Trump hails talks with Iran as cargo ship struck in Strait of Hormuz - NBC News
President Trump and Iranian officials have offered conflicting accounts regarding the status of negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While the U.S. claims talks are ongoing, Iran denies direct negotiations with America, even as a cargo ship was recently struck in the region.
Why it matters
The diplomatic confusion and ongoing maritime attacks underscore the high risk of escalation in the Persian Gulf and the fragility of current mediation efforts.
President Donald Trump accused Iran of duplicity and insisted the two sides were discussing reopening the Strait of Hormuz as early as Tuesday, even as Tehran denied talks were even taking place. The diplomatic confusion was underscored by an attack on a cargo vessel near the strait’s Oman coast, as reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, an organization run by the British navy that helps protect commercial shipping in high-risk areas. With traffic through the bottleneck still at a trickle of its peacetime flow, the international oil benchmark Brent crude rose again by 2.7% Tuesday, reflecting uncertainty in the market rather than any confidence in the diplomatic process. On Monday, Trump branded Iran “unbelievably duplicitous” and accused it of asking for talks on ending the war only to announce no discussions would be held.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in