Donald Trump has hit out at Iran after Tehran outright denied the US President's claims peace talks are underway again.
The world leader, 80, had said on Sunday he halted US forces from carrying out what he described as the biggest attack since the Second World War to allow for further diplomatic efforts. But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said his country is not in talks with Washington, but is debating the future of the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. Those talks, he claims are about securing a temporary safe route through the blockaded Strait.
And Mr Trump reacted with ire today, ranting on Truth Social about the disagreement. He dismissed Iran’s claims to control the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway as “their usual blather”.
Trump's Rant
Writing on the social media page, Mr Trump said: "Iranian Leadership is unbelievably duplicitous. They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg’, talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with ‘Oman’."
The rant continued: "They then go on to give their usual blather in saying, the Strait of Hormuz will be operated powerfully by them, when it is already completely controlled by the United States Navy and our ‘Blockade’ or, as some say, ‘The United States Wall of Steel!"
"Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished. Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused, for decades."
US Casualties Higher Than Thought
It has also emerged Pentagon figures for US casualties in the Middle East are higher than previously thought. The Pentagon updated a war casualty database on Saturday, recording more than 140 additionally wounded and restoring four soldiers killed to the figures.
There had been questions about a lack of transparency over the war’s toll on American military personnel. The US Defence Casualty Analysis System now features a new section called “Overseas Operations, starting July 7. When the new Pentagon data is combined with updated totals for Operation Epic Fury, 18 troops have died and another 624 have been wounded since the US launched its war against Iran on February 28.
The number of wounded is a significant increase from the previous peak of 482, according to observers. Mr Trump claimed he would hold off the weekend attack “for the future benefit of the world and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran.” He went on to claim on Monday that the attack the US had planned against Iran would have been the “biggest attack since World War II” but he called it off.
Threat to Oil Shipping
He added: “And the deal is imminent, having to do with the Hormuz Strait and ultimately the denuclearisation of Iran.” The war of words, between Trump claims and Tehran’s denials about a deal being imminent came as the threat to oil ships in the Middle East was dubbed the worst since the war began.
It also followed a spate of attacks in the Red Sea, which is an alternative waterway that some tankers had been using since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. The Daily Mirror revealed recently that pro-Iranian Houthi rebels had done deals with Somali al-Shabab terrorists to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Bab-el-Mandeb waterway is another strait which is becoming a global chokepoint between Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Matthew Wright, an analyst at the ship-tracking company Kpler, told the BBC: "In terms of threat to the trade of crude, we're at the worst period that we've been in since this since this crisis began." The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz was just eight on Sunday and 11 on Saturday, compared with more than 100 a-day before the war began.
The temporary peace deal with the US struck in early June led to an increase in traffic but the reigniting of hostilities meant shipping has dwindled to a trickle. Mr Trump also claimed Iran had asked the US not go ahead with the planned weekend attacks - claims which have been roundly denied by Tehran. Throughout the now five month-long conflict Mr Trump has repeatedly made grand threats towards Iran about an escalation before climbing down. Even though there has been a huge US military build-up in the Middle East in recent weeks, it is believed there is concern in Washington about the vulnerability of US forces.
