Tehran doubles down on new conditions for opening waterway, denies negotiating with US; Houthis hit Saudi oil facility, Yemen’s Aden-based government.
US President Donald Trump is focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and has been “laying the groundwork to declare victory” on Iran, possibly even without a nuclear deal, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing US officials. The report came as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps doubled down on new conditions for reopening the key waterway, which the IRGC called a “theater of war.”
Trump had previously insisted that any deal to end the war include measures to ensure Iran cannot revive its nuclear program. But he has also told top advisers that he believes Tehran would struggle to restart its nuclear program after the US bombed Iran’s three main nuclear sites during the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025, according to The Journal. In recent meetings, the report said, Trump has insisted that Iran could not attempt to revive its program or build a bomb without US intelligence finding out. He reportedly believes the threat of US military action has deterred Iran from even trying to go nuclear. In private conversations with senior aides, Trump has even been “floating the idea… that he’s willing to walk away without a nuclear deal,” the report said.
One White House official cited in the report said Washington has achieved all its military objectives against Iran, and is focused on opening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, which before the war began five and a half months ago carried about one-fifth of the world’s commercial oil shipments. If there is no discernible advance in Iran’s nuclear program, and the strait reopens, Trump is likely to keep the current ceasefire going and lift the US naval blockade on Iran, US officials were cited as saying. (Ed note: "walk away without a nuclear deal?" Watch out Israel, it's almost under the bus time!) (Read More)
