According to Iranian media and a message posted on X by Majid Shakeri, an adviser to the president of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, Iran would rule out any negotiation with the Trump administration, saying it would wait for the end of Donald Trump’s term on January 20, 2029.
- Majid Shakeri thus declared: “Trump will not be able to reach an agreement with us. We will accompany him until the end of his term.” He adds: “The path to victory is neither combat nor a deal, but the management of a process that is neither war nor peace, until the point of victory. Publicly confirming negotiations with the United States would amount to pure madness. The winning approach rests on denial, ambiguity and strategic patience.”
These statements follow several days of negotiations between Iran and Oman regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. While Washington continued to assert that talks with Tehran were ongoing, the Iranian regime denied any discussions with the American administration.
- Tehran had already stated that an agreement with Oman would not guarantee the resumption of transit, and several demands were made: including war reparations, the lifting of sanctions and the American blockade on Iranian ports.
- Iranian media also indicated that Iran intended to restrict access for American and Israeli ships, and would seek compensation from countries it regards as hostile.
- Iranian officials confirmed that negotiations with Oman would continue.
- Thus, after a call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that the Islamic Republic was determined to continue the negotiation process with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Araqchi had previously said Tehran ruled out direct negotiations with the United States for now, but noted that the two sides were exchanging messages through mediators.
Over the weekend, Iran’s stance on the Strait of Hormuz and its maximalist demands toward the United States were reinforced with the appointment of Mohsen Rezaee, a former IRGC commander known for his hardline positions and advocacy for Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, to the post of Secretary of the National Security Council. In his new role, he will coordinate decisions related to war and negotiations.
Yesterday, August 9, Donald Trump told Axios in an interview that he was prepared to let economic pressure on Iran intensify rather than launch a new military offensive: “We are not pursuing full-scale negotiations with them. We are simply observing Iran with its massive inflation and its lack of money.”
- In a Truth Social post, he stated today that the United States would in turn seek compensation from Iran for “all the people they have killed and seriously injured with their roadside bombs and during the numerous conflicts that have earned them their reputation, under the initial leadership of General Soleimani, including the families of the USS Cole victims and the thousands of others killed in combat.” He also indicated that compensation should be paid to the “families of hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters killed by Iran over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 people killed in the last five months.”