Intl desk: US President Donald Trump has said no talks or conversations are taking place or scheduled with Iran, while insisting that the US naval blockade remains in full force and that mines in the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said the United States was now “begging” to negotiate on Tehran’s terms after failing to force Iran to surrender.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defence said Iran had launched two ballistic missiles targeting maritime traffic. One missile landed in UAE territorial waters, while the other fell into the sea outside its territorial waters, according to the ministry.
Iran rejected the accusation. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei called the UAE’s claim “baseless”, saying such allegations harmed good-neighbourly relations and undermined efforts to build trust in the region.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Iran were underway or planned, adding the Strait of Hormuz remained open under Washington’s naval blockade.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he added.
Citing a US official, CNN reported Tuesday that Trump told top administration envoys to halt their conversations with Iran.
White House officials have recently communicated to political allies that they are shifting their strategy — going from “hammer Iran ASAP” to “strangle them” over time, according to a source familiar with the matter, said CNN.
According to the report, officials said that Trump’s instruction to his negotiating team — Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — to not engage with Tehran came after some “positive discussions” with the country.
Kushner was in Israel on Monday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss regional issues, including the Gaza Strip.
Following the meeting, he told Fox News that communications between the US and Iran are “more robust” than ever.
Tehran and Washington agreed to a ceasefire in April and later signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending their military conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.
The deal collapsed last month, however, with Iran and the US exchanging attacks for nearly two weeks before Trump abruptly halted the bombardment amid efforts to revive the agreement.
Source: Anadolu and Al Jazeera
