President Donald Trump says he’s giving Iran one “last chance” to reach a deal with the United States before “decapitation,” again insisting the U.S. is having talks with the country. Iran, however, continues to deny it is holding direct talks with Washington.
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What Trump is saying
Trump told reporters Monday the two sides are talking, saying Iran requested the contacts with the backing of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
“If we’re not talking, when you ask me, no, we’re not talking. I’ll say it, but we are talking right now,” Trump said. “We’re talking, and we’re talking at the request of Iran, backed by Saudi Arabia, backed by UAE and backed by Qatar in particular, but others also many, many countries called.”
The president added, “this is their last chance. This is not something that if it doesn’t happen, this is a last chance for them to sign a good document.”
Trump said he expects talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to begin within the next day or two, followed by negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
He said he believes an agreement is possible, but added that denuclearization “will take a little while.”
“But I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” Trump said. “Very tough to do what we have planned, still planned. We’ll see what happens.”
Iran disputes the claims
Meanwhile, Tehran is holding talks, but they say not with the U.S.
Iran’s foreign minister said he spoke late Monday with his counterparts in Oman and Pakistan as Oman continues to serve as a go-between.
CBS News reports he spoke with the counterparts on the latest developments in the region and ongoing diplomatic efforts.
The latest in the Strait
Meanwhile, in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said it has redirected 44 commercial vessels as part of its blockade against Iran. It said U.S. forces disabled two vessels and boarded another.
And on Tuesday, a British maritime agency said a cargo vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman in the Strait.
The agency did not provide details on damage or injuries, but said authorities are investigating.
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