Iran 'far from final agreement' with Trump ahead of second round of talks in Pakistan
Donald Trump has taken to social media claiming that Iran fired on French and British ships in the Strait, ahead of further US-Iran negotiations in Pakistan tomorrow.
Trump has said the US won't be "blackmailed" by Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Picture:
Alamy
President Trump issued new threats against Iranian infrastructure after claiming on social media that Iranian ships shot at a freighter from the United Kingdom. The claims come ahead of a second round of talks between the US and Iran as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, following reports that Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker northeast of Oman.It has not been independently confirmed that the ship was from the United Kingdom. Taking to Truth Social on Sunday morning, Trump wrote: "Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it?"He added that US representatives are headed to Islamabad, Pakistan for tomorrow evening for the negotiations. The post went on: "Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it. "They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing."The President added that "many ships" were headed to the US to "load up" despite the issues with the Strait. "We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they [Iran] take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! "They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor [sic] to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END! President DONALD J. TRUMP"Read more: Counter terror police investigating attempted arson attack reported at north London synagogueRead more: FBI director Kash Patel denies he is a threat to US national security after excessive drinking claims
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, left, meets with hand with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in Islamabad, Pakistan, ahead of another potential round of negotiations with the US.
Picture:
Alamy
The post comes after Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf gave an interview to state media ahead earlier this weekend.He said “progress has been made” and both sides had a “more realistic understanding of each other”, but noted that “the gaps remain significant” between the two powers. Mr Ghalibaf also accused US President Donald Trump of lying, saying Iran has not given up nuclear enrichment, and would not hand over the so called “nuclear dust”.He added that nuclear issues and Strait of Hormuz remained central issues. The speech follows a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) saying that control of the Strait of Hormuz has now “returned to its previous state” because of the US’s continuing blockade of Iranian ports.The IRGC Navy has now said that the vital waterway will stay closed until the US blockade is lifted, according to Iranian state media.
Some tankers remain anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran.
Picture:
Alamy
Iran’s IRIB broadcaster shared an IRGC statement that said the United States has “continued acts of piracy and maritime theft under the guise of a so-called blockade.""For this reason, control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is now under strict management and control by the armed forces,” it said.Meanwhile, Axios, citing a US official, has reported that there have been at least three attacks on ships in the strait since the re-closure.At least one ship was hit and suffered some damage, but there were no reports of injuries, the official said.Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a written statement warning his country's “enemies” that the Iranian navy is ready to make them “taste the bitterness of new defeats”.Meanwhile, Iran's leadership has repeated its claim that ships must pay to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.According to a statement from the national security council, shared by the Iranian state Fars news agency, Iran said it is determined to exercise supervision and control over traffic through the strait "until the war is definitively ended" and a lasting peace is achieved in the region.It added that this would be achieved by receiving complete information from passing vessels, issuing a certificate of passage and "paying the costs related to security, safety, and environmental protection services".
A convoy of tankers has passed through the Strait of Hormuz after the major shipping route reopened on Friday.
Picture:
MarineTraffic
Previously, US President Donald Trump rejected the prospect of ships paying to pass through the strait.Trump later addressed the closure during a press conference on Saturday, saying, "It's working out very well"."They got a little cute as they have been doing for 47 years," he said.He also reiterated claims that the US had mostly eliminated the country's navy, air force and leadership."They wanted to close up the strait again as they have been doing for years, they can't blackmail us."We'll have some information by the end of the day. We're talking to them, we're taking a tough stand."But Iran's deputy foreign minister has said there will be no further in-person peace talks with the US until it changes its "maximalist" demands.Speaking at a diplomacy forum in Turkey, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran was seeking the finalisation of a "framework agreement" before moving to another meeting."We are still not there yet to move on to an actual meeting because there are issues that the Americans have not yet abandoned their maximalist position".
