Up First from NPR Trump's Iran Progress Claims, Oil Industry Profit From Iran War, Rubio Meets Pope Leo
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May 7, 2026 
Mara Liasson, NPR political correspondent, tracks Trump’s shaky Iran deal claims. Camila Domonoske, business and energy reporter, follows oil giants cashing in as gas prices stay high. Megan Williams, Rome-based Vatican reporter, unpacks Marco Rubio’s delicate meeting with Pope Leo amid rising tensions. Big money, bruised diplomacy, and a lot of political risk collide fast.
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Trump Deal Claims Outrun Any Visible Iran Concessions
- Trump keeps saying Iran wants a deal, but Mara Liasson says Tehran still has not accepted key U.S. demands.
- Iran has not agreed to open Hormuz, stop uranium enrichment, surrender stockpiles, or renounce a nuclear weapon program.
Iran Messaging May Be Weakening Trump's Leverage
- Trump risks losing credibility as threats and declarations on Iran keep shifting without a visible endgame.
- Mara Liasson says European leaders already question whether he is improvising, while U.S. gas above $4 hurts Republicans facing midterms.
Oil Producers Are Booking A Delayed Windfall
- Oil companies benefit from war-driven price spikes, and some executives think markets still have not absorbed the full supply disruption.
- Camila Domonoske says delayed accounting masked profits, and Exxon argued real earnings were roughly double what appeared on paper.