President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on May 20, 2026.
Evelyn Hockstein | reuters
President Donald Trump on Monday ignored the potential collapse of peace talks with Iran, telling CNBC, “Frankly, I don’t care if they collapse.”
“I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told CNBC’s Eamon Javers in a phone interview Monday afternoon. He said he felt that long conversations were “starting to get very boring.”
Trump was asked about reports that Iranian negotiators would cut off communications with the US, and that Tehran would move to “completely blockade” the Strait of Hormuz due to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
Trump said he was “going to ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu” about “what’s going on with Lebanon.” Reuters reported Monday afternoon that Trump spoke to Netanyahu by phone.
The president also said he was not concerned about oil prices, which have risen following reports in Iranian state media on Monday.
“I think the oil would be falling like a rock at very close, you know, very close distance,” Trump said.
But he also stressed that Americans who understand the importance of curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions would have no objection to higher gas prices as a result of war.
“Once you explain that this is all about Iran having nuclear weapons, people are willing to pay a little more,” he said.
Trump insisted that prices at the pump would fall “very precipitously.” But he has also repeatedly signaled that he is in no rush to restart stalled talks with Iran.
“If they’re over, they’re over. If they’re not over, you know, I think they’ve taken too long. Frankly, I thought they were starting to get pretty boring,” Trump told CNBC.
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