US President Donald Trump has rejected an extension of the US-Iran ceasefire framework, demanded Iran\u2019s surrender and threatened to bomb Oman, even as his own statements about the war and negotiations have shifted between claims of imminent peace, rejection of talks and assertions that he is in no hurry to end the conflict.<\/p>\n
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The latest statements came as the 60-day period linked to a June memorandum<\/a> between Washington and Tehran expired without a final agreement.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n They also came hours before a commercial vessel was hit by an unknown projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that Iran would not accept the agreement he considered necessary.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary,\u201d Trump said. \u201cLook, we\u2019re in there for one reason: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Asked whether Washington wanted to extend the interim arrangement, Trump answered: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Earlier the same day, Trump told Fox News<\/a> that Iran should \u201cput up the white flag of surrender\u201d. He also said he had no timetable for ending the war.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cI have no time schedule,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Those remarks add to a series of conflicting public positions from the US president during the war against Iran. Trump has repeatedly spoken about an approaching settlement while also declaring previous arrangements finished, demanding surrender and raising the prospect of further military action.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The June memorandum declared an \u201cimmediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts\u201d. It also committed Washington and Tehran to negotiations on a final agreement, including Iran\u2019s nuclear programme.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Trump declared the arrangement \u201cover\u201d <\/a>on 7 July, weeks before the 60-day period ended. Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry then described the memorandum as suspended.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n On Monday, Trump treated the expiry of the negotiation period as further evidence that Iran would not accept his terms while rejecting an extension of the process.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Iran disputes the US interpretation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the 60-day provision concerned negotiations rather than an automatic deadline for the memorandum itself. He said talks never began because Washington had already violated the agreement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cWe did not start any negotiations at all, and the US violated the understanding from the very beginning. Therefore, the 60-day issue is not relevant,\u201d Baghaei said, according to Iran\u2019s Mehr News Agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cIran is not a party that adjusts its policies under pressure and deadlines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also accused Israel of trying to prevent an agreement between Tehran and Washington. Al Jazeera <\/a>reported that according to Iran\u2019s IRNA news agency, Araghchi said Israel had worked against the memorandum from the start.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThe Zionist regime was and remains the biggest opponent and obstacle to the implementation of the memorandum of understanding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Araghchi also rejected Trump\u2019s demand for surrender and presented the ceasefire negotiations as evidence that Washington had failed to force Iran to accept US terms.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Trump has continued to state that the central US objective is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. At the same time, his public demands have expanded to include the control and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, an issue that has become central to the military and economic confrontation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n On Friday, Trump said he would declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory. He later claimed Washington controlled the waterway through its blockade.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The strait lies between Iran and Oman and served as a route for about 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began in late February.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Iran and Oman have held separate talks over a mechanism for commercial shipping through the strait. Tehran says the talks concern the sovereign rights of both coastal states and the passage of civilian vessels.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Trump responded to those negotiations with a threat against Oman, one of Washington\u2019s security partners in the Gulf.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cIf Oman gets in the way, we\u2019ll bomb the shit out of them,\u201d Trump told Fox News<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The threat drew a response from Democrats in Congress.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Axios<\/a> reported that Democratic lawmakers plan to introduce war powers resolutions aimed at limiting Trump\u2019s authority after his remarks about Oman.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Senator Tim Kaine said he would introduce a resolution when Congress returns in September.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Kaine said the United States has \u201ca strong diplomatic relationship and a free trade agreement\u201d with Oman and accused Trump of damaging US interests.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Representative Ro Khanna also criticised the president\u2019s threats.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point we may just need to file war powers resolutions for the 192 other countries,\u201d Khanna told Axios.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s statements also conflict with earlier claims that a durable settlement was approaching.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He has said on several occasions during the conflict that the war would end soon. A final peace agreement has not followed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n On Monday, he rejected an extension of the existing framework while saying he had no deadline and was not in a hurry.<\/p>\n
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