President Donald Trump expressed resolute indifference Monday to the potential collapse of ongoing peace negotiations with Iran, telling CNBC in a phone interview that the drawn-out diplomatic process had grown tiresome — even as Tehran announced it was suspending all communications with Washington and threatened to seal one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes.
“I don’t care if they’re over, honestly,” Trump told CNBC’s Eamon Javers in the midday call. “I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less.”
The remarks came hours after Iran’s state-affiliated news outlet Tasnim reported that Iranian negotiators would stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries, and that Tehran would move to fully close the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for what Iran characterized as ongoing ceasefire violations tied to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
Tehran’s announcement included a direct ultimatum: “No dialogue will take place” until Israel fully withdraws from occupied areas in Lebanon and halts all attacks in both Lebanon and Gaza, according to Tasnim. The outlet also reported that the resistance front and Iran had resolved to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate other fronts including the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, in order to punish what Tehran called “the Zionists and their supporters.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed those warnings on social media Monday morning, writing that “The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” and that “its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts.” Araghchi held the United States and Israel directly responsible for any resulting consequences.
“They Started to Get Very Boring”
Trump made clear in his CNBC interview that he viewed the pace of negotiations with mounting frustration, characterizing the talks as having dragged on well past their usefulness. “If they’re over, they’re over. If they’re not, you know, I think they took too much time. Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring,” he said. The president also told NBC News separately that he had not been informed ahead of time of Iran’s decision to suspend talks, but that “I think it’s fine if they’re done talking,” adding, “it doesn’t mean we’re going to go and start dropping bombs all over there.”
The backdrop to Monday’s developments is a conflict that began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran. The war has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, as well as 13 U.S. service members, and has sent global energy prices soaring after Iran responded by effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz — a vital global supply route that carried roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war.
Iran, Lebanon, and a Ceasefire Under Strain
The fracture on Monday traces directly to the question of Lebanon. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire covering Lebanon had taken effect on April 16, but Iran has consistently maintained that the broader Iran-U.S. ceasefire covers Lebanon as well, and that Israeli operations there constitute a violation of its terms. Iran’s suspension of talks Monday was framed explicitly around that position.
Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim reported that the decision was made over what it described as “continuing crimes” of Israel in Lebanon, with the Iranian negotiating team citing that “Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps additionally stated in a separate release that Iran considers “the crossing of red lines in Lebanon and Gaza to mean direct war and the imposition of costs on its national security,” and would “undertake defensive operations through unconventional measures, opening new fronts and maintaining the Strait of Hormuz equation.”
Trump said Monday that he planned to reach out to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ask directly “what’s going on with Lebanon.” Reuters later reported that the two leaders did speak by phone that afternoon — confirmed by Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS — following the day’s regional developments.
Oil Prices and the Nuclear Question
The announcement from Tehran sent oil prices sharply higher on Monday. Trump, however, downplayed any lasting economic damage, telling CNBC, “I think the oil will be dropping like a rock in the very near distance.” The president also argued that American voters would be willing to absorb temporary pain at the pump if the stakes were properly explained.
“Once you explain that this is all about Iran having a nuclear weapon, people are willing to pay a little bit more,” Trump said. He insisted that prices at the pump would drop “very quickly” once conditions improved.
Iran’s nuclear program has been the central sticking point throughout months of negotiations. Issues under discussion have included freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear and ballistic program, reconstruction, sanctions relief, and a long-term peace framework — though both sides have reported that the nuclear question remained the hardest to resolve, with the U.S. describing Iran as “unyielding” on the issue.
A Deal That Has Remained Out of Reach
The talks had come tantalizingly close to a breakthrough in recent weeks. As recently as early May, the White House believed it was nearing an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for nuclear negotiations, with the proposed deal including an Iranian moratorium on nuclear enrichment, U.S. sanctions relief, and the release of billions in frozen Iranian funds.
But those hopes stalled. Iranian officials insisted that negotiations about uranium could only begin once an agreement on the memorandum ending the war was reached, while Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that Tehran had “made no commitments in this agreement regarding handing over nuclear stockpiles, removing equipment, closing facilities, or even pledging not to build a nuclear bomb.”
Iranian officials have also criticized what they described as “constantly changing” U.S. negotiating positions, with one Iranian spokesman stating that “the other party is constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands — it is natural that this situation will prolong negotiations.”
Pressure From All Sides
Trump faces mounting pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring U.S. gas prices down ahead of November congressional elections, as voters show increasing frustration over rising energy costs — while simultaneously facing potential backlash from Iran hawks within his own party over any concessions to Tehran.
Despite the collapse of communications Monday, Trump projected confidence that a resolution would ultimately materialize, telling critics of his Iran diplomacy to “sit back and relax” and stating that Tehran genuinely wants to reach a deal with the United States. Whether that confidence proves well-founded hinges in no small part on whether Israel’s operations in Lebanon can be contained — a variable that, as of Monday, remained firmly outside Washington’s direct control.