Trump announces blockade after peace talks fail

Pope Leo XIV has publicly spoken out about the Trump administration's policies on Iran.  Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images

Trump sharply rebuked Pope Leo XIV in remarks to reporters and on social media tonight, calling the first American leader of the Catholic church “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.”

“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, when he was asked about his lengthy Truth Social post tonight criticizing the Leo.

“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is OK in our cities. I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” Trump added.

The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The pope last week criticized Trump’s public threats to “wipe out” Iranian civilization, saying “attacks on civilian infrastructure are against international law” and urging people to contact leaders and members of Congress to call for peace. He has urged Trump to end the war in Iran, and he lamented in his Easter message last week that the world is “becoming indifferent” to violence. Leo had also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Read the full story here.

Trump tonight said he isn't pressing Iran for another round of talks after the weekend's peace negotiations ended without a resolution.

Speaking on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after he got off Air Force One, Trump was asked how long he might wait for Iran to commit to a possible second round of talks.

"Oh, I don't know," he said. "I don't care if they come back or not. If they don't come back, I'm fine."

Trump suggested negotiations to end the war aren't crucial, listing what he characterized as key victories.

"Their military is gone," he said. "Their missiles are largely depleted. The manufacturing capability for missiles and drones is largely defeated."

Trump says 'I don't care' whether Iran returns to negotiating table

00:35

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized in a statement today ahead of the 51st anniversary of the 1975 civil war that his nation needs to "learn from our past."

Some of the country’s religious groups took arms against one another in the war, which broke out on April 13, 1975, after a growing Muslim population grew tired of the country's Christian-dominated government. It ended in 1990 with the dissolution of many of the country’s armed factions, except for the Shia Muslim, Iran-backed Hezbollah.

“In the civil war, we fought each other, and everyone paid the price,” Salam said. “Today, what is required is for us all to stand together, not against each other, to fortify our internal unity, and to prevent strife, or the threat of it, or the exaggeration of the specter of civil war, as if we were unaware of its consequences.”

The U.S. and Iran will reach an agreement if the American government "abandons its totalitarianism and respects the rights of the Iranian nation," President Masoud Pezeshkian said on X.

Talks between the nations failed yesterday after hours of negotiations in Islamabad. Iran and the U.S. could not agree on multiple points, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and dismantling all nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran.

U.S. intelligence reporting suggests China is planning to provide new air-defense weaponry to Iran in the coming weeks, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

CNN first reported on the intelligence yesterday.

Asked yesterday about the possibility of China's providing air-defense assistance to Iran, Trump said, "If China does that, China's going to have big problems."

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment outside business hours. An embassy spokesperson told CNN that “China has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict; the information in question is untrue.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today that the U.S. and Iran were "inches away" from a memorandum of understanding during the weekend's peace talks.

He said on X of the negotiations, "When just inches away from 'Islamabad MoU', we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade."

Araghchi characterized the talks as among the "highest level" between the U.S. and Iran in 47 years; he also called them "intensive."

He said Iran approached the talks in good faith.

"Good will begets good will," he said. "Enmity begets enmity."

The price of oil surged tonight after Trump said the U.S. would blockade the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks with Iran failed.

U.S. crude oil soared 8%, to more than $104 per barrel. International Brent oil jumped more than 7%, to $103 per barrel. Wholesale gas prices also spiked 6%, while heating oil, a proxy for jet fuel prices, jumped 10% in early trading.

Stock futures declined sharply. Futures that indicate where the S&P 500 will trade fell 1%, Nasdaq 100 futures slid 1.3%, and Dow futures tumbled more than 500 points.

Read the full story here.

A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman’s Musandam province Sunday.   Reuters

U.S. CENTCOM says blockade of Iranian ports begins Monday

02:32

The U.S. will blockade all vessels headed in and out of Iran's seaports starting at 10 a.m. ET tomorrow, U.S. Central Command said.

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM won't impede ships using the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, it said in a statement on X.

The command advised boat operators to monitor radio communications and keep in touch with the U.S. Navy via radio when they near the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance has landed back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after his trip to Pakistan for talks with Iran.

A Lebanese Red Cross paramedic was killed by Israel today when a drone "directly targeted" a team, the organization said in a statement.

The paramedic, whom the organization identified as Hassan Badawi, was carrying out a mission in the town of Beit Yahoun in southern Lebanon when the drone attacked. Another paramedic was wounded, according to the Lebanese Red Cross.

"Prior to the mission, the necessary contacts had been made with UNIFIL to ensure protection and safe passage," the organization said, referring to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.

The organization said the ambulances and their crews were also clearly marked by the Red Cross emblem.

NBC News asked the IDF for comment.

The Lebanese Red Cross said it "strongly condemns the attacks on its personnel as they carry out their humanitarian duties, adhering to fundamental principles, particularly neutrality, impartiality, independence, and humanity. This targeting is a continuation of clear and blatant violations of all provisions of international humanitarian law."

Fuel protesters block the N7 motorway in Rathcoole near Dublin on Sunday, the sixth day of a national fuel protest against rising fuel prices. Niall Carson / PA Images via Reuters

Protests continued across Ireland for a sixth consecutive day as demonstrators voiced frustration over rising fuel prices following the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

Video captured by resident Cormac McGinley showed a gathering of demonstrators in Ennis, County Clare, this afternoon. Similar scenes unfolded in Cork city center, where video by the local outlet CorkBeo.ie showed crowds disrupting traffic.

The atmosphere in Cork grew tense at times, with one protester recorded shouting over a local politician: “We don’t want you.”

Facing mounting pressure, the Irish government held an emergency meeting today to approve a “fuel subsidy support” plan, according to state broadcaster RTÉ. The plan includes temporary cuts to excise duties on gasoline, diesel and marked gas oil from late May through July and delays a scheduled carbon tax increase.

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon accused the Israel Defense Forces of ramming vehicles belonging to peacekeepers in southern Lebanon twice with a Merkava tank today, causing significant damage to one of them.

UNIFIL also said the IDF has fired “warning shots” in Bayada, Lebanon, over the past week, "striking and damaging clearly identifiable UNIFIL vehicles."

NBC News has asked the IDF for comment.

The IDF also "continually" blocked UNIFIL peacekeepers' movement in the area and vandalized organization headquarters recently, the organization alleged. That included damaging cameras the UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura and spray-painting its windows.

"Peacekeepers will remain in position and will continue to impartially report violations we observe to the Security Council," UNIFIL said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Affairs Ministry summoned Iraq's ambassador, Safia Taleb Al-Suhail, to Saudi Arabia because of drone attacks and threats launched at the kingdom from Iraqi territory.

Political Affairs Undersecretary Saud Al-Sati denounced the attacks and "emphasized the importance of Iraq dealing responsibly with these threats," the ministry said in a statement.

Al-Sati also said the kingdom "will take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its territory," the ministry said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani spoke to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun today to reinforce his country's support for Lebanon amid attacks from Israel, according to a readout from Aoun's office.

Al-Sudani also told Aoun that Iraq will provide urgent aid to Lebanon, including fuel and food.

Vice President JD Vance and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saturday in Islamabad. Jacquelyn Martin / Pool / AFP via Getty Images

U.S. negotiators expected the talks with Iran yesterday to be a brief table-setting meeting to tee up future talks. Instead, it turned into continuous negotiations over 21 hours, according to a source familiar with the talks.

Vance went into the negotiations recognizing that the U.S. and Iran have interacted little over the last 50 years — a dynamic that could foster mistrust and misperceptions, a U.S. official familiar with the talks told NBC News. One of his primary goals was to reach mutual understanding of respective objectives and negotiating space. 

The official characterized the talks as tough but said that by the end, there was a friendly and productive exchange of proposals.

It was clear to Vance and the U.S. delegation, the official added, that Iranians did not understand the core U.S. objective: that any deal be anchored by an agreement that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. 

Throughout the talks, Vance tried to correct the misunderstanding, and he left Islamabad after having delivered a best and final offer to Iran that he believed should be fair and acceptable to all parties, the official said. 

The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza announced today that a fleet of 70 ships with 1,000 people on board is setting sail to Gaza from Barcelona, Spain.

The Global Sumud Flotilla also set sail today from Barcelona with the goal of getting to Gaza and breaking Israel's blockade of the enclave.

Humanitarian organizations have criticized Israel for withholding humanitarian aid from Gaza's over 2 million residents. Israel, which controls access to the enclave, denies doing so.

The Iranian delegation has left Pakistan after failed peace talks with the U.S., according to Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Dar bade farewell to the delegation, which included Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Trump said in an interview on Fox's "Sunday Morning Futures" that oil and gas prices could be "a little bit higher" or "around the same" ahead of the midterm elections.

Asked by anchor Maria Bartiromo whether he believed that the price of oil and gas would be lower before the midterm elections, Trump said, "I hope so."

"I mean, I think so," he said. "It could be, it could be or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same. I think this won't be that much longer."

Oil and gas prices have swelled since the start of the war.

The Trump administration had previously projected confidence that the rising oil and gas prices would be short term. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in March that there was "a very good chance" that gas prices could fall to below $3 a gallon by the summer.

The average gas price is about $4.13 a gallon, according to AAA. The price has increased $1.14 per gallon since the start of the war.

Trump said in an interview on Fox's "Sunday Morning Futures" that his decision to blockade the Strait of Hormuz was "called all in and all out."

"There'll be a time when we'll have them all come in and all come out," Trump said of the ships in the strait.

A view of the vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz, seen in Oman, on Wednesday.  Shadi J. H. Alassar / Anadolu via Getty Images

"But it won't be a percentage. It won't be a friend of yours, like a country that's your ally or a country that's your friend," he continued. "It's all or nothing, and that'll be — that won't be in too long a distance."

He criticized Iran charging ships to pass through the strait, saying that "we're not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don't like, or whatever it is."

NBC News has previously reported that Iran has been forcing oil tankers to transit through a passage controlled by its military, and some ships are being charged millions of dollars.

Five people, including three women, were killed in an Israeli attack on Qana in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Twenty-five additional people were wounded, the ministry said.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., responded to Trump's post about the U.S. blockading the Strait of Hormuz, saying in an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that Trump is "doing the right thing."

He said he believed Trump was trying to make a "strategic decision" to allow the U.S. to "establish that control" over the waterway. He pointed to Trump saying that the Navy would work to decommission any mines in the Strait "so that you could have an orderly return to the Strait of Hormuz being open."

"The president, I believe, is doing the right thing, trying to control the straits, possibly in order to open that up for international water, so you can have trade move freely, not just in that region, but for the rest of the world," he said later.

Trump has threatened a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of trying to extort vessels for passage, after the failure of peace talks yesterday.

The leader, who previously attacked Iran for blocking the critical oil and shipping chokepoint, said in a Truth Social post: “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”

He said that he had “instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” adding: “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”

Trump also threatened to resume the conflict after peace talks failed yesterday, adding: “At an appropriate moment, we are fully ‘LOCKED AND LOADED,’ and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran.”

Iranian officials have reacted to the failed U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan with confidence that Iran has the upper hand in the conflict and will continue to restrict passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

In the 40 days of war, the U.S. has "learned that the victorious side is determined by the will of nations and superiority on the battlefield, not by rhetoric on social media," said Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of Iran's parliament, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency.

"In the coming days, they will also learn that diplomacy is an arena of respect, interaction and acceptance of realities, not dictating wishes,” he said.

An Iranian lawmaker who was part of the negotiating team in Pakistan, Mahmoud Nabavian, said leaders around the world should know that "the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened."

"The world will experience a new form of management in the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

A second flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza was due to set sail on Sunday from ⁠the Spanish port of Barcelona to try to break the Israeli blockade.

About 30 boats planned to leave the Mediterranean port city laden with medical aid and other supplies on the Global Sumud Flotilla, and more vessels are expected to join ⁠along the route towards Palestine.

The Israeli military ​halted ⁠the roughly 40 boats assembled by the same organisation last October as they attempted to reach blockaded Gaza, arresting Swedish activist ⁠Greta Thunberg and more than 450 other participants.

Israel, which ​controls ⁠all access to the Gaza ‌Strip, denies withholding supplies for its more than 2 million residents. Yet Palestinians and international aid bodies say supplies reaching the territory are still insufficient, ‌despite a ceasefire reached in October which included ‌guarantees of increased aid.

Liam Cunningham, an actor who starred in the Game of Thrones television series who is supporting the flotilla but not taking part, told Reuters: “Every kilogram of ⁠aid that is on these ships is a failure because all these people on these ships giving up their time to help their fellow human beings are doing what their governments are legally obliged to do.”

The World Health Organization has said that even during armed conflicts, states are obligated under international humanitarian law to ensure that people are able to reach ‌medical care in safety.

“This is a mission that aims to open ​a humanitarian corridor so the aid delivery organisations can arrive,” ‌Saif Abukeshak, a Palestinian activist and ⁠member of the flotilla’s organising committee, told Reuters.

Swiss and Spanish activists ⁠on last year’s flotilla said they were subjected to inhumane conditions during their detention by Israeli ‌forces — an allegation ​that was rejected by an Israeli foreign ‌ministry spokesperson.

The U.S. failed to gain Iran's trust during negotiations in Islamabad, Iran's parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the delegation in Pakistan, said today.

"Before the negotiations, I emphasized that we have goodwill and the necessary will, but due to the experiences of the previous two wars, we have no trust in the other side," he said in a post on X.

He said his colleagues presented "forward-moving initiatives," but the U.S. "was not able, in this round of negotiations to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation."

Referring to the war, he added that Iran will not cease for a moment our efforts to consolidate the achievements of forty days of the Iranian nation’s national defense."

Differences over the Iran war have "undoubtedly strained things with the Trump administration," and Britain made the "right decision" in not joining the conflict, one of Keir Starmer's top officials has said.

In an interview this morning with Sky News, NBC News' international broadcasting partner, U.K. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was disappointed by the failure of peace talks and criticized Trump personally.

He said the U.S. president has said "incendiary, provocative, outrageous things" on social media and he is "not sure it's ever clear" what the president means in some of his posts. Trump has repeatedly criticized Britain and other European countries for staying out of the war.

“I think we’ve all come to learn that you judge President Trump through what he does, not just what he says," Streeting said. “And ultimately, the only way in which we’re going to clear this situation up is to reach agreement with Iran, one that puts nuclear weapons beyond its ambitions and reach.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants “a real peace agreement that will last for generations” with Lebanon.

The prime minister said his country is continuing to fight Hezbollah, and peace talks with Lebanon are dependent on the disarmament of the group.

Talks between the two nations are due to begin Tuesday. The U.S. will mediate.

A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said there was no expectation in Tehran of a deal, particularly amid the war.

“These talks were held after 40 days of imposed war, in an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion,” Esmaeil Baghaei said in remarks to Iranian news outlet SNN. “Naturally, we should not have expected an agreement in just one meeting and no one had such expectations.”

Baghaei said common ground was found on a number of issues but that “on two, three key topics there were significant differences and, ultimately, the talks did not lead to an agreement.”

Talks with the United States, which Baghaei described as the longest single negotiating session with the U.S. in the past year, included new topics like the Strait of Hormuz and regional issues.

“Under all circumstances, the diplomatic apparatus must pursue the rights and interests of the Iranian people,” he said.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged the U.S. and Iran to continue their ceasefire despite peace talks in Islamabad concluding with no agreement to end the war.

In a post on X, Dar characterized the lengthy negotiation session as both intense and constructive, saying the nations should maintain the talks’ “positive spirit,” move forward with the goal of regionwide “peace and prosperity” and vow to continue to withhold attacks against each other.

“It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire,” he said.

As that takes place, he said, Pakistan will stand by.

“Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come,” Dar said.

Iranian state media said “excessive demands” sank the possibility of a U.S.-Iran agreement to end the war at this weekend’s peace talks.

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said on Telegram that the sides could not find common ground on a number of key matters, including the Strait of Hormuz and the country’s development of nuclear technology, it said.

“After 21 hours of talks and diplomatic efforts, the excessive demands by America prevented any agreement,” it said.

After announcing that no agreement had been made, Vice President JD Vance boarded Air Force Two in Islamabad ahead of his departure from host country Pakistan.

Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. delegation left negotiations with the Iranian delegation with an “understanding that is our final and best offer.”

“We were negotiating in good faith,” Vance said. “And we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”

The vice president said that he and the U.S. delegation were in “constant communication” with Trump throughout the 21 hours of peace talks. Vance told reporters that the president urged him to have “good faith” and “make your best effort to get a deal.”

“We did that, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to make any headway,” Vance said.