The US president, who is meant to be busy hosting King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House during their state visit, has found time in his schedule to lash out at the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, whom he said “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” regarding Iran.

In a post on Truth Social moments ago, Donald Trump wrote:

The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!

Yesterday, an unusually outspoken Merz said he couldn’t see what a “strategic exit” from the war would look like for the United States and said that the US was being “humiliated” by Iran’s leadership as talks between the two parties have stalled.

Speaking to students in Marsberg, Merz said:

The Americans clearly have no strategy … The problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to go in; you also have to get out again. We saw that all too painfully in Afghanistan, for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq. So this whole affair is, as I said, ill-considered, to say the least.

He also suggested that Trump’s negotiating team was being outplayed:

The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result.

An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.

Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his current term, as Americans increasingly sour on his handling of the cost of living and his deeply unpopular war against Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The four-day poll completed on Monday showed that only 34% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in the White House, down from 36% in a prior Reuters/Ipsos survey, which was conducted from 15 to 20 April.

Trump’s standing with the US public has trended lower since taking office in January 2025, when 47% of Americans gave him a thumbs-up. His popularity has taken a beating since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran on 28 February, which has led to a surge in US gasoline prices.

Only 22% of poll respondents approved of Trump’s performance on the cost of living, down from 25% in the prior Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The price hikes are weighing heavily on American households and fuelling concern among Trump’s Republicans that they could lose control of Congress in the November midterm elections.

While a solid majority of Republicans - 78% - still say they back Trump, 41% of the party say they disapprove of his handling of the cost of living, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Independent registered voters, a group that could be decisive in the midterms, favoured Democrats by 14 points, 34% to 20%, when asked who would get their vote in congressional elections. One in four said they were still undecided.

While the war has cooled since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month, Iran’s threats are preventing most oil shipments from leaving the Persian Gulf, fueling further increases in US and global energy prices as global economies run down reserves and restrict demand.

Just 34% of Americans approve of the conflict, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The US president, Donald Trump, has claimed in a new Truth Social post that Iran has “just informed” Washington that they are in a “state of collapse”. Trump also said Iran wants the US to open the strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible” as they try to “figure out” their “leadership situation”, something he says he believes is possible.

We have not been able to verify any of these claims. Iran has not commented on them yet.

Trump has not said who the US has been speaking to in Iran as he has cast the regime in a state of chaos with the country’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, reportedly severely injured, and lawmakers divided on negotiations about Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Iran put forward a new proposal on Monday for a ceasefire deal focused on opening the strait of Hormuz, setting aside discussions on nuclear weapons, missiles, sanctions and other issues for later, according to officials in the region.

As my colleagues note in this story, Iranian officials said Tehran would be prepared to talk about the nuclear issue eventually, only after the US blockade of Iran’s ports had ended.

The United Arab Emirates has announced it is quitting the Opec group of oil producers.

In an unexpected move, the UAE is leaving Opec and Opec+ (which includes allies such as Russia) from 1 May, a move which could allow it – in theory – to produce more oil and gas.

The UAE’s energy ministry says in a statement that the decision “reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile”, and follows a “comprehensive review” of its production policy, and its current and future capacity.

Opec, created back in 1960, agrees and sets production quotes for members in an attempt to control the oil price. The UAE is a long-standing member, having joined in 1967.

The UAE pledges to “act responsibly” after it quits Opec, saying it will bring “additional production to market in a gradual and measures manner” in line with demand and market conditions.

In the short-term, though, the UAE – like many Opec members in the Gulf – faces the serious challenge of the blockade on the strait of Hormuz.

Follow more developments related to this over on our business live blog:

Saudi Arabia is to host a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah later today, in what will be first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became dragged into the war.

A Gulf official told the Reuters news agency that the meeting aimed to craft a response to the thousands of Iranian missile and drone attacks Gulf states have faced since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on 28 February.

Qatar’s emir, Kuwait’s crown prince, Bahrain’s king and the UAE’s foreign minister arrived in Jeddah to attend the summit, Saudi state media reported. It was unclear who would represent Oman.

Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region after the US and Israel bombed Iran in late February in an unprovoked attack widely considered to have been launched illegally.

Iran said its retaliatory strikes targeted US military installations hosted in the region but Iranian missiles or drones also hit airports, hotels and other civilian targets across the Gulf, as well as key energy infrastructure.

More than a dozen people have been killed in Gulf Arab states and 23 in Israel by Iran’s retaliatory attacks, including those launched by its proxies.

Attacks have subsided since the US and Iran entered a ceasefire on 8 April, but there remains a deep well of anger from Gulf countries who have suffered huge economic and reputational damage as a result of the war.

The Israeli military has ordered residents of 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately to the Sidon area.

The affected towns and villages are: Ghndouriyeh, Burj Qlawiyeh, Qlawiyeh, al-Sawana, al-Jumayjima, Safad al-Batikh, Braashit, Shaqra, Aita al-Jabal, Tibnin, al-Sultaniyya, Bir al-Sanasil, Dounin, Khirbet Silm, Salaa and Deir Qifa, according to a social media post by the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, who claimed the attacks are being launched due to Hezbollah violating the US-mediated ceasefire agreement Israel signed with the Lebanese state in mid April.

Israeli airstrikes have reportedly killed at least 40 people in Lebanon since the ceasefire there began on 17 April. Under its terms, Israel retains its “right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”.

Hezbollah has said it would not cease its attacks on Israeli troops inside Lebanon and on towns in northern Israel as long as Israel continued its ceasefire violations.

The Lebanese president Joseph Aoun wants direct negotiations with Israel to bring an end to the Israeli assault, whereas Hezbollah opposes talks. Aoun has said the aim of the talks is to “fully” stop Israeli attacks, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel and the deployment of Lebanese troops along the border.

The Israeli ground invasion in southern Lebanon has cut people off from returning to their homes in about 55 villages, according to Doctors Without Borders, which has condemned the destruction and demolition of entire villages by the Israeli military. Israel has occupied a belt of territory at the border where its soldiers remain for what it describes as security reasons.

The White House said on Monday it was examining Iran’s latest proposal to unblock the strait of Hormuz, via which one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass through, the AFP news agency is reporting (see post at 08.36 for context about the critical waterway).

The US president, Donald Trump, met with senior security advisors yesterday to discuss the Iranian proposal after Iran passed “written messages” to Washington via mediator Pakistan, stating its red lines, including on nuclear issues and the strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

The White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed to journalists that the proposal was “being discussed”. It would reportedly see the US lift its blockade on Iranian ports and Iran ease its control over the strait while broader talks continue.

“The United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations,” Iranian defence ministry spokesperson Reza Talaei-Nik reportedly said.

Asked about Iran’s proposal, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Fox News “it’s better than what we thought they were going to submit,” but questioned whether it was genuine.

“They’re very good negotiators,” he said. “We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.”

Al Jazeera is reporting that Israeli forces are shelling areas of southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire.

Lebanon’s national news agency reported earlier that Israeli warplanes launched three airstrikes on the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah at 6am local time, with Israeli attacks also reportedly launched on the town of Bint Jbeil, which is about 5km north of the Israeli border and has seen heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.

Israel, which claims it is striking Hezbollah operatives and sites even though it has killed many civilians and destroyed civilian infrastructure with apparent impunity, was given extremely wide scope by the wording of the ceasefire that permits it the “right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”.

The ceasefire deal, which took effect on 16 April and was extended by three weeks last Thursday, was agreed between Israel and the Lebanese state, not Hezbollah, the Iranian backed Lebanese militant group and political party.

In its latest update, the Lebanese health ministry said since 2 March Israeli attacks have killed at least 2,521 people, including many women and children.

The renewed Israeli war on Lebanon started when Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel on 2 March after the US-Israeli bombing of Iran, triggering an Israeli aerial assault, invasion and continuing occupation of Israeli troops in some of Lebanon’s territory.

We are restarting our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Iran needs “credible guarantees” against more US-Israeli attacks before it can ensure security in the Gulf, Tehran’s envoy to the UN has said, while on a Russian visit Iran’s foreign minister blamed Washington for the failure of peace talks.

“The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands,” the minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Monday in St Petersburg, where Vladimir Putin promised him Moscow’s support in ending the war.

Donald Trump on Sunday had told Fox News that if Iran wanted talks, “they can call us” – adding that his cancellation of sending his envoys to Pakistan at the weekend did not signal a return to hostilities.

On Monday Amir Saeid Iravani, Tehran’s UN ambassador, told a security council session: “Lasting stability and security in the Persian Gulf and the wider region can only be achieved through a durable and permanent cessation of aggression against Iran supplemented by credible guarantees of non-recurrence and full respect for the legitimate sovereign rights and interests of Iran.”

Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed, without providing evidence, that Hezbollah’s rockets and drones were a key threat demanding military action as the Israeli army expanded airstrikes on Lebanon. Authorities there reported at least four people were killed on Monday despite a supposed ceasefire.

In other key developments:

• Donald Trump is unhappy with an Iranian proposal on the war because it does not address Iran’s nuclear program, Reuters cited a US official as saying on Monday, after Trump discussed the proposal with his top national security aides. Iran had offered to end its closure of the strait of Hormuz if the US lifted its blockade and ended the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on Iran’s nuclear program, the Associated Press reported earlier, citing two unnamed regional officials. Later reporting quoted White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt as saying the proposal was “being discussed”.

• Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said direct talks with Israel sought to end the war on Lebanon and that those who dragged Lebanon into it were the ones committing “treason” – a jab at the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, which claimed several attacks on Israeli targets in south Lebanon on Monday.

• Iraq’s newly elected president nominated businessman Ali al-Zaidi as the country’s prime minister-designate on Monday, after the country’s leaders yielded to US pressure not to support the bid of a former premier close to Iran.

• The Coordination Framework – an alliance of Shia factions with varying links to Iran – had initially backed powerbroker Nouri al-Maliki to become the country’s next premier, but Trump’s ultimatum left Iraqi leaders looking elsewhere.

• The US and Iran clashed at the UN on Monday over Tehran’s nuclear program and its selection to be one of dozens of vice-presidents at a month-long conference to review the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. US official Christopher Yeaw said Iran’s selection was an “affront” to the treaty. Tehran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, rejected the US statement as “baseless and politically motivated”.