US President Donald Trump on Monday said he and Iran's ayatollah could "jointly" control the Strait of Hormuz, as he unleashed a flurry of de-escalatory statements.
Trump said the waterway through which 20 percent of global energy supplies pass will be "jointly controlled. Maybe [by] me. Maybe me. Me and the Ayatollah, whoever the Ayatollah is", Trump told reporters on Monday when asked about his claim that talks were underway to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Trump did not elucidate what he meant by control, but any US move that recognises an Iranian sphere of influence over the strategic waterway would be considered a major concession to the Islamic Republic.
After threatening over the weekend to attack Iran's electrical grid unless Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said that the countries were engaged in "very good and productive conversations" about ending the war.
Iran said that regional countries were working to "reduce tensions" between the two countries, but denied that any "dialogue" was taking place.
