Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump says the U.S. is talking with what he calls a respected Iranian leader and says the Islamic Republic is eager for a deal to end the war.

Trump says he extended a deadline by five days for Iran to reopen the crucial strait of Hormuz or face more attacks on its power plants.

But as NPR's Aibatrawi explains, Tehran has disputed Trump's claims.

Here's what Trump told reporters this morning before boarding a flight.

We want to see peace in the Middle East. We want the nuclear dust. We're going to want that.

And I think we're going to get that. We've agreed to that. Yeah,

we've agreed to that. But Iran's foreign ministry says there's been no dialogue. Iran's parliament

speaker called it, quote, fake news used to manipulate financial and oil markets. But Iran did say

there are efforts by countries in the region to reduce tensions right now. NPR's Aibatrowi reporting,

oil prices are currently just under

$90 a barrel. That's more than $10 down from where they ended last week. As NPR's Kamila

Dominovsky reports, the price of oil has been responding as much to Trump's verbal signals as to

physical realities. When President Trump posted in the morning about very good talks with Iran,

crude oil prices slid dramatically and stayed down even when Iran said talks were not underway.

Ed Crooks with the research firm Wood McKinsey says oil traders are jumping at the slightest

hint about when the war will end. And that's where you're seeing prices swinging backwards and forwards on these little

fragments of information.

Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed for business.

Only two vessels passed through on Sunday, according to the shipping intelligence company

Kepler, down from more than a hundred a day pre-war.

Camilla Dominoossky, NPR News.

The Senate is sent to vote on confirming Oklahoma Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen

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