The agreed 60-day negotiating period between the United States and Iran expired Monday with no completed deal, as President Trump and top advisers described a stalled process and aired contentious options for exerting control in the Gulf.
U.S. officials describe stalled momentum
Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to the president, said Monday that Iran was “not showing any interest” in a deal that the United States would consider acceptable. In an interview on Fox News, Kushner said that Tehran does not appear willing to abandon a path to nuclear weapons and that the parties remain at odds over transparency and reciprocity.
"[President Trump] is willing to make a deal that could be great for the Iranian people … but right now they are not showing any interest in doing something that makes sense for us," Kushner told Fox News.
Kushner suggested the two sides at least continue to exchange views, saying the United States and Iran were engaged in "very positive conversations" even as he warned that mutual distrust complicates negotiations after years without diplomatic relations.
President Trump raises provocative maritime option
In separate remarks in the Oval Office Monday, President Trump said he favored the idea of making the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory, a concept he described as giving the United States “total control” over the strategic waterway.
"I like the idea of declaring it a territory. We have total control over the strait," Trump told reporters, adding that a blockade has been "very effective." He referred to moving barrels of oil out of the strait and noted that normal tanker traffic remained disrupted, a factor that pushed oil prices higher Monday.
The president also reiterated his bottom-line objective on Iran: preventing the country from acquiring nuclear weapons. "Look, we're in there for one reason: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," he said, while asserting that Tehran would not accept the terms he considers necessary.
What expired and what comes next
The 60-day period that expired Monday was part of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran covering a broader potential peace agreement. With that window closed and no final agreement announced, U.S. officials and the White House emphasized that discussions have not ceased but face notable hurdles.
- Duration: 60-day memorandum of understanding concluded Monday.
- Stakes: Preventing Iranian development of nuclear weapons remains the stated U.S. goal.
- Diplomatic posture: Administration officials described continued talks but signaled skepticism about Iran's willingness to meet U.S. terms.
The public comments came as signs of friction emerged between U.S. negotiators and Tehran over what concessions each side is willing to make and how to verify them. Kushner said Iran must be willing to avoid "hiding certain cards" and to make fair concessions, while acknowledging the challenges posed by decades of mutual distrust.
Market and strategic consequences
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has immediate economic implications: the strait is a critical transit point for global oil shipments, and the White House acknowledged that tanker activity had not returned to normal, a dynamic that contributed to a rise in oil prices Monday. The president’s mention of moving barrels out of the strait and a blockade underscores the administration’s focus on using maritime control as leverage if diplomacy falters.
| Time (ET) | Key comment |
|---|---|
| About 3:05 p.m. | Trump endorses idea of making the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory; cites blockade and oil movements. |
| About 2:53 p.m. | Trump says Iran won't "make the kind of deal that I feel is necessary." |
| About 2:42 p.m. | Kushner says Iran is "not showing any interest" in a U.S.-acceptable deal; stresses continued conversations. |
Analysts and lawmakers will likely press administration officials for clarity on what steps the United States would take if diplomacy fails, including the legal and operational implications of asserting control over an international waterway. For now, the expiration of the 60-day MOU leaves negotiators without the immediate deadline they had been operating under, even as the broader goal of preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon remains central to U.S. policy.
As the White House pursues both diplomatic exchanges and public pressure, officials must balance the risks of escalating military postures in the Gulf with the challenge of producing a verifiable, enforceable agreement that addresses U.S. security concerns.
