Iran has taunted Donald Trump with viral memes after he claimed 'good peace talks' were underway, with Tehran insisting no such negotiations have taken place. Posts from an Iranian embassy account appeared to mock the US president, joking about 'joint control' of the Strait of Hormuz and sharing spoof messages including a fake WhatsApp-style exchange about talks with the Ayatollah.
In one post, the account shared a novelty child's steering wheel next to a real wheel with the caption: 'The Strait of Hormuz will be controlled by me and the Ayatollah', mocking the idea that the rivals could share control of the vital waterway. The jibes came hours after Trump said Washington had held 'very good and productive conversations' with Iran and hinted a deal to ease the spiralling crisis could be within reach.
Trump said he had ordered the Defense Department 'to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period.' He warned that the cessation of the strikes was 'subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.' But Iranian officials have flatly denied any talks ever happened, dismissing the claims and insisting there has been no direct contact with the US.
Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari also mocked Trump in a video, telling him: 'Hey, Trump, you are fired… You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter.' A regime source taunted Trump by claiming after 'hearing that our targets would include all power stations in West Asia, he backed down.'
Trump floated joint control of the Strait of Hormuz and suggested he didn't know who was currently leading Iran when responding to a reporter. He said the Strait would be open 'real soon' if a deal works, adding that control would be shared 'maybe me, maybe me. Me and the ayatollah, whoever the ayatollah is.' Leaders of Iran's Islamic Republic named Mojtaba Khamenei the new Supreme Leader after his father was killed in strikes, but Trump confirmed the US is not negotiating with him, instead dealing with 'some people that I find very reasonable.'
