Article by Viory
Trump Issues Warning
Donald Trump was asked about a potential deal that ‘allows Iran and Oman to control the Strait’ of Hormuz – and insisted the strait would be ‘open to everybody’, before making an astonishing claim about Oman – during his latest cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
“Nobody is going to control it. It’s international waters. And Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine,” he warned.
This week, Iran said it was working on a mechanism with Oman to ensure the ‘safe passage of ships’ through the Strait of Hormuz – but denied there would be any ‘transit toll’ for commercial shipping.
Iran Deal Dispute
Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian state media revealed there was a draft ‘agreement’ in the works – which it said involved the US withdrawing forces and lifting the blockade of Iran’s ports, with Tehran agreeing to return the Strait of Hormuz to ‘pre-war levels’ within a month.
However, the White House posted one of its social media accounts: “This report from Iranian controlled media is not true and the MOU they “released” is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER.”
On Monday, Trump said he either wanted a ‘great and meaningful’ peace deal or ‘no deal’ – and also demanded that Arab nations sign up to his Abraham Accords normalisation agreements with Israel, adding that it ‘should be mandatory’.
“It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit. If they don’t, they should not be part of this deal in that it shows bad intention,” he added, and even suggested Iran itself could join: “Wow, now that would be something special”.
Nuclear Talks Continue
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said talks with the US were focused on ‘ending the war’ rather than the ‘nuclear issue’. Trump has repeatedly insisted that Iran ‘cannot have nuclear weapon’, while Tehran has always said its nuclear programme is ‘peaceful’.
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