President Donald Trump announced on Monday, May 13th, at 10 AM Eastern Standard Time, amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, that Iran is willing to negotiate. However, he added that he would not agree to any deal that allows Iran to possess nuclear weapons.

According to Reuters, President Trump stated, "This morning, we received a call from Iran saying they want to negotiate."

Earlier, on Sunday, May 12th, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on X (formerly Twitter), "If the U.S. government abandons its totalitarianism and shows respect for the rights of the Iranian people, a path to reaching an agreement will surely be found," and praised the efforts of the negotiation delegation.

However, on Monday, May 13th, Pezeshkian made remarks on X that supported Pope Leo XIV, escalating the war of words between President Trump and the Pope. This raises doubts about the sincerity of Iran's willingness to negotiate with the United States.

President Trump stated at the White House on Monday, "Iran will not have nuclear weapons," and added, "No nation can be allowed to threaten or extort the world."

Since the conflict began, Iran has prohibited the passage of vessels it considers hostile and has only allowed passage for ships from countries it deems friendly, such as China.

On February 19th, the European Union decided to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. On March 16th, the EU decided to impose further sanctions on 16 individuals and 3 entities, including senior Iranian officials who played a key role in suppressing street protests in January 2026, commanders of IRGC regional branches, security forces, judicial officials, and individuals from IT companies that developed tools for monitoring and controlling citizens.

These measures include travel bans, asset freezes, and an embargo on the export of equipment and telecommunications surveillance devices that could be used for internal repression, as well as prohibiting financial support to the specified individuals and entities.

However, the European Union and NATO allies have not yet responded to or have expressed refusal regarding President Trump's 'invitation' to the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts interpret this as the U.S. President's intention to cut off Iran's financial resources while simultaneously pressuring Beijing, the largest purchaser of Iranian oil, to compel Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier, President Trump stated on his Truth Social account this morning, "158 Iranian naval vessels have been completely destroyed and sunk to the bottom of the sea. The reason we did not attack is because of the few vessels they call 'high-speed attack craft,' as we did not consider them a significant threat."

He continued, "Warning: If any of these vessels approach our blockade line, we will immediately eliminate them using the same lethal weapons we use when interdicting drug smugglers at sea. It will be swift and brutal."

"P.S. 98.2% of drugs entering the U.S. by sea have been intercepted!" President Trump added.

In another Truth Social post, he said, "Yesterday, 34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the highest number since this foolish closure measure began."

The United States conducted mine-clearing operations while declaring a two-week truce with Iran and holding high-level truce talks in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group, which departed from Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia on March 31st, is expected to arrive in the Middle East by the weekend.

With this deployment, three carrier strike groups will be stationed in the Middle East in connection with the Iran conflict.

The Bush strike group carries over 6,000 personnel and approximately 60 combat aircraft, and is escorted by guided-missile destroyers such as the USS Mason, USS Donald Cook, and USS Ross.

The Bush carrier strike group is expected to bolster the naval blockade operations against Iranian ports, which began on April 13th, and to exert strong pressure on key Iranian military facilities and oil fields.

U.S. NNP=Chief Reporter Hong Sung-goo / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com