US President Donald Trump raises his hand as he returns to the White House in Washington, DC, on May 31, 2026 after playing golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
US President Donald Trump on Monday blasted critics as a potential deal with Iran remains elusive, saying Tehran “really wants to make a deal” and that it would be good for the US and its allies.
His comments come as air strikes between the US and Iran resumed over the weekend, with each side claiming to have struck weapons near the vital Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that normally handles about 20% of the world’s oil traffic.
“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be good for the USA and our allies,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“But the Dumocrats, and various Republicans who seem unpatriotic, understand that it is HARD for me to do my job properly and negotiate, when political hacks are constantly ‘crying,’ at unprecedented levels, over and over again, that I should go fast, or go slow, or go to war, or not go to war, or whatever,” said Trump.
“Just relax, everything will be alright in the end – It always is!”
The US Central Command said it carried out “defensive strikes” on Iran’s radar and drone control and command centers on Goruk and Qeshm Island over the weekend, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted an air base used in the US attack in retaliation.
An Axios report published Saturday said Trump has requested several amendments to the latest terms reached by his delegation with Iranian officials. The report, which cited two unnamed US officials, said Trump’s request hinged on a number of factors, particularly Iran’s nuclear program. CNBC could not independently verify the report.
Ships docked in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on May 29, 2026.
Character | Reuters
Kuwait, located in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf, reported on Monday that its air defenses were repelling missile and drone attacks. If an explosion is heard, it is the result of air defense systems intercepting a malicious attack, the Kuwaiti army said on social media.
The US president has repeatedly said that Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing on a deal since it took effect in early April, although talks have shown little progress in recent weeks.
Oil prices
Guntram Wolff, senior fellow at the Brussels-based economic think tank Bruegel, said market participants were “very optimistic” about the prospect of a communications success.
“The problem I would say is that we’ve been promised a good deal for a long time now and it’s been over 90 days,” Wolff told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on Monday.
“I understand that it will take time to have a really strong agreement but have the fundamentals changed? No, they haven’t. Iran continues to have significant capabilities to do great damage, it can continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, it still has nuclear weapons, so the fundamentals have not changed,” he added.
Oil prices were higher on Monday morning. An international benchmark Brent Crude futures for August delivery advanced nearly 3% to $93.74 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate Futures for July delivery rose 3.3% to $90.20 a barrel.
Brent and WTI closed up 11.1% and 9.6% last week, respectively, notching their worst weekly performance since mid-April.
