Trump Says No Talks with Iran as Hormuz Tensions Persist

U.S. President Donald Trump said on August 18 that the United States is not engaged in negotiations with Iran and has no scheduled dialogues, while stressing that the Strait of Hormuz remains open.

On social media, Trump declared that the naval blockade of Iranian ports remains fully in effect, while all other maritime traffic is free to move. He also posted a map depicting the strategic waterway as U.S. territory.

The remarks mark the latest reversal by the American leader. A day earlier, he claimed Washington had held back-channel communications with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but Tehran quickly denied that.

Analysts suggest Trump's August 18 comments reflect frustration over ongoing talks between Iran and Oman, both of which share the shores of the Strait of Hormuz, regarding management of the waterway. These talks continue despite Trump's demands for Iran's surrender and his threats to bomb Oman if it intervened.

"There are no negotiations or exchanges underway or scheduled with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The naval blockade remains fully in effect. The Strait of Hormuz is open and operating normally. All mines have been removed or detonated," Trump wrote.

For its part, Iran reiterated that Hormuz will remain closed until Washington meets the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in June to end the conflict that began in March. Conditions include the U.S. lifting the blockade of Iranian ports, removing oil sanctions, returning frozen assets, and ceasing threats and military operations on all fronts, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

Gharibabadi appeared to respond to Trump's post: "Just as Trump correctly writes the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his illusion about the Strait of Hormuz will be corrected, or we will correct the illusions of this paranoid man."

Meanwhile, mediators continue efforts to revive negotiations. Qatar indicated that intermediaries are awaiting a planned agreement between Iran and Oman before pressing Washington and Tehran to resume talks. A U.S. official told Al Jazeera that "positive negotiations" with Iran were ongoing, but Trump had "decided to wait" and instructed the negotiating team to hold off until Tehran is ready to reach a deal.

Tensions escalated further when the UAE's Ministry of Defense issued a missile threat warning on the evening of August 18, saying its air defense systems "detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran," both of which fell into the sea. The same day, eight airstrikes targeted the Abu al-Duhur military base in eastern Idlib, Syria, causing damage but no casualties. The U.S. and other countries accused Israel of carrying out these strikes.