The Islamic Republic of Iran is lashing back at the White House after President Donald Trump dismissed the idea of striking an “interim deal” with Tehran, instead insisting the Strait of Hormuz will be a U.S. territory.
Trump posted an image of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday morning that marked it as a U.S. territory. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and chief negotiator for Tehran, condemned the U.S. side of negotiations in a statement later that afternoon, accusing his counterparts of being out of their depth and unserious.
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“Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement,” Ghalibaf taunted via social media. “[Secretary of the Treasury Scott] Bessent and [Secretary of War Pete] Hegseth are way out of their league.”
He added, “Stop waiting for the clown crew to pull a rabbit out of their hat and clean up the mess you made.”
Tehran is committed to keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed until the United States meets Iran’s criteria for fulfilling the interim agreement reached earlier this summer.
Iran is seeking an end to the maritime blockade currently imposed over the waterway and the termination of oil sanctions. Additionally, Tehran expects an end to all military operations in the region and the unfreezing of overseas assets.
The memorandum of understanding that was intended to facilitate a cooperative end to the war ultimately expired on Monday without any progress. The White House has openly distanced itself from the idea of returning to an interim agreement, writing off the Islamic Republic as an unreliable negotiator.
Trump told Fox News on Monday that he is “not in a hurry” to make a deal with Tehran and said he is not seeking an extension on the expired memorandum.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump said of the Iranian regime, adding later in a press conference at the Oval Office, “They want to make a deal, but they’re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary.”
Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, said Tehran “did not start any negotiations at all, and the U.S. violated the understanding from the very beginning; therefore, the 60-day issue is not relevant.”
Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner that Tehran and Washington are essentially “playing chicken” with one another.
“They believe by digging in and continuing to fight asymmetrically — and by forcing the price of oil up and spending down munitions and putting political pressure on the president before the midterms — they may be able to precipitate an American withdrawal from the region,” Schanzer said.
“It’s clear that the president has gotten very frustrated,” he said. “That’s not hard to see — and they are betting on a lack of resolve on the part of the United States. Donald Trump is not an easy guy to play chicken with. He’s highly unpredictable, but they are betting on his lack of patience.”
TRUMP SAYS ‘PRETTY SOON’ HE’LL DECLARE THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ A ‘TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES’
Neither side maintains total control of the strait thus far, creating unease and tension for commercial vessels traversing the key waterway.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported Tuesday that a commercial ship in the strait was struck by an “unknown projectile,” resulting in a crew casualty and causing damage to the engine room. An investigation has been launched.
