Trump says 'only semi-negotiating' with Iran: Report
Washington, Aug 10
US President Donald Trump said that "we are only semi-negotiating" with Iran, noting that he is prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to mount -- as opposed to ordering a new military offensive, Axios reported.
"We are low keying it," Trump told Axios during a brief phone call, arguing that Iran "is in very bad shape" economically.
The report noted that an agreement governing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was negotiated among Iran, Oman and the United States and "has been pending for a few days now."
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that Iran and Oman are "very close" to an agreement on the designation of a temporary route for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, Xinhua reported quoting Iran's official news agency IRNA.
Araghchi said on Sunday that the resumption of negotiations between Iran and the United States would not be possible unless the latter ends its violation of the MoU recently signed between the two countries.
Araghchi made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Tehran, stressing that no negotiations are currently underway between the two sides.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said that Iran will be "hit very hard" if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened "very soon."
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the United States is "having very good discussions" with Iran. But Tehran denied it is having any talks with Washington.
Trump earlier warned that he was giving Iran a "last chance before decapitation", he said that they were talking about opening the Strait of Hormuz "literally by tomorrow".
"I mean they're going to go quickly, one way or the other. It's not very complex", he said on Monday at the Oval Office.
"We're talking about the Strait, the opening of the Strait, having it open, literally by tomorrow", he said, but Iran has denied there were any talks with the US.
The contradictory claims leave the gateway to the world for 20 per cent of fossil fuels trapped in uncertainty.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This "semi-negotiating" nonsense reminds me of dealing with a stubborn relative - one moment they're sweet, next moment they're threatening. The Strait of Hormuz is a lifeline for many countries including us in India, and seeing two nations playing this dangerous tug-of-war makes me anxious. Can't they do proper diplomacy without the theatrics and threats? The people of Iran are already suffering from sanctions; adding more pressure won't solve anything for either side.
From an international perspective, these contradictory statements from the White House are playing with global markets. The fact that Iran openly denies talks while the US claims "good discussions" shows a major credibility problem. This "semi" negotiation is actually leading to semi-diplomacy, which is more dangerous than no diplomacy at all. Countries like India that depend on Gulf oil need stable signals, not confused messaging about military strikes and last chances.
As an Indian student studying international relations, I find this entire situation absurd. Trump talks about opening the strait "literally by tomorrow" like it's some kind of business deal, while Iran says there are no negotiations. This is like our family feud in the housing society - one party thinks they've sorted things out and the other is planning to file a complaint. Meanwhile, 20% of global oil is at stake. Sad state of modern diplomacy, honestly. 😞
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this "semi-negotiating" attitude show a lack of seriousness? Whether you're negotiating with Iran or anyone else, you either negotiate properly or you don't. This half-hearted approach with alternating threats creates chaos in oil markets. For India, which is growing its economy and needs stable energy supplies, this US-Iran tension is like sitting in the middle of a crossfire. I wish countries in our region - maybe India, Oman, and Qatar - could play a bigger mediating role here.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.