Trump says new US-Iran talks to begin Monday evening

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that new negotiations with Iran would begin later in the evening. Speaking to reporters, Trump said an understanding had been reached on the Strait of Hormuz and that an agreement on Iran's nuclear program could be reached. Trump said the format of the talks between the United States and Iran was still being worked out, and that discussions would start Monday evening. He stressed that a deal had been struck over the Strait of Hormuz and that a deal would also be reached on Iran's nuclear program, while repeating that the U.S. military stood ready to act at any moment. The president added that a large-scale operation against Iran had been prepared and would have been the largest such attack since World War II. He said the operation had been called off to create space for negotiations, but stressed that the military option remained on the table. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20 percent of global oil and LNG exports. Ship traffic through the chokepoint has fallen sharply because of Iranian restrictions and reciprocal attacks.