US President Donald Trump on Tuesday rejected suggestions that Washington is negotiating with Tehran, even as he taunted Iran by posting a map that labels the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW US Territory.”
The remarks come as the war between the US and Iran — which erupted on 28 February — drags toward the six-month mark with no clear path to an end. Since the fighting began, Tehran has effectively shut the strait, a vital maritime choke point that in peacetime typically carries about one fifth of the world’s LNG and oil.
Mr Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of asserting US sovereignty over the waterway, keeping the threat alive as the conflict grinds on and pressure grows to show progress.
His son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner said yesterday that the US and Iran were holding “very positive and active conversations,” but the president publicly contradicted that account.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social network today.
“The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he added.
US sources described the contacts with Iran as “positive,” but said Mr Trump had chosen to pause engagement, instructing his team not to proceed until Iran was prepared to make a deal.
The president also shared a Truth Social map depicting the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW US Territory.”
Mr Trump first broached the notion of a US takeover on Friday, in a light tone, saying he would soon declare the strait US territory. Iran shot back that the waterway “will remain Iranian.”
He returned to the idea again yesterday in comments to reporters from the Oval Office, arguing it could be beneficial.
Iran and Oman deal on Hormuz now a priority, Qatar says
Qatar, which has been a central intermediary as peace talks have stalled, said it is focused on securing an agreement between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz — an arrangement it views as a key step toward reviving negotiations aimed at ending the Middle East war.
Top Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in comments carried by state media that the strait would remain shut until the US met the conditions of an interim deal signed with Iran in June.
Those terms include lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports, removing oil sanctions, releasing Tehran’s frozen assets, and halting threats and military operations on all fronts, Mr Qalibaf told parliament.
Two youths look at ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran
After the June ceasefire agreement, some vessels attempted to pass through a route closer to Oman, in an effort to bypass Iran and its demand for tolls.
For weeks, Tehran and Muscat have been in talks over how navigation should function in the strategic waterway. Iran recently said the geographical coordinates for the route envisioned by both countries for all traffic “have been agreed upon.”
“We are also awaiting an agreement between the Sultanate of Oman and Iran regarding the Strait, which would enable us to return to the framework of negotiations,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters.
“The agreement over the Strait of Hormuz would make it much easier for us to resume the talks between the United States and Iran,” he added.
A memorandum of understanding signed between the US and Iran in June collapsed over management of the strait.
Tehran has been requiring vessels to seek permission and pay transit service fees — a policy the US and several regional states oppose — and it has been striking vessels that attempt to cross without first requesting permission.
Mr Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a deal with Iran over the strait, and he has called on Tehran to surrender in a conflict that has increasingly weighed on him politically at home, where he has often appeared on the defensive.
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UAE says Iran launched two missiles at it
Meanwhile, the UAE’s defence ministry said it detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the Gulf state.
According to the ministry, one missile fell inside the UAE’s territorial waters and the other fell outside. It said the country remains ready to confront any threats.
Iran did not immediately comment.
Earlier, Emirati authorities issued a brief phone alert warning of “potential missile threats,” with the defence ministry confirming it had detected missiles “directed towards the country” for the first time in months.
“Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building,” the interior ministry said in the alert, which was lifted shortly afterward.
It was the first such warning since a false alarm in June and a July alert tied to an attack that ultimately did not enter UAE territory. Prior to that, the last missile warning was issued in early May.
The Emirati defence ministry said it had “detected a missile threat directed towards the country”.
In recent weeks, tankers belonging to state-owned oil company ADNOC have been repeatedly targeted.
When the Middle East war began on 28 February, the UAE absorbed the heaviest wave of Iranian fire, with nearly 3,000 missiles and drones aimed at the country — more than any other state in the region.
After the June memorandum of understanding took effect — before later collapsing — the UAE said it recorded no attacks, unlike other Gulf countries.
‘Fully offensive’ military posture – Iran
Earlier, a senior Iranian official said Tehran will move to a “fully offensive” military posture, arguing that efforts to negotiate a lasting end to the war with the US have stalled.
“Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions,” the official said, adding that Iran would carry out a “timely and precise” strike to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.
A car with replicas of missiles and an image of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei (R)
Back channel to IRGC
Even so, media reports pointed to a potential diplomatic opening, saying Mr Trump had initiated back-channel contact with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has expanded its influence during the war and controls large portions of Iran’s armed forces and the economy.
Axios, citing two sources with direct knowledge, reported that former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard spoke with an Iraqi Kurdish leader who has close ties to the IRGC, and that through the intermediary the US sent a message to IRGC commander General Ahmad Vahidi.
Fox News later reported that Mr Trump confirmed the Axios account in a telephone interview.
Axios said the Trump administration was unsure whether Iranian negotiators on the other side of the table truly represented the IRGC, as Reuters reported Gen Vahidi had emerged as a pivotal figure.
Gen Vahidi replied that he was aligned with Iran’s negotiators, Axios said.
“I can’t go into the details of it, but I will say that the conversations between the US government and different areas of the Iranian government at all areas is probably more robust than it’s maybe ever been,” Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy, said in a separate interview yesterday with Fox News Channel’s Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst.
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