Trump and Iran: Stubborn Standoff as Tehran Denies New Talks
Iran has rejected Donald Trump's claim that fresh negotiations are beginning, as the US president pushes for a deal and Tehran keeps the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the standoff.
US President Donald Trump built his political style on the lesson of his late mentor Roy Cohn: always claim victory and never admit defeat. In Iran, however, he has met an opponent he himself describes as unbelievably duplicitous, and the latest round of crisis diplomacy has quickly collapsed into mutual accusation.
Trump announced that new negotiations with Tehran would start this week, saying a peace deal could be reached within days. He had previously promised to hit Iran “very hard”, but on Sunday made a U-turn, claiming that the “perimeters of a deal” had been agreed, covering the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the denuclearisation of Iran. On his social media platform, Truth Social, he wrote that Iran had begged for a meeting and that no progress would be made unless Iran accepted a deal or total surrender.
The Iranian government immediately denied his account. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that there are no negotiations with the United States. Tehran is talking to Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, he said, but even an agreement would not restore the waterway to its prewar status. Iran must ensure the strait is not misused by parties that committed aggression against it, Baqaei added.
The military picture remains largely unchanged. Iran can still close the strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes, and can fire ballistic missiles at US bases and regional allies. The United States remains capable of devastating strikes, though it faces shortages of key munitions and lacks targets that could compel Iran to change course.
Trump has hinted dozens of times that a deal is close, while three ceasefires have collapsed since April. He now faces midterm elections in about three months, with Republicans expected to lose the House and possibly the Senate. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that fewer than a third of Americans support the war in Iran, and 69% say Trump has not clearly explained US goals.
Perhaps more importantly, Iran's strategic unpredictability has become a weapon. Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute said Tehran is trying to maximise the pain it can impose on the United States and its Gulf partners. Trump, in Vatanka's view, is not ready for a deal that would work for Iran. With a US blockade choking Iranian trade, Tehran sees little point in endless rounds of talks; it is trying to get Trump's attention and force a different outcome.
