Trump Warns "Will Attack Without Agreement"... Iran Holds Out for 'Hormuz Control'

Oman Mediates Negotiations Amid Halt in U.S.-Iran Hostilities
Iran Draws Clear Line: "This Is Not a Ceasefire"
Missile Stockpiles and U.S. Air Defense Reserves Remain Uncertainties

U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his pressure on Iran, stating that while he wants to avoid additional military conflict, he will attack major bridges and power plants if no agreement is reached. In contrast, Iran has drawn a clear line, saying the current situation cannot be considered a ceasefire and rejecting the possibility of direct negotiations with the United States.

In a Fox News interview on the 28th (local time), President Trump said, "We are currently in a very strong position," adding, "Iran knows that if an agreement is not made, I will attack." He further warned, "The bridges could disappear in less than an hour, and most major bridges would be gone within two hours," and "power plants would disappear within a day."

However, he also left room for a diplomatic solution, saying, "If I can avoid doing that, I want to." He clarified that Iran's seawater desalination facilities would not be targeted in order to prevent civilian casualties.

President Trump's remarks came four days after the U.S. halted airstrikes on Iran, which had continued for about two weeks following the collapse of peace talks over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, for its part, has also stopped its retaliatory attacks targeting Gulf states.

Since the halt in hostilities, diplomatic discussions have been focusing on the resumption of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Bloomberg, delegations from Oman and Iran met in Tehran last weekend to discuss the management of the strait, and negotiations are ongoing.

Sources reported that if an agreement is reached to expand maritime traffic, this could serve as the catalyst for the United States and Iran to resume formal negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and move toward discussions to end the conflict.

Iran Denies Ongoing Negotiations...Using Hormuz as Leverage

However, the United States and Iran are offering conflicting accounts of the nature of the current negotiations. President Trump has claimed that the two sides are in talks, but Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, refuted this at a press conference the previous day, stating, "There are no ongoing negotiations with the United States at present."

Spokesperson Baghaei stressed that Iran is currently negotiating with Oman, and the discussions focus not on nuclear negotiations with the United States, but on the management of the Strait of Hormuz. He also drew a clear line, saying that the current suspension of hostilities "cannot be described as a ceasefire."

The New York Times (NYT) reported that Iran's leadership perceives the current situation as a 'stalemate phase' between peace and all-out war and seems to believe it can manage this status quo. According to the NYT, Iran believes it can withstand a resumption of hostilities and that it can pressure President Trump by leveraging both oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz.

Gregory Brew, senior analyst at the political risk advisory firm Eurasia Group, said, "Iran believes that time is on its side" and that "they judge that they can endure pain and pressure longer than President Trump."

However, Iran is also facing significant burdens from a prolonged stalemate. Fighting could resume at any time, and because of the U.S. maritime blockade, war damages, and uncertainty, there is a high likelihood that Iran's economy will deteriorate further. Military sustainability is also a variable. While the exact number of Iran's missiles is not known, some experts believe it is uncertain whether Iran has enough missiles to sustain a prolonged all-out war.

The United States also faces substantial burdens. The NYT reported that within the U.S. government, there is rising concern about decreasing stocks of air defense weapons such as Patriot interceptor missiles. In addition, damages to Gulf allies and instability in global energy supplies due to the expansion of conflict are factors causing the U.S. to hesitate before launching additional attacks.

However, if Iran demands control over the Strait of Hormuz or seeks to impose shipping tolls, compromise would likely not be easy. According to the NYT, for President Trump, military escalation could seem like a better option than accepting an agreement that acknowledges Iran's control over the strait, and other countries are unlikely to accept such shipping tolls as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.