President Trump said Tuesday his administration is not speaking to Iran and asserted U.S. control over the Strait of Hormuz while Tehran signaled a new phase of defiance and aggression in the region, raising tensions across the Gulf region.
Mr. Trump’s message on social media was a clear sign he plans to use economic pressure to force Tehran to meet his demands, rather than rely on cycles of diplomacy that haven’t yielded results.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social. “The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect.”
Mr. Trump said the blockade, beyond squeezing Iran financially, is directing traffic through the strait to reduce shortfalls in the global oil supply.
“The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he said.
Tehran in March severely curtailed commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel between Iran and Oman, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli airstrikes that began on Feb. 28.
Vessels had to navigate possible mines in the strait and sporadic attacks, making the passage perilous.
Despite Mr. Trump’s optimism, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center said projectiles struck two vessels as they tried to navigate the strait on Tuesday.
A crew member on one of the ships, which was traveling close to Oman, was killed.
Also Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates military detected two ballistic missiles fired at the country from Iranian territory, marking the first round of direct attacks on the Gulf nation in over a month.
The UAE Ministry of Defense announced via social media that both missiles had fallen into the ocean, with only one falling within the country’s territorial waters.
The ministry did not clarify if its forces had shot down the missiles, but an earlier post from the same source warned civilians that “if any sounds are heard, they are the result of air defence interceptions.”
SEE ALSO: United Arab Emirates reports two Iranian missiles fired at territory
“The Ministry of Defence affirms that it remains on high alert and fully prepared to address any threats, and to respond firmly to any attempt aiming to undermine the security of the UAE, in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, security and stability, and protects its interests and national capabilities,” the ministry said.
Iran has not claimed responsibility for the strikes.
The attack also comes after a period of relative calm in the latest round of fighting, following Mr. Trump’s decision to pause a large-scale bombing campaign against Iran.
However, reports this week indicate that the pressure from the U.S. naval blockade may prompt Iran to accelerate the conflict with more regional strikes.
While the UAE received the brunt of Iranian missile and drone attacks in the first phase of the U.S.-Iran war earlier this year, it has consumed comparatively little of Tehran’s attention after hostilities restarted last month.
In contrast, Iran has launched several missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain since fighting restarted, resulting in the deaths of several U.S. service members last month.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Tuesday said Iran’s forces will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the U.S. fulfills its obligations under the now-defunct Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
In a public address, Mr. Ghalibaf specified that until Washington agrees to remove its naval blockade, unfreeze billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets, ease sanctions and halt military operations on all fronts, the strait will stay closed.
Those demands contradicted Mr. Trump, who says the U.S. directs traffic in the strait, and are consistent with the terms laid out in the memorandum of understanding, signed by the U.S. and Iran in June. However, the deal is now effectively dead after the two sides returned to war last month following Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement,” Mr. Ghalibaf said on X, before criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as “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,” he said.
U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as investors digested uncertainty in the region, high bond yields and oil prices that rose to around $90 per barrel.
The U.S. average price of gas stood at $4.07 per gallon on Tuesday, a 37% increase from when the war started, according to the AAA motor club.
Gas cost an average of $3.14 per gallon at this point in 2025.
The U.S. and Iran have struggled to strike a deal that would settle the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz and set the table for curtailing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, which remains Mr. Trump’s key goal.
U.S. officials have pointed to the fractured nature of Iranian leadership as a key sticking point – something even the Iranians have acknowledged.
In his remarks, Mr. Ghalibaf warned against internal political disputes that could further weaken Iran militarily and at the negotiating table. He added that much of Iran’s internal strife is the work of foreign adversaries looking to foster unrest.
Despite Mr. Ghalibaf’s background as a diplomat, he made it clear that his country is prepared to strike back if attacked again.
“I should also emphasize that the breathing space created by the memorandum through the lifting of the blockade and the ceasefire helped strengthen Iran’s economic resilience and rebuild its defensive capabilities,” he said. “The Islamic republic is prepared to respond to any further aggression by inflicting an even heavier defeat on the enemy than before.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.