the coming months. It is now being reported that after Trump’s conference call with Gulf and Arab leaders on Saturday, which Trump announced was a success, Iran’s supreme leader has approved the deal, pending additional review from Iranian leadership. Iran has reportedly also agreed in principle to dispose of highly enriched uranium. Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Special Peace Envoy Jared Kushner are currently...

According to Iranian and Arab sources Trump agreed to -compensate Tehran by releasing blocked funds (at least $6 billion) -lift sanctions -remove American forces from around Iran (Iranian sources more specifically mention the naval assets in the region) -lift the blockade -ceasefire in all fronts including in Lebanon (basically allowing Tehran to rearm its proxy network and help Hizballah reasserts its control in Lebanon) In exchange for -gradual reopening of Strait of Hormuz with the transit remaining under Tehran’s management and control -negotiations over other issues with no hard deadline (the 30-day negotiation window can be extended) Washington has not...

"The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right," Trump writes President Trump said on Sunday that he has told U.S. negotiators "not to rush into a deal" with Iran at this time. On Saturday, Trump had said that a peace deal with Iran was "largely negotiated." Trump emphasized that the U.S. naval blockade will "remain in full force" in the meantime. "One of the worst deals ever made by our Country was the Iran Nuclear Deal, put forth and signed into...

As food prices spiral and farms shut down across Iran, even establishment figures are openly questioning how a country capable of producing precision missiles cannot manufacture affordable cars or keep chicken within reach of ordinary families. Former Industry Minister Mostafa Hashemitaba says the crisis is rooted not only in consumer markets but across the country’s collapsing production chain, from fertilizers to poultry farming. Writing in Sharq on May 20, Hashemitaba said the price of a 50-kg bag of triple-phosphate fertilizer had jumped within months from three million rials to 70 million rials, a nearly 24-fold increase. Other fertilizers, he added,...