After calling off a fresh round of strikes against Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the two sides are resuming talks to wind down the war, even as Iranian officials claimed their diplomatic efforts were focused on neighboring nations.
Talks between the U.S. and Iran are critical to ending the monthslong conflict and reviving stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.
Trump, who has made a habit of threatening strikes on Iran only to dangle the prospect of a last-minute diplomatic reprieve, said the negotiations would be the “last chance ” for Iran to forge a deal to reopen the strait and address his concerns about its nuclear program.
But Iran’s foreign ministry said it’s negotiating with Oman, not the U.S., prompting Trump to criticize the country’s leadership, which has grown increasingly divided over the war’s endgame.
Whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking,” Trump maintained.
