US-Iran News Highlights: Iran halts talks with US over attacks in Lebanon, Trump reacts — 'I really don't care'

Donald Trump said on Monday he did not care if peace negotiations with Iran were over, CNBC reported, citing a phone interview with the US president.

"I don't care if they're over, honestly," Trump told CNBC when asked about reports that Iranian negotiators would stop communications with the United States over Israel's military operations in Lebanon.

"I really don't care. I couldn't care less," he added.

Trump said he was "going to ask" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "what's going on with Lebanon," according to CNBC.

He also said he was not worried about oil prices after Iranian state media reported that Tehran was vowing to "completely block" the Strait of Hormuz.

"I think the oil will be dropping like a rock in the very near, you know, the very near distance," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump said he had not heard from Iran regarding reports that Tehran was suspending talks with Washington, according to comments he made to an NBC News reporter on Monday.

Iran's negotiating team is stopping message exchanges with the US through mediators over Israel's attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.

There will be no talks until Iran's demands on the cessation of Israeli operations in Lebanon and Gaza are met, the report said, adding that Tehran considers the attacks on the Lebanese group a violation of the April 8 ceasefire with the US.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the ceasefire between Iran and the United States covered “all fronts,” including Lebanon.

“The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” he said.

The foreign minister said a violation on one front would amount to a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts.

“The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” Araghchi warned in a post on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement earlier in the day that he had ordered the military to strike targets belonging to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh.

Saudi Arabia condemned repeated Iranian attacks on Kuwait on Monday, calling them a violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty and international law.

The Saudi foreign ministry said the attacks undermined international efforts to restore security and stability in the region.

Riyadh said it stood in solidarity with Kuwait and supported any measures taken to protect its sovereignty, security and stability.

Water reserves at five major dams in Iran have fallen below 10% capacity, according to the latest figures from Iran’s water resources management company.

The Lar, Doosti, 15 Khordad, Barzou and Saveh dams remained less than 10% full as of May 30.

On India's role in the West Asia crisis, Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, told news agency ANI, "India has a huge role to play because India is the fastest growing economy in our region and because of the agreements we have with all the big trade blocs, we will see trillions of dollars worth of goods, a lot of investment and our region, West Asia, can enjoy that if we have stability. So we have to achieve stability, we have to neutralise the radical elements and then India and we and all the countries in the region will be able to enjoy the prosperity that is going to flow from India to our region."

President Donald Trump publicly assailed critics from both political parties on Monday over their commentary on his Iran diplomacy, asserting that Tehran "really wants to make a deal" even as weekend military exchanges between US and Iranian forces near the Strait of Hormuz cast a long shadow over negotiations that have now dragged into a second month without resolution.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump expressed confidence that an agreement with Iran remained within reach, whilst directing sharp criticism at those he described as obstructing the negotiating process from within the US.

"Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA and those that are with us," Trump wrote.

"Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end - It always does!"

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday they had targeted a base used by the US military to strike Iranian territory.

The base's location was not specified in the Guards' statement, broadcast by IRIB and other state media.

Earlier, Kuwait's military said their air defences were responding to a drone and missile attack.

— AFP

The US said on Sunday it conducted "self-defense strikes" on Iranian radar and drone control sites in Iran's Goruk and Qeshm Island at the weekend in what it said was a response to "aggressive" actions from Tehran.

The US Central Command said in a post on X that Iran had shot down a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters.

CENTCOM said US fighter aircraft responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones.

It added that no US military personnel were harmed.

The two countries had traded strikes last week as well with Iran targeting a US air base after the US military carried out what a Washington official said were strikes targeting an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz.

— Reuters

Tension sparked once again in West Asia even as the US and Iran continue to hedge their bets on a possible peace deal. Kuwait's Army on Monday announced that its air defences were confronting hostile missile and drone attacks, and advised people to adhere to security and safety instructions.

In a post on X the Army said, "The Kuwaiti air defenses are currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks."

It informed that if explosion sounds are heard, they result from the air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks.

"Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities", the post concluded.

https://x.com/KuwaitArmyGHQ/status/2061283538721206351?s=20

Iran has restored access to a significant portion of its underground missile infrastructure following months of excavation and repair work, highlighting the "limits to US bombing strategy", which was focused on sealing tunnel entrances, according to a news report by CNN.

Satellite imagery reviewed by CNN indicated that Iranian forces have successfully reopened 50 of the 69 tunnel entrances targeted by US and Israeli strikes across 18 underground missile facilities. The strikes had initially sought to restrict Tehran's access to missile stockpiles by destroying roads and burying key tunnel entrances.

According to CNN, Iran relied on relatively simple construction equipment, including bulldozers and dump trucks, to clear debris and restore access to the facilities. The effort continued despite repeated attacks on the excavation equipment during the conflict.

Experts told CNN that the developments suggest Iran's missile capabilities are far more resilient than anticipated.

"Iran is in position to continue launching missiles so long as they have launchers and crews, even if production has halted," said Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies who studies Iran's missile programme. "There's nothing to prevent the launchers from being armed with the ample stockpile of missiles that the Iranians still have."

The Indian rupee is expected to open slightly weaker on Monday, as a lack of progress in US-Iran peace talks lifted oil prices, while traders also anticipate elevated foreign portfolio outflows to weigh on the currency.

The Indian rupee is expected to open around 95.10-95.15 per dollar, according to traders, down from its close at 95 on Friday.

Foreign portfolio investors net sold Indian equities worth more than $2 billion on Friday, provisional exchange data showed.

"But, as seen on Friday, those flows would matter little if the RBI decides to keep the currency anchored around a certain level," the trader added.

Brent oil prices rose more than 2.5% to $93.4 per barrel as Israel stepped up incursions into Lebanon, dimming expectations that the US and Iran could soon announce an extension to their ceasefire agreement.

— Reuters

Gold inched lower on Monday, pressured by a stronger dollar and rising oil prices, as investors awaited US President Donald Trump's decision on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran.

— Reuters

Brent climbed over $93 a barrel as Middle East tensions remained elevated and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz showed little progress. That sent Treasuries lower across the curve.

The dollar, the haven of choice since the US-Israel war on Iran started, was slightly stronger against all its Group-of-10 peers.

“Negotiations between the US and Iran remain an outstanding concern and a source of potential volatility going forward,” said Kyle Rodda, senior analyst at Capital.com. “The risk is the price has been misled by propaganda as the Trump administration sells a looming deal but, to this point, the Iranians remain reticent on the matter.”

— Bloomberg