Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Trump saying “very good conversations going on” with Iran; the Strait of Hormuz is back to its “previous state” under the “control of armed forces,” according to Iran, citing a US blockade; and Tehran has not yet agreed to a next round of negotiations with Washington.
US President Donald Trump said the US has “very good conversations going on” with Iran.
“We have very good conversations going on. It's working out very well. They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years. Nobody ever took them on. We took them on,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
“They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no leaders. They have nothing. Actually … it is regime change. You call that enforced regime change, but we're talking to them,” he added.
“We're talking to them … we're taking a tough stand,” Trump said. “We'll have some information by the end of the day,” regarding talks with Iran.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said that the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its "previous state" under the control of its "armed forces," citing an ongoing US blockade on Iranian ports.
"Control over the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is under the strict management and control of the armed forces," the IRGC joint command said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Until the US "restores full freedom of movement for vessels traveling to and from Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain strictly controlled and unchanged," it argued.
Tehran has not yet agreed to a next round of negotiations with Washington, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing "relevant authorities."
"Iran has not, up to this moment, agreed to the next round of talks" due to the US blockade of Iranian ports and Washington's "excessive demands in the negotiations," it said.
"The absence of excessive US demands is a key condition for continuing talks," the report claimed, adding that the message was relayed to the US via Pakistani mediators.
A new mining law passed by Venezuela’s parliament this month has been signed into law by Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, according to state media.
State broadcaster VTV reported that Rodriguez announced the signing during a meeting with economic officials in Caracas, saying the legislation is expected to attract increased investment in the country’s mining sector.
"The Organic Mining Law has entered into force as of this moment. Here it is, I hand over to the Venezuelan people this law that will allow us to attract important investments," she said.
Rodriguez also thanked US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their approach toward strengthening diplomatic and economic cooperation with Venezuela.
The Trump administration extended a sanctions exemption on some Russian oil as prices continue to skyrocket in the wake of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The move comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US would not extend an exemption on the sale of Russian oil.
Gas prices have skyrocketed since the war in the Middle East began Feb. 28, with the average gas price in the US surging by more than 30% to more than $4 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline and more than 40% to over $5 a gallon for diesel fuel, according to numbers released by the American Automobile Association (AAA).
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