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President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. was talking with a "respected" Iranian leader and claimed the Islamic Republic was eager for a deal to end the Iran war.
Trump is also extending his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the U.S. will hold off on power plant strikes for five days.
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President Trump speaks to reporters on Iran
President Trump speaks to reporters on Iran ahead of his trip to Memphis.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social site Monday, ahead of a deadline later in the day.
Trump claims Iran wants to "make a deal"
What they're saying:
The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran wants "to make a deal," and asserts U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner spoke with an Iranian leader Sunday.
Trump did not say who was representing Iran but said the U.S. has not talked to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is traveling to Tennessee before returning to Washington, D.C.(Photo by Roberto Schmidt/ …
According to the AP, Trump said if a deal is reached, the U.S. would move to take Iran’s enriched uranium, which is vital to its disputed nuclear program. Iran has refused such demands in the past.
The other side:
Iranian state media referenced Iranian officials as denying any such conversations, and said Trump had backed down "following Iran’s firm warning." Turkey and Egypt meanwhile said they had spoken to the warring parties, the first sign of coordinated mediation from the regional heavyweights.
Trump said the U.S. and Iran have had "very good and productive conversations" that could yield "a complete and total resolution" in the war. Talks will continue "throughout the week," he said.
RELATED: Live updates: Trump extends deadline for Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz
During the weekend, Trump said the U.S. would "obliterate" Iran’s power plants unless the country releases its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil passes, within 48 hours — a deadline that would have expired late Monday.
According to the AP, Iran warned Monday that it would hit electricity plants across the Middle East and mine the Persian Gulf after Trump threatened to bomb power stations in the Islamic Republic if it did not reopen the strait.
The Iran war is now in its fourth week, and has experienced major turning points — the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, the bombing of a key Iranian gas field, and strikes targeting oil and gas facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations.
Meanwhile, the Iran war has killed over 1,000 people and impacted the global economy, and sent oil prices soaring.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.