Live Updates: Iran war "re-escalation risks," new Trump threat keep oil prices high as diplomacy staggers on

President Trump complained Monday in a post on his Truth social platform that even if Iran's leaders were to sign "'Documents of Surrender,' and admit their defeat" some news outlets and Democrats would still seek to portray it as "a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America."

Mr. Trump did not give any indication of his administration's opinion of the latest terms handed over by the Iranian regime as the two sides continue haggling over a framework for a potential peace deal, 80 days into the war launched by the U.S. and Israel.

"If Iran surrenders, admits their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us, and if their entire Military walks out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting 'I surrender, I surrender' while wildly waving the representative White Flag, and if their entire remaining Leadership signs all necessary 'Documents of Surrender,' and admit their defeat to the great power and force of the magnificent U.S.A., The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn't even close," said Mr. Trump in his post, accusing Democrats and news outlets of having "totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!" 

Mr. Trump has threatened to resume attacks on Iran multiple times, most recently on Sunday when he warned the regime the "clock is ticking" for a peace deal. He has set several deadlines for Iran to accept a peace deal before, however, but backed down, extending a ceasefire and saying he wants to leave room for diplomacy.

Iranian state media claimed Monday that U.S. officials had agreed to suspend sanctions against the country's crude oil exports while talks on ending the war continue, seemingly easing concerns over a possible return to hostilities among investors.

The unconfirmed report by the semi-official Tasnim news agency cited an unnamed source, but analysts said traders seized on the news after President Trump warned Tehran Sunday that time was running out to make a deal to end the war.

Fawad Razaqzada, an analyst at Forex.com, called the notion a "good first step, if confirmed."

The Trump administration has not confirmed the offer.

Stock markets fell earlier in Asia and European indexes had also opened mostly lower before the Tasnim report, but oil prices eased later in the day, and Wall Street also opened higher in the wake of the claim.  

Tasnim quoted a source close to the Iranian negotiating team as saying that, unlike previous drafts, the latest proposal from the U.S. included an offer to waive sanctions that currently bar any purchase of Iranian energy products, at least during negotiations toward a final peace deal.

Tasnim later quoted a source close to the negotiating team — it was not clear if it was the same source — as saying that, despite some "adjustments" in the U.S. draft, "fundamental differences remain, stemming from American excessive demands and lack of realism."

The source called U.S. demands for Iran to hand over its enriched uranium and severely restrict its nuclear program "purely political excuses and contrary to the rights of the Iranian people." 

"The Americans must understand that Iran will never accept ending the war in exchange for nuclear commitments," Tasnim quoted the source as saying, while reiterating Iran's longtime stance that the regime has no intention of building a nuclear weapon. 

CBS/AFP

Oil prices eased slightly Monday after a scare overnight that saw prices pop and then moderate, helping steady stock markets worldwide as trading headed from Asia through Europe to Wall Street. 

Brent crude, the international standard, lost 7 cents to trade at about $108 per barrel Monday morning, after surging back over $110 overnight. It was trading at roughly $70 a barrel in late February before the start of the Iran war. Benchmark U.S. crude was down 33 cents to about $102 per barrel.

The S&P 500 rose 0.1% in early trading after European stocks reversed losses and most Asian markets finished lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 33 points, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%. 

Wall Street had looked likely to see losses before markets opened, and oil prices were volatile after President Trump warned Tehran that the "clock is ticking," as negotiations over a permanent end to the war appeared to stall.

CBS/AP

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged Monday that the country had suffered amid the ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel, but he insisted the Islamic Republic was still "fully capable of defending our nation's rights with strength."

During a meeting with executive agencies under the guises of the Government Information Council, attended by a number of his cabinet members, Pezeshkian said Iranian leaders "should avoid any tone or voices that create division, but we must also face reality; It is not the case that we have not suffered harm."

"Anyone in a position of leadership must speak honestly and transparently to their society and their people," he said in remarks aired by state TV. "Misleading information, false messaging, or portraying a reality in which 'they are collapsing while we are prospering' is unacceptable. The truth is that both we and others face challenges."

Pezeshkian insisted that while Iran would continue to engage in diplomacy, it "will not bow to pressure. … We will not sacrifice our country's dignity and honor for comfort or convenience. We have valid reasons and clear justification, and we are fully capable of defending our nation's rights with strength, backed by our people."

The sister of Ireland's president was among dozens of people detained by Israeli forces at sea Monday in the latest interception of a "flotilla" aimed at breaching Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, according to the Irish Independent newspaper.

The paper said Dr. Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly, was detained with other activists on one of the boats seized by Israeli forces. 

The Global Sumud Flotilla activist group, which has organized successive flotillas to try and breach Israel's blockade of the war-torn Palestinian territory, condemned the latest Israeli interception as an "illegal, high-seas aggression."

It said 54 civilian boats carrying humanitarian aid had taken part in the flotilla, leaving Marmaris, Turkey, four days earlier "to establish a humanitarian corridor and break Israel's illegal siege of Gaza."

Many of the flotillas — all of which have been stopped far from Gaza's coastline by Israeli forces — have included high-profile members, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who was detained with others last summer on a boat, brought to Israel and then deported.

Israel rejects the humanitarian purpose of the flotillas, dismissing them as "provocation for the sake of provocation."

"The current flotilla on its way to Gaza, without any coordination, contains 0 humanitarian aid for the residents of Gaza. Meanwhile, in full coordination with the U.N. and international organizations, approximately 600 aid trucks are facilitated into Gaza every single day," said COGAT, the Israeli government's agency responsible for affairs in Palestinian territories, in a social media post on Monday.

The Sumud Flotilla organizers say Israel's interceptions in international waters, hundreds of miles from Gaza, "demonstrate a systematic disregard for international maritime law, freedom of navigation on the high seas, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." 

The Israel Defense Forces issued another warning to people in southern Lebanon to evacuate their villages on Monday, accusing the Iranian backed group Hezbollah of violating a tenuous U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and warning of imminent strikes.

IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee, in his latest evacuation order to Lebanese civilians, said people in the villages of Harouf, Burj al-Shamali and Debaal "must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns for a distance of no less than 1,000 meters into open areas."

"Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, facilities, or combat means is endangering their life," said Adraee, who has issued similar warnings almost daily, even since the ceasefire came into effect.

Israel launched new strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday after it agreed to extend the ceasefire between the countries by 45 days, following two days of talks in Washington. Hezbollah, long designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israel, has not been a party to the peace talks and has rejected the ceasefire.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, during a meeting with agricultural leaders from the country on Monday, said his government's framework for a wider peace deal with Israel "is based on Israeli withdrawal, a ceasefire, the deployment of the army along the border, the return of displaced persons, and economic or financial aid to Lebanon," according to a statement from his office.

Israeli forces have occupied a significant section of southern Lebanon, along the two countries' shared border, and said residents will not be allowed back to their homes there until the Hezbollah threat is removed. 

Iran says it's in talks with fellow Strait of Hormuz coastal nation Oman "to develop a mechanism" to ensure "transit through the Strait of Hormuz is conducted in the safest possible manner."

Iran has threatened to attack any ships transiting the strait without its permission - and it has rolled out a new domestic "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" which it says will be responsible for coordinating with shipping companies to collect fees for passage.

The regime announced a new account on X Monday that it said the PGSA would use "to provide information on the activities of this organization."

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran was "committed to ensuring that transit through the Strait of Hormuz is conducted in the safest possible manner," and as it "lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman," both nations "consider themselves responsible for taking the necessary measures to reassure all countries regarding the safety of maritime transit." 

He said Iran was "in continuous contact with Oman and other relevant parties to develop a mechanism capable of fulfilling this responsibility and achieving this objective. Last week, a meeting was held in Muscat between expert-level delegations from Iran and Oman, and contacts between the two countries on this matter are ongoing."

The head of the Iranian parliament's national security commission said Saturday in a social media post that Iran had prepared a plan to "manage traffic" in the strait, under which commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Tehran would be granted passage for "necessary fees." 

President Trump told reporters last week during a visit to Beijing that China had offered to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but that the assistance wasn't needed. Over the weekend Mr. Trump insisted it is the U.S., not Iran, in control of the vital shipping lanes, despite traffic remaining virtually gridlocked in the strait.

According to a report by Bloomberg, almost two dozen tankers were sitting in and around Iran's main oil export hub of Kharg Island on Monday, which analysts said the Iranian regime had already begun using as a "toll booth" weeks ago.

Germany's leader Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a short statement Monday on behalf of the country's government condemning "renewed Iranian airstrikes against the United Arab Emirates and other partners," and calling on Tehran to "enter into serious negotiations with the USA, stop threatening its neighbors, and open the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions."

After a drone strike over the weekend that caused a fire at an Emirati nuclear power plant, which has not been claimed but widely blamed on Iran, Merz said any "attacks on nuclear facilities pose a threat to the safety of people throughout the entire region."

"There must be no further escalation of violence," he said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that Tehran is continuing to "pursue diplomacy with seriousness," but that the Islamic Republic "will not be subdued by contradictory behavior and threats from the opposing side."

"We are fully prepared for every scenario," he said, warning that, "in the event of any reckless action we will respond with full strength, and I assure you that our armed forces will definitely have new 'surprises' for the enemy."

World shares mostly retreated and oil prices jumped Monday after President Trump warned Tehran the "clock is ticking" for a peace deal.

U.S. futures fell and markets in Japan and South Korea pulled back from their records. In early European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% to 10,205.31. France's CAC 40 lost 0.9% to 7,883.42, and Germany's DAX dropped 0.1% to 23,925.82.

During Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 1% to 60,815.95, a decline led by technology-related stocks. It reached all-time intraday high levels last week above 63,000.

Seoul's Kospi climbed 0.3% to 7,516.04 after trading lower earlier in the day. It crossed the 8,000 mark for the first time on Friday, supported by buying of technology shares driven by the boom in artificial intelligence, but later declined partly on profit-taking by investors.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.1% to 25,675.18. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% lower to 4,131.53, after China reported weaker-than-expected economic data for April. 

Oil prices rose after Mr. Trump issued his latest warning to Iran in a social media post, saying the regime "better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," following a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Brent crude, the international standard, gained 0.7% to $110.05 per barrel early Monday. It was trading at roughly $70 a barrel in late February before the start of the war. Benchmark U.S. crude was trading 1% higher to $106.49 per barrel.

A drone strike over the weekend on a United Arab Emirates' nuclear power plant added to worries over a potential escalation in the conflict.

ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a Monday research note that hopes as Mr. Trump visited Beijing last week that China might use its influence over Tehran to "break the deadlock between the U.S. and Iran," were "possibly misplaced."

"If anything, re-escalation risks are increasing," they wrote.

CBS/AP

Iran's government said Monday that indirect diplomacy with the U.S., brokered by Pakistani intermediaries, was "a continuous process" and that it had conveyed its latest positions to Washington as the two sides haggle over terms of a prospective peace deal.

President Trump warned Sunday that "the Clock is Ticking" for Tehran to accept a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war that is now in its 80th day. 

"There won't be anything left of them" if Iranian leaders fail to "get moving, FAST" on a peace agreement, Mr. Trump warned. 

"Talks and negotiations are a continuous process, not an intermittent one," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday.

While Mr. Trump said publicly last week that Tehran's latest proposal had been rejected, Baqaei said Tehran "received from the Pakistani mediator a set of corrective notes and observations from their point of view … which were reviewed over these past days," and he said over the weekend, "our positions were also conveyed to the American side in return."

Baqaei insisted that the talks, from Tehran's standpoint, were focused "on ending the war," and the issue of Iran's "right to [nuclear] enrichment is recognized" as the country is a signatory of the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

"We have emphasized that we will not abandon our rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty," he said. "We have not discussed any details regarding nuclear matters at this stage. At this stage, all focus will be on ending the war."

The Reuters news agency also quoted a Pakistani source as saying Monday that a revised Iranian proposal had been shared with U.S. representatives.

"We don't have ‌much ⁠time," the source said, telling Reuters that both sides in the war, "keep changing their goalposts."

Israeli strikes killed five people including two children in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Hezbollah called U.S.-brokered talks between the two countries a "dead end."

The Lebanese health ministry published a "preliminary toll" for Israel's strikes on Sunday, with three people killed in the town of Tayr Felsay, including a child, and two killed in the town of Tayr Debba, including another child.

It said 11 people were wounded in those strikes and four more were wounded in strikes in two other southern towns.

The latest exchanges of fire came after envoys from Israel and Lebanon held a third round of negotiations in Washington and agreed to extend the ceasefire, talks that Iran-backed Hezbollah has repeatedly denounced.

"The direct negotiations that the authorities in Lebanon have conducted with the Israeli enemy have ... led them down a dead-end path that will result in nothing but one concession after another," Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan said on Sunday.

President Trump threatened Iran again Sunday as the shaky ceasefire between the two countries continues. 

"For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Screenshots of the post were also shared by the official White House X account. 

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran "cannot trust the Americans at all" and that they are "trying to maintain" the "shaky" ceasefire "to give diplomacy a chance." He described the lack of trust in the U.S. as "the main obstacle to any diplomatic effort." 

"Every day brings a different message, sometimes even two different messages in a single day, which deepens mistrust," Aragachi said while speaking at a summit in New Delhi. 

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that despite the war in Iran, internal controls in the country "seem very much intact," making it unlikely that a civilian uprising will occur in the near future. 

Intense protests related to economic issues broke out in Iran in early 2026, but were harshly quelled. President Trump said tens of thousands of people were killed by the regime. Alleged leaders of those protests have been imprisoned or executed. While Mr. Trump called on the Iranian population to rise up and overthrow its leaders in the early days of Operation Epic Fury, no such efforts have emerged. 

"You haven't seen any demonstrations, or very few demonstrations, in the street. People are cowed, they're afraid, and right now they're concerned with how they can eat and live under the current circumstances," Gates said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." 

In an interview that taped Friday and aired Sunday, Gates said that it is possible an uprising will occur after the war ends, but said that protests likely won't lead to regime change. 

"What you generally see in regimes like this is not so much a change of regime from the streets, but that the regime itself begins to fracture, and that you have people within the regime who want to take a different tack, and so you have an internal fight for control," Gates said. 

While diplomatic and military efforts in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz seem to be at a stalemate, the United States can't "walk away" from the conflict, former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday. 

"I don't think he can walk away," Gates said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," referring to President Trump. "And no, I don't think the Israelis can settle it. As powerful as they are, they don't have the kind of power the United States has." 

In an interview that was taped Friday and aired Sunday, Gates said that while the Trump administration's justifications for the war have shifted, there are a few things "that have been consistent from the very beginning." One main objective, of eliminating Iran's nuclear program, has not been fully achieved, but U.S. and Israeli attacks have "dramatically damaged and set back" the country's efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon, Gates said.

"I don't think that the nuclear program in Iran poses an imminent threat. After all, we bombed it twice," said Gates, who served under former presidents Bush and Obama. Nuclear material has been buried, he said, and the centrifuges that would be needed to enrich it have been "mostly destroyed." 

Gates also said that scientists who would have worked on these nuclear projects have been killed. Still, Gates said that likely the only way to completely "bring an end to" Iran's nuclear aspirations "is through a negotiation." 

Other stated goals, like eliminating Iran's military capabilities and its ability to support militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, have been more successful, Gates said. Still, the Trump administration had "some unrealistic expectations" for when the war might end, Gates said. 

"I think it would be hard to say the war is over, I think from either the standpoint of the United States or Israel at this point," Gates said.  

A drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant Sunday, setting an electrical generator ablaze on its perimeter and again straining the shaky ceasefire in the Iran war.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no radiological release nor injuries, authorities in the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi, said. However, suspicion immediately fell on Iran, which has been increasingly threatening the UAE over recent days as the country hosted Israeli Iron Dome missile defenses and troops during the war.

The UAE's nuclear regulator said the fire didn't impact the plant safety. "All units are operating as normal," the organization wrote on X.

The UAE statement didn't blame any party for the attack. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, said on social media it was "following the situation closely."

The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020. It's the first and only nuclear power plant on the Arabian Peninsula and can provide a quarter of all the energy needs in the UAE. It's also the first commercial nuclear power plant in the Arab world.