President Donald Trump said the United States is prepared to resume major military action if diplomacy fails, while Iran denied seeking talks with Washington and insisted it will determine when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz can fully resume.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump warned Monday that the United States could quickly return to large-scale military action against Iran if ongoing diplomatic efforts fail, as Tehran claimed continued control of the Strait of Hormuz and rejected reports that it had requested negotiations with Washington.
“We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” Trump told Axios in an interview.
Asked how long he was prepared to allow the discussions to continue, Trump said, “Not much time.”
“Either it goes fast or not at all,” he added.
The president said he suspended planned U.S. strikes Friday after regional intermediaries urged him to allow another opportunity for diplomacy. The discussions are focused on restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and reviving broader negotiations involving Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran had requested a meeting with American officials. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei disputed that account Monday, saying Tehran was not negotiating with the United States and had not asked to begin direct talks.
“Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” Baghaei said during a press briefing.
“Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are fabrications that the other side circulates from time to time,” he said.
Baghaei compared the United States to “a mafia gang that adheres to no rules or laws” and maintained that talks concerning the Strait of Hormuz were taking place strictly between Iran and Oman.
“These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing,” he said.
Iran has asserted that the strait “remains closed” until Tehran decides otherwise. Baghaei said the discussions with Oman involve “common principles and operational mechanisms” for reopening the waterway under joint Iranian and Omani management, adding that “technical and political consultations between the two sides were continuing.”
Iran and Oman announced in June that they had created a “Strait of Hormuz Committee” to consider the “future management of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the associated services to be provided, and the fees for the services, all in accordance with international standards.”
One proposal under discussion would reportedly allow Iran, Oman and nearby countries to collect fees for maritime security and environmental protection, modeled partly on arrangements used in the Strait of Malacca. Another would place the revenue into a jointly administered fund involving the International Maritime Organization.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said Monday that he had spoken with officials from Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt about establishing “practical, fair, and sustainable arrangements” for navigation through the strait.
Axios reported that negotiations are being led primarily by Iran and Oman, with Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt also involved. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were also reported to be playing roles in the discussions.
“All of the people that deal with Iran asked me: ‘Don’t fire,’” Trump told Axios, adding that he believes Iranian leaders want an agreement.
Trump described the decision to pause the attacks as carrying little risk.
“Nothing gained, nothing lost,” he said, pointing to lower oil prices and gains in financial markets after the suspension was announced.
The president reportedly ordered the military Friday to halt planned strikes against targets along Iran’s southern coast and near the Strait of Hormuz after meeting with senior military and national security officials. He had been considering a wider campaign earlier in the week before shifting course Thursday evening, according to Axios.
A separate Axios report said Oman’s decision to send a delegation to Tehran was among the factors influencing Trump’s pause. The president reportedly wanted to assess whether the Oman-Iran discussions could produce progress before authorizing further military action.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Sunday that the three-day pause was intended to give negotiations “some space” and provide diplomacy “a little bit of room.”
A senior administration official told Reuters that Trump “has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way.”
Two unnamed regional officials told The Associated Press that mediators from Qatar and Pakistan had made “significant progress” toward returning Iran and the United States to negotiations.
One official said mediators were “working with Iran and Oman on a mechanism for managing vessels’ transit through the Strait of Hormuz.” Baghaei’s remarks appeared intended to reject any suggestion that the bilateral Iran-Oman talks were being conducted on Washington’s behalf.
Iranian state media reported Monday that six “offending ships” had been turned back after allegedly attempting to pass through the strait without Iranian authorization. One vessel reportedly experienced an “accident” while reversing course.
“As previously announced, the traffic route in the Strait of Hormuz is the route specified by Iran, and other routes are contaminated and have no way out,” an Iranian source said.
Iranian officials have used similar language when referring to vessels traveling close to Oman’s coast and remaining within Omani territorial waters rather than using the route demanded by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Oman has allowed commercial vessels to travel through its waters under U.S. protection, creating an alternative route that has frustrated Tehran. The IRGC has launched missile and drone attacks against ships operating in Omani waters as Iran has sought to close that passage.
Despite the pause in American strikes, Iran continued military activity elsewhere in the region Monday. Tehran launched drones toward Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq, according to regional officials.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones targeting petroleum infrastructure that had been launched by an Iran-backed Shiite militia operating in Iraq. Iraqi officials said drone strikes were also directed at targets inside Iraq, including Kurdish forces in the country’s north.
The Jordanian military said it shot down two drones targeting its territory. Israel’s military separately reported intercepting two unmanned aerial vehicles “identified in the area of the Jordan border.”
The continuing attacks have complicated diplomatic efforts and raised questions about whether the temporary U.S. pause can produce a durable agreement.
Trump said the United States remains prepared to act if the negotiations do not quickly deliver results. His warning came as Iran continued to portray itself as the final authority over passage through one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
The president is scheduled to meet Tuesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Iran expected to be a central topic.
“I am going to talk to Bibi about the fact that if I weren’t president, Iran would have had nuclear weapons by now and Israel would have been destroyed,” Trump told Axios.
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