- Trump said the U.S. is in ongoing talks with the Iranian leadership to potentially end military operations in the country.
- The conflict has affected operations along the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude oil prices above $115 a barrel.
- Trump is reportedly considering a high-risk mission to retrieve nearly 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium from Iran.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday, indicating that Washington is actively engaged in discussions with a “new and more reasonable” Iranian leadership to potentially end U.S. military operations in the country.
Trump’s message highlighted progress in talks but also included stark warnings. The president stated that if negotiations fail or if the strategic Hormuz Strait is not reopened promptly, the U.S. could respond by targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure.
“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched.”
Trump’s latest comment comes as Tehran dismissed Washington’s 15‑point ceasefire proposal as overly demanding and unrealistic.
Importance Of The Strait Of Hormuz
As the conflict extends across the Middle East, it has hampered operations along the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route, significantly affecting the flow of oil and gas from the region.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures maturing in May increased 2% higher at $102 a barrel. Brent crude futures expiring in May also rose 2% to $115 a barrel.
Plan To Secure Enriched Uranium From Iran
According to The Wall Street Journal report, Trump is reportedly weighing a high-stakes military operation aimed at securing nearly 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium from Iran.
As per sources cited in the report, Trump is balancing the potential threat to U.S. forces with the strategic goal of preventing Iran from ever producing a nuclear weapon. The president has also encouraged his team to push Iran into voluntarily handing over the material as a condition to end hostilities.
However, U.S. equities edged higher on Monday. At the time of writing, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500 index, was up 0.3%; the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) inched 0.1% higher. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around the S&P 500 ETF was in the ‘ extremely bearish’ territory.
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