Trump hits out at critics, says Tehran ‘really wants’ a deal

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at critics as a potential agreement with Iran remains elusive, saying that Tehran “really wants to make a deal” and that it will be a good one for the U.S. and its allies.

His comments come as air strikes between the U.S. and Iran resumed over the weekend, with each side claiming to have hit military targets near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that typically handles around 20% of the world’s global oil traffic.

“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“But don’t the Dumocrats, and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans, understand that it is MUCH tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate, when political hacks keep negatively ‘chirping,’ at levels never seen before, over and over again, that I should move faster, or move slower, or go to war, or not go to war, or whatever,” Trump said.

“Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end – It always does!”

The U.S. Central Command said it had conducted “self-defense strikes” on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk and Qeshm Island over the weekend, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted an air base used in the U.S. attack in retaliation.

An Axios report published Saturday said Trump had requested several amendments to the latest terms his envoys had reached with Iranian officials. The report, which cited two unnamed U.S. officials, said Trump’s request hinged on several issues, notably Iran’s nuclear material. CNBC was unable to independently verify the report.

Kuwait, positioned in the northwestern corner of the Persian Gulf, reported Monday that its air defenses had been intercepting missile and drone attacks. If explosions are heard, they are the result of the air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks, the Kuwaiti army said on social media.

The U.S. president has repeatedly said Washington and Tehran have been close to agreeing a deal since a ceasefire came into effect in early April, although talks have shown little progress in recent weeks.

“The problem I would say is that we have been promised a good deal for a long time now and it’s more than 90 days gone,” Wolff told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on Monday.

“I understand it will take time to really have a solid deal but have the fundamentals changed? No, they haven’t. Iran continues to have significant capabilities to inflict a lot of damage, it can continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, it still has nuclear-enriched materials, so the fundamentals haven’t changed,” he added.

Oil prices were higher on Monday morning. International benchmark Brent crude futures with August delivery advanced nearly 3% to $93.74 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with July delivery rose 3.3% to $90.20 per barrel.

Brent and WTI closed off by 11.1% and 9.6% last week, respectively, notching their worst weekly performance since mid-April.