President Donald Trump is asserting that Iran is "negotiating on fumes" and insisting November's midterm elections won't make him rush into a deal to end the nearly 3-month-old conflict that's spurred unease across the global economy. Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Trump expressed confidence that an agreement is near. Over the weekend, he even declared that his administration and Tehran had "largely negotiated" a settlement, but the negotiations were still in flux. The president is looking for a settlement that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide him a credible argument that Iran's nuclear capability has been diminished enough to declare victory, winding down a conflict that's been politically unpopular for Republicans.

U.S. President Donald Trump says the Iran ceasefire is on "life support" after he rejected Tehran's latest proposal to end the war. Officials said the proposal included some concessions on Iran's disputed nuclear program, but on Monday Trump dismissed it as "garbage." The stalled diplomacy and recent exchanges of fire could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict. Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and America's blockade of Iranian ports are still in place. Trump said he would suspend the federal tax on gasoline to help Americans shoulder higher fuel prices caused by the war.

The U.S. military fired on an Iranian oil tanker as President Donald Trump sought to pressure Tehran into reaching a deal to end the war. The military said in a social media post that a fighter jet shot out the rudder of the tanker Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman as the vessel tried to breach the American blockade of Iran's ports. The attack occurred as Iran and the U.S. are officially in a ceasefire. Trump threatened Tehran with a new wave of bombing if a deal is not reached that includes opening the critical Strait of Hormuz. The president posted on social media that the two-month war could soon end.

President Donald Trump says the only reason the Iranians are alive today "is to negotiate," as he sends Vice President JD Vance overseas to work on a resolution to the war. Vance is warning Iran not to "play" the U.S. as he heads to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending the 6-week-old conflict. The Republican vice president set off Friday to lead mediated talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Vance says he's "looking forward to the negotiation" and thinks it'll be positive. Vance's trip comes as a temporary ceasefire appears to be on the precipice of collapsing.

With the ceasefire in Iran still shaky, U.S. and Iranian negotiators are heading to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials. Many issues could derail the truce and the negotiations aimed at making a broader deal to stop the fighting permanently. Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency claimed that the talks set for Saturday would not happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon. U.S. President Donald Trump complained that Iran was doing "a very poor job" by not allowing the free flow of ships through the strait, through which 20% of the world's traded oil once passed.

A new AP-NORC poll finds most Americans believe recent military action against Iran has gone too far and many are worried about affording gasoline. As the war launched by the U.S. and Israel continues in its fourth week, the survey indicates that while President Donald Trump's approval rating is holding steady, the conflict could be turning into a major political liability for his Republican administration. About 59% of Americans say U.S. military action has been excessive. Meanwhile, 45% are "extremely" or "very" concerned about affording gas in the next few months, up from 30% shortly before Trump took office. However, there's significant support for Trump's objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.