Trump Says Iran 'Wants to Make a Deal' but Terms Not Yet Acceptable; Macron Urges De-escalation

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran is seeking a negotiated end to the conflict, but indicated Washington is not yet ready to accept the terms being offered. "Iran wants to make a deal, but the terms aren't good enough yet," Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News.

Trump's comments came as French President Emmanuel Macron separately spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging him to halt what Macron described as Iran's "unacceptable attacks" carried out directly or through proxy forces across the region. "The unchecked escalation we are witnessing is plunging the entire region into chaos, with major consequences today and for the years to come," Macron wrote on X following the call.

France has significantly increased its military presence in the region in a defensive posture, deploying eight frigates, two amphibious helicopter carriers and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

On March 11, the UN Security Council adopted a Bahrain-led resolution condemning Iranian attacks on regional states. A separate draft resolution introduced by Russia on the broader crisis failed to pass.

Trump has been pressing other world leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to contribute naval forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In a call on Sunday, Starmer and Trump discussed the importance of reopening the strait to end the disruption to global shipping.

More than 250 US organizations have signed a letter calling on Congress to halt funding for the war, arguing that the $11.3 billion spent in the first six days diverts critical resources from domestic needs.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ABC News he expects the conflict to end "within the next few weeks, could be sooner," and forecast a significant rebound in oil supplies once hostilities cease.