Trump: Silence best if Iran halts talks

President Donald Trump declared that silence would be the best approach if Iran paused its indirect negotiations with the United States. "I think we've talked too much already, if you want to know the truth. I think silence is golden," Trump told NBC News on Monday, June 1, 2026.

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I think we've talked too much already, if you want to know the truth. I think silence is golden.

Trump suggested that a halt in negotiations would not automatically lead to direct attacks but emphasized that U.S. blockades on Iranian ports would persist. He stated the U.S. would let Iran wait "as long as they want" because Tehran was significantly disadvantaged by the blockades.

This statement followed a report from Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, which claimed Tehran had suspended mediated peace talks. The agency stated Iran's negotiating team would halt "talks and text exchanges through mediators" until their demands regarding Gaza and Lebanon were met. Tensions in the Middle East had escalated since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, leading to Iranian retaliation targeting Israel and U.S. allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to secure a lasting agreement.

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I really don't care. I don't care at all.

Separately, Trump told CNBC that he "really doesn't care" if peace negotiations with Iran end, responding to reports of Iran halting communications due to Israeli military operations in Lebanon. He mentioned he would "ask" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "what's going on with Lebanon." Trump also expressed no concern about oil prices surging, despite Iranian state media reporting Tehran's threat to "completely block" the Strait of Hormuz and halt negotiations. "I think oil prices are going to go down very dramatically in the near future, you know, very near future," Trump said.

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I think oil prices are going to go down very dramatically in the near future, you know, very near future.