President Trump on Monday said new negotiations with Iran will be the Islamic republic’s “last chance” to get a decent deal and attacked the regime for what he said were “duplicitious” disavowals of the president’s earlier assertions that a peace deal between the two countries could happen soon.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said he expects negotiations to proceed smoothly from the early phases to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and eventually to total Iranian denuclearization.
“The first phase is the opening of the straits, the second phase will be the denuclearization, and that will take a little while,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re very strong on it. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
His optimism around a looming deal to end the U.S.-Iran war stands in sharp contrast to comments made the same day by Iran’s foreign ministry.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told a press conference earlier that the only diplomatic conversations Iran is maintaining are with Oman over creating an “understanding on a route that would ensure the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.”
He added that the strait would remain mostly closed to commercial shipping until the U.S. ends its naval blockade and military aggression against Iran.
SEE ALSO: Iran says no talks with U.S. expected despite Trump’s assurances
Mr. Trump, similarly, insisted that the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iran would continue until there was a definitive deal or “total surrender.”
In a social media post earlier in the day, Mr. Trump accused the Iranian government of saying one thing in private and another when speaking publicly.
“They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’ talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with ‘Oman,’” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump on Saturday announced he had called off a new round of strikes on Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf partners that have been pulled into the conflict. He added on Monday that direct negotiations could take place this week.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the Pentagon was “ready to go” with strikes on targets in Iran and is prepared to launch more attacks.
The U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, with Mr. Trump declaring that the operation would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and would foster regime change within the country.
In response, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, using a combination of missiles, small boats, mines and drones. At least one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the waterway each year and its closure has driven up energy prices globally.
The cost of Brent crude oil, an international benchmark, dropped about 6% to around $83 per barrel on Monday after Mr. Trump called off strikes on Iran and announced progress toward a peace deal over the weekend.
Domestic gas prices in the U.S. remain exceptionally high, however, with AAA reporting Monday the average gas price for regular unleaded is approximately $4.10 per gallon.
While Iran insists that it is not holding negotiations with the U.S., Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, held separate phone calls with his Pakistani and Omani counterparts. Both countries have worked to mediate negotiations with the U.S. and Iran since the war began.
Regional outlets also reported Monday that Pakistan plans to hold another round of discussions with the U.S. in Islamabad, and intends to invite Mr. Araghchi and Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who participated in the last round of direct talks with Washington.
The U.S. and Iran have only held one round of direct negotiations in the last five months. The talks, held in Switzerland in June, were intended to serve as the basis for a 60-day negotiation period, outlined in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed also in June.
However, the deal quickly broke down over varying interpretations of several provisions, including control over the Strait of Hormuz, the status of Iran’s frozen assets and a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon.
The two sides have since returned to a familiar pattern of attacks and counterattacks, with U.S. Central Command targeting strategic targets along Iran’s coast and Tehran firing missiles at American military sites in the Middle East.
The U.S. also reimposed a naval blockade last month after a week-long pause that saw commercial traffic approach pre-war levels. CENTCOM, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said Monday that its forces have turned away 44 vessels since the blockade restarted.
Despite the collapse of the agreement, Iran has continued to hold talks with Omani officials over a future agreement that would govern the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran wants to impose near-total control over the waterway, which would require transiting vessels to work directly with Iranian authorities to ensure safe passage. Ships would also need to pay transit fees to the proper authorities in Tehran.
International response to future Iranian control over the strait has been roundly negative, with U.S. officials insisting that it would accept no deal that allows Tehran to maintain control over what was considered international waters before the war began.
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