US President Donald Trump ruled out extending the interim US-Iran agreement as talks stalled
Iran warned it could adopt a “fully offensive” posture if diplomacy fails
Oman has become a new flashpoint as it negotiates shipping arrangements over the Strait of Hormuz
US-Iran Talks Stall As Trump Rejects Deal, Tehran Threatens ‘Fully Offensive’ Posture
US President Donald Trump ruled out extending an interim deal with Tehran as an Iranian official warned that Iran would adopt a “fully offensive” posture if diplomacy fails.
Summary
US President Donald Trump said Iran would not agree to the kind of deal he considers necessary to end the war, insisting that Tehran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon as negotiations between the two sides remained stalled.
"They're not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary. Look, we're in there for one reason: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump told reporters at the Oval Office, as per Reuters.
Trump also ruled out extending an interim US-Iran agreement signed in June. The memorandum had called for an "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts" and gave the two countries 60 days to negotiate a broader agreement covering Iran's nuclear programme and US sanctions. That deadline expired on Monday.
Iran Threatens Escalation
An Iranian official separately told Reuters that Tehran would shift to a "fully offensive" military posture if efforts to negotiate a permanent end to the war failed.
"Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region," the official said, adding that Tehran was prepared for a "timely and precise" military attack to break the US naval blockade if diplomacy failed.
The June memorandum quickly unravelled over disagreements concerning control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed before the war. Iran says the agreement gave it the right to manage the waterway, while Washington rejects that interpretation.
Trump Threatens Oman
The stalemate has also drawn Oman, which has been negotiating with Iran on restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump warned that the US could attack Oman if it interfered with Washington's objectives. "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the shit out of them," he told Fox News.
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Oman and Iran are separately negotiating an arrangement governing shipping through the waterway, with Tehran saying the discussions were close to an agreement.
The competing positions leave little room for an immediate diplomatic breakthrough, with Washington rejecting an extension of the interim deal and Tehran warning of further military escalation if the US blockade remains in place.
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