Trump Says Iran Deal 'Largely Negotiated' as Gas Hits $4.56

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that an agreement between the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran "and the various other countries" to end their two-month war "has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization", saying he discussed the deal in a "very good call" with regional leaders and separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The New York Times, citing three senior Iranian officials, reported Tehran has agreed to a draft plan to halt fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Five days earlier Trump postponed planned US strikes as Gulf leaders signalled a deal was close; four days earlier his call with Netanyahu over a revised Qatar- and Pakistan-drafted peace memo was described as tense.

Tehran disputed several specific terms Trump described. A senior Iranian official denied that Tehran had agreed to surrender its highly enriched uranium -- believed to be over 440 kilograms enriched to 60 percent after the June 2025 US strikes -- as part of any memorandum of understanding. Israeli officials told Le Figaro they feared the deal would prioritise de-escalation over Israel's core concerns, after Israel hit Beirut for the first time since the ceasefire and Hezbollah struck back. Johns Hopkins University analyst Vali Nasr told Middle East Eye that an unusually generous US offer would in fact deepen Iranian wariness, because the IRGC-dominated National Security Council in Tehran would read it as cover for renewed military preparation. Separately, analysts warned that if the strait remains closed and OECD oil stocks continue to be drawn down at the April pace, critically low levels could be reached by end-June.

The crisis sits on US gas pumps. The national-average price of gasoline reached $4.56 a gallon on Wednesday, the highest level this year, after Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global energy supplies. Every state has now topped $4 a gallon, with Washington state setting an all-time record at $5.79 and Alaska averaging $5.27. The price spike has become a central political pressure point ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, with both Democrats and Republicans criticising the White House's handling of the crisis.

In Washington itself, the Secret Service shot dead a 21-year-old Maryland man, Nasire Best, who opened fire on a security checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday. A bystander was wounded, no officers were hurt, and the White House -- where President Trump was in residence -- was briefly placed on lockdown. Officials said Best was known to the Secret Service and had a documented history of mental-health conditions; it was the third reported instance of gunfire in the vicinity of the president in the past month.

Anthropic's Claude Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.5 were able to identify and exploit software vulnerabilities at a pace exceeding human experts, according to nine cybersecurity researchers and technology leaders who tested the models. The UK AI Security Institute found Mythos could take over a corporate network autonomously in 60 percent of attempts and GPT-5.5 in 30 percent of attempts. The Trump administration has delayed signing an executive order that would establish a voluntary AI model-testing regime.

Texas Republicans vote on Tuesday in a Senate primary runoff between Attorney General Ken Paxton, endorsed by Trump, and incumbent Senator John Cornyn. The winner faces Democratic state Representative James Talarico in November's midterm. Recent polls show Talarico tied with or leading both Republican candidates -- a notable opening in a state that has not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994.

On Saturday Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County after a tank holding 5,000 to 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate leaked at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, forcing the evacuation of more than 44,000 residents because of the risk of catastrophic tank failure. And US intelligence assessments reported by The Wall Street Journal said Russia and China have upgraded electronic-surveillance facilities in Cuba and increased intelligence personnel since 2023, positioning them to monitor sensitive US military and economic activity along the south-east coast.