During a press encounter at Palm Beach International Airport, President Donald Trump hinted at possible shared governance of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. This came as he was en route from a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate. When CNN’s Kaitlan Collins inquired about who currently oversees the Strait, Trump suggested the waterway might soon see collaborative management if ongoing negotiations with Iran are successful. “It’ll be jointly controlled,” he indicated optimistically.

Pressed further on the specifics of this joint control, the President quipped, “maybe me, maybe me,” referring to himself and the yet-to-be-determined Iranian leader. He humorously speculated about partnering with “the ayatollah, whoever the ayatollah is, whoever the next ayatollah [is].” Trump opined that any transition in Iran’s leadership would inherently signify “regime change.” Following the recent passing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran appointed his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new Supreme Leader after initial conflicts involving Israeli and US forces.

However, Trump clarified that current US negotiations do not involve Khamenei. “We have not heard from the son,” he remarked, adding uncertainty about Mojtaba’s status. Instead, he alluded to progress in talks with a respected figure within Iran. “We’re dealing with some people that I find very reasonable, very solid,” he stated, expressing hope that one of them might align with US objectives. Drawing a parallel to Venezuela, Trump remarked on the apparent success following the US’s capture of former leader Nicolás Maduro, leaving Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s second-in-command, to oversee the transition.

Axios reported Monday that Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in touch with the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to an Israeli source. Trump hasn’t identified the Iranian official talking to the US, for fear it would get him killed. ‘We are dealing with a man that I believe is the most respected,’ Trump said. The Israeli source also told Axios that mediating countries were trying to convene a meeting this week in Islamabad, Pakistan, with Ghalibaf and other officials representing the Iranians. Witkoff, Kushner and possibly Vice President JD Vance would represent the American side, the source told Axios.

The President’s comments Monday morning marked a notable change in tone from the threat he made on Truth Social Saturday night, saying he would start striking Iranian power plants if the country didn’t open the Strait of Hormuz. He called that threat off Monday morning due to the progress made with negotiations. The Saturday night threat to blow up Iranian power plants over the Strait of Hormuz also marked a departure from how he said he viewed the issue Friday when departing the White House. Trump shrugged off Iran’s chokehold on the Strait, saying the US didn’t ‘use’ it. ‘We don’t use the Strait,’ he said. ‘The United States, we don’t need it. Europe needs it. Korea, Japan, China, a lot of other people.’ ‘So, they’ll have to get involved a little bit on that one,’ Trump said.