U.S. President Donald Trump made a harsh statement on the situation around Iran, setting extremely tight deadlines for unblocking the world's main oil artery. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said the situation must be resolved immediately:
'We are talking about the strait, about opening it - it must really start working tomorrow, fully.'
According to Trump, the American side sees the settlement process in two stages. The first is the immediate resumption of navigation. The second is Iran's complete renunciation of nuclear development. 'The denuclearization of Iran must take place,' emphasized the head of the White House, adding that Iran is given a 'last chance' before the U.S. moves to what he called 'decapitation'.
Trump claims he canceled a large-scale military strike on Iran planned for Saturday because 'the contours of a deal' had been agreed upon. According to him, new negotiations are being conducted at the request of Tehran itself and with the active mediation of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
However, in practice, the situation is far from smooth.
Trump's words about an established dialogue were directly contradicted by Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei officially stated that no direct negotiations with the U.S. are being conducted. Tehran only acknowledges the fact of technical consultations with Oman on the safe passage of ships through the strait but categorically denies discussing any global deals with Washington.
