Trump says U.S. will "go back to doing what we were doing" if Iran talks stall

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal during recent negotiations in Islamabad, describing the proposal as containing "extreme demands." He insisted Iran made no attempt to keep the talks alive after Washington threatened to walk away.

Speaking at a conference for legal professionals, Gharibabadi said, "The U.S. side presented a proposal that reflected extreme demands. The Iranian delegation explicitly rejected this proposal."

According to Gharibabadi, "The U.S. side stated that if this proposal were rejected, the negotiations would be considered a failure and they would leave." He added that this is ultimately what happened, with the U.S. delegation ending the talks.

Gharibabadi stressed that "there was absolutely no insistence or pleading from the Iranian delegation to continue the negotiations, and this approach was an example of the Islamic Republic of Iran's 'dignified diplomacy.'"

The deputy foreign minister also addressed developments related to the Strait of Hormuz, saying that after Iran "once again closed the Strait of Hormuz following the crimes committed by the United States more than two weeks ago," talks were subsequently held in Oman.

He said, "The other side insisted that the southern route, which had been opened for ship traffic, remain open until the Iran-Oman negotiations reached a conclusion and only then be closed, but the Iranian delegation did not accept this proposal."

Gharibabadi added: "We explicitly declared that whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran had been clear since the beginning of the war, and such proposals would not be accepted."

President Trump said he has a lot of patience and time for reaching a deal with Iran. He also said the Strait of Hormuz is in "very good shape," despite Iran's recent efforts to interfere with shipping through the key waterway.

The president said Iran requested to meet with the U.S. through surrogates and directly. A reporter asked the president how much patience he has for the situation right now.

"I have a lot of patience," Mr. Trump said. "I have plenty of time. Plenty of time."

"I think there's a good chance that something could happen. And if it does, good, if it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago."

President Trump said he hasn't spoken with Saudi Arabia about joining the Abraham Accords , a condition he added for the U.S. and Saudis to go through with a civilian nuclear program on Saudi soil. After the deal was signed last week, the president took to Truth Social to say the Saudis must join the agreement normalizing relations with Israel for the nuclear deal to go through.

A reporter asked the president if he's received any indications from Saudi Arabia as to whether they will sign onto the Abraham Accords.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump said the U.S. has plenty of munitions, following reports from CBS News and other outlets that the rapid pace that the U.S. is expending some of its most advanced air-defense interceptors and precision-guided weapons in the Middle East is a point of great tension inside the Trump administration, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.

Officials told CBS News there are broader concerns about America's readiness for conflict in the future. A reporter asked the president if he's concerned about depleted stockpiles.

"No. We have plenty. We have a lot of ammunition. Different types," Mr. Trump responded. "You know, Biden gave a lot to Ukraine. And so we're building that up. But we have a lot. We have a lot of the mid-level stuff too. I mean, more than we could use no matter what. But we have a lot. I'd like to have more, to be honest. But so much was given to Ukraine by Biden. When I left, the cupboards were full."

The president said for some of the most sophisticated technology, the U.S. would like to have more supply.

The head of Iran's parliamentary national security commission warned Monday, in a social media post written in Ukrainian, that Ukraine could soon "come to understand that Iran does not leave its actions unanswered," following a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel over the weekend.

"Any attack on Iran always comes at a price, and this remains true today as well; the US and Israel are well aware of this. Ukraine may soon also come to understand that Iran does not leave its actions unanswered," the lawmaker, Ebrahim Azizi , wrote on X , adding that "the list of those who miscalculated continues to grow!"

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier Monday that he wanted to avoid opening a "new front" as his country continues battling to repel Russia's full-scale invasion, but he acknowledged a Ukrainian strike on Saturday that hit an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.

"We have to be careful. We have to do everything we can to not open a new front in any way," Zelenskyy told Britain's Sky News. "But we have to be honest: The Iranians and the North Koreans have already attacked us."

Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian diplomatic representative in Tehran on Saturday to condemn the Ukrainian strike, which the ministry said killed one sailor and wounded another.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the attack "cannot go unanswered."

Mediators, led by Qatar and Pakistan, have made progress toward bringing the United States and Iran back to negotiations and restoring an interim ceasefire deal that collapsed in early July after exchanges of fire, The Associated Press reported Monday, citing two regional officials.

The AP cited one of the officials as describing the progress made in the mediation efforts as "significant."

The official said mediators were working with Iran and Oman on a mechanism to manage vessels' passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the flashpoint for the latest strikes and counterstrikes.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman confirmed earlier Monday that talks with Oman were continuing, "focused on creating the necessary arrangements regarding the Strait of Hormuz."

Spokesman Esmail Baqaei noted that the discussions with Oman "may sometimes be subject to different interpretations," and he stressed that there was no direct dialogue between Iranian and U.S. officials.

Speaking to Axios Monday, President Trump said there were "very deep talks" with Iran underway, but if they don't work, the U.S. will "go back to very strong military action."

Iran and Oman are talking about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and regional sources told CBS News those talks are making some progress, though Tehran insists there has been no new direct dialogue with U.S. officials.

"We are in very deep talks with Iran," Mr. Trump told Axios. "If they don't work out, we will go back to very strong military action."

Axios asked the president how long he will give the diplomacy.

"Not much time," he responded. "Either it goes fast or not at all."

Bahrain's Ministry of Defense announced Monday that the small Persian Gulf state would conduct a joint military exercise this week with some of its neighbors, all of which have come under attack by Iran during the war with the U.S.

The "Bahrain Shield" exercise will run from Tuesday through Thursday, "with the participation of armed forces from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states," the Bahrain Defense Forces said in a statement , adding that the drills would "improve combat performance levels."

Without specifying which of the six GCC member states would take part, the Bahraini military said the exercise would help strengthen "the cooperation framework and joint military coordination to face various challenges."

The last three days have seen no new strikes by Iran against U.S. allies in the Middle East, and the Trump administration has said it is giving diplomacy a chance amid talks between Iran and Oman aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Prior to the current detente, however, Iran had attacked GCC members daily during a renewed round of fighting with the U.S., which began in early July as a ceasefire agreed to as part of a memorandum of understanding signed by President Trump and his Iranian counterpart crumbled.

According to the independent Institute for International Security Studies in Israel, Iran has targeted Bahrain with at least 70 weapons launches since the now-defunct U.S.-Iran ceasefire took effect in mid-June, and it was targeted with more than 700 Iranian weapons before the memorandum of understanding was signed.

The government of Qatar on Monday strongly condemned attacks by Iran-backed groups in Iraq "that attempted to target oil facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh regions of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using drones."

Saudi Arabia's military confirmed earlier that drones targeting oil infrastructure in the two locations were intercepted, causing no damage.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the State of Qatar's full solidarity with the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support for all legitimate measures it takes to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity," the Qatari ministry said in its statement , shared on social media.

"Israel's continued destruction of homes and bulldozing of villages in southern Lebanon constitutes a direct violation of human rights and a clear breach of international laws and norms," Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said during a meeting Monday with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, according to a statement from the president's office.

"Israel has also targeted religious and heritage sites, demonstrating premeditated intentions against both people and property, especially since such sites are not military targets and do not host armed groups," said Aoun, calling for "international action to put an end to" the Israeli operations against the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

"Lebanon remains committed to implementing the 'Framework Formula,' but fears that Israeli practices will undermine its effectiveness, and it will not accept the continued violation of its provisions," he said, referring to a deal brokered by the U.S. between Israel and Lebanon.

Türk said the U.N. human rights office was monitoring developments in Lebanon, "particularly the continued Israeli attacks since March 2, in order to prepare a detailed report on violations affecting human rights," according to Aoun's office.

Saudi air defenses intercepted several drones launched from Iraq on Monday that were targeting petroleum facilities, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesperson for Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense, said in a brief statement shared on social media.

Al-Maliki said the "terrorist attempts were launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by terrorist militias affiliated with Iran," and he stressed the kingdom's inherent right to defend itself and to "respond at the appropriate time and place."

Iran has not launched drone or missile strikes on Saudi Arabia or other Persian Gulf states since U.S. forces paused their attacks on Iran on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters before leaving for a visit to Washington on Monday that he would discuss with President Trump "all the issues on the agenda, primarily Iran."

"Our goal is to maintain our security and also expand the circle of peace around us," Netanyahu said. "I am embarking on this mission with one clear goal - to ensure the security, strength and future of our precious State of Israel."

Netanyahu, who will also attend the funeral of former U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, said he would "pay my last respects to our friend, a true friend of mine and of the State of Israel."