Trump promises new Iran talks as Tehran touts Hormuz shipping deal with Oman | First Thing

US president says he called off another US attack on Iran as part of a push for an agreement. Plus why Pokémon Go is still bring global joy ten years on

Good morning. Donald Trump said talks with Iran would happen on Monday but declined to set a deadline for an agreement after earlier saying he had called ⁠off an imminent attack. For its part, Iran said it was nearing a deal with Oman over a new route through the strait of Hormuz, and that it had no plans to receive a delegation or send an Iranian one to any talks.

On Saturday night, the US president claimed on social media that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked for time to complete a deal ⁠that would lead to “the immediate, complete and total” reopening of the strait and “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”. Trump added that Tehran must “rapidly make a deal”.

What has Iran said about the strait? The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, told state television on Sunday that a deal was close with Oman over a new route through the waterway. “We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides – neither the northern route nor the southern route – but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security,” he said in an interview.

How many measles cases has the US seen? His remark came as the incidence of measles crossed a milestone – the US has officially recorded 2,371 confirmed infections so far this year, surpassing the total tally in 2025 of 2,289. Taken together, in the past two years there has been more measles infections in the US than the rest of the 21st century combined. The last time a greater number of measles cases were recorded in a single year was in 1991.

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