© iStrfry , Marcus via Unsplash
In an interview with the American network Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Strait of Hormuz will open “very soon.” If that does not happen, new, major U.S. attacks on Iran are imminent.
According to Trump, negotiations with Iran are moving in the right direction, but he did issue a warning: if Iran does not honor its commitments, there will be new U.S. attacks.
“The strait will be opened very soon; otherwise, they’ll have a very hard time,” he said. “If they back out again, they’ll really have a hard time. They know that. They understand that. I have no choice.”
Trump also stated that he would prefer not to launch new attacks and that the U.S. is conducting productive negotiations with Iran, but that “Iran is reluctant to admit that.”
Following Trump’s statement earlier this week that negotiations were underway, Iran denied this. Iran did, however, state that it is holding talks with Oman regarding an arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
On June 17, Washington and Tehran reached a provisional 14-point agreement, in which both countries agreed, among other things, to halt the attacks, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiate a lasting ceasefire for 60 days. Following a new escalation in early July, Donald Trump suspended that temporary truce.
Illustration: © iStrfry, Marcus via Unsplash