Iran War Day 213: U.S.-Iran Talks Reportedly Continuing as White House Touts Progress of ‘Economic Outcast’

The Iran War State of the Union: The UK continued to investigate a possible terror plot against an airbase used for Iran operations. Photo by James Gilbert/PGA TOUR via Getty Images President Trump said Sunday that he anticipated U.S. and Iranian negotiators would continue talks on the war this week, following his reported rejection of an Iranian proposal over the weekend. “I expect more talks with Iran [this week],” the president told Axios. “They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make,” he added. “It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand." Trump confirmed to reporters today that U.S. and Iranian representatives spoke Monday through mediators, though no breakthroughs have been reported. Subscribe Today Get daily emails in your inbox Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X that economic pressure on Iran was yielding results. “Operation Economic Outcast has caused the rial to hit record lows,” he wrote, alongside a graphic showing the rial’s current exchange rate of 2.44 million to 1 U.S. dollar. In the United Kingdom, five men involved in a possible plot targeting a British airbase were released on bail Monday. Their release raises new questions about what had previously been characterized as a potential terror attack on RAF Fairford, which hosts U.S. bombers and supports operations against Iran. The base’s role in the Iran War has led to speculation that Tehran may have been involved, although no evidence has been publicly adduced to support such a link. Brent crude was trading around $104.46 on Monday morning, a rise from the previous trading day. AAA reports that the average price of regular gasoline in the United States is $4.48 per gallon.