President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that the US was not engaged in talks with Iran and that none were scheduled, a reversal of his earlier claims that there were ongoing negotiations despite Iranian denials.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He repeated his claim that the Strait of Hormuz is “open and operating,” but traffic through the waterway remains extremely limited, and at least two ships have come under attack in recent days, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which said at least one sailor was killed in the attacks.
In a separate post, Trump shared an image that labeled the Strait of Hormuz as a “new US territory,” after suggesting earlier this week that, after the war ended, he would declare the strait part of the US. The president also threatened to “bomb the shit” out of Oman over its talks with Iran regarding the strait, despite US officials previously backing the negotiations.
Trump and other top administration officials have suggested in recent days that they’re happy to sit back and continue putting economic pressure on Iran through sanctions and the blockade, which has involved attacks on commercial ships, while Iranian officials have made clear the economic campaign won’t lead to Iranian capitulation.
“Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohamed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X on Tuesday. “Bessent and Hegseth are way out of their league. Stop waiting for the clown crew to pull a rabbit out of their hat and clean up the mess you made.”
Iranian officials have also suggested that Tehran may go on the “offensive” in the face of the continued US blockade. The UAE said on Tuesday that it detected two missiles launched from Iran and that one fell inside its territorial waters, though it remains unclear if Iran was actually attempting to target the country.
