Overview
- President Trump said in an NBC interview on Saturday that U.S. strikes have destroyed large parts of Iran’s military infrastructure and that Tehran will eventually have to negotiate.
- A senior Iranian official told CNN that Tehran will not accept a deal unless roughly $24 billion in Iranian assets frozen abroad are released to Washington’s satisfaction.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there has been “no tangible progress” in indirect talks and rejected a proposed meeting between President Trump and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Jamenei.
- The diplomatic deadlock has coincided with a fresh round of military exchanges in the Gulf, including U.S. reports of drones shot down and Iranian missile strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait, which have raised civilian alarm and pushed oil prices higher.
- Negotiations remain indirect through intermediaries and stalled after a February U.S.-Israel offensive that also preceded Iran’s leadership transition, leaving regional allies exposed and markets sensitive to any further escalation.