"When the Allies Ask to Call It Off, You've Got to Sort of Say, Well Let's See, Trump Said

President Donald Trump said peace talks with Iran will begin Monday afternoon, after he called off what he described as World War II-level strikes. Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said a deal will be reached on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and that an agreement to denuclearise Tehran will follow. He said Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar had asked him to halt the strikes, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman playing a particularly important role in the decision.

"When the allies ask to call it off, you've got to sort of say, well let's see, Trump said. "The reason they asked is they think there's a deal, there's a deal on Hormuz and there will be a deal on the nuclear – or you might call it the denuclearisation of Iran. His comments followed a Truth Social post on Saturday in which he wrote that the US military was "locked and loaded" for an unprecedented campaign against Iran.

Meanwhile, a report from EY warned that Britain's economy could slip into recession next year if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed into 2027, with GDP potentially contracting by 0.2 per cent in 2026 and inflation soaring to 6.4 per cent. If the waterway reopens by the end of the third quarter, growth is forecast at 0.9 per cent in 2026 and 1.2 per cent in 2027. Fuel theft from UK forecourts has risen sharply since the conflict began on 28 February, with an estimated daily average of £194,000 stolen, a 48 per cent increase in value, according to Forecourt Eye. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed at least 18 Palestinians on Sunday, the highest daily toll in weeks, despite Trump's claim of a breakthrough in ceasefire efforts. Iran executed two nationals this morning after accusing them of sending sensitive military coordinates to Israel, Fars news agency reported.