Trump to Iran: 'This Is Your Last Chance Before Decapitation'
The US president threatened to destroy Iran's leadership, while Tehran simultaneously denies any negotiations with the US and is only in talks with Oman about the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president threatened to destroy Iran's leadership, while Tehran simultaneously denies any negotiations with the US and is only in talks with Oman about the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran faces "decapitation" if it does not agree to a deal to end the conflict between the two countries. He said Tehran has one last chance to reach an agreement.
"I think we could possibly achieve something, but I want to give them one last chance before decapitation," Trump said, repeating his threat to launch a major military strike on Iran.
Trump also said that talks with Iran are "currently underway," adding that the negotiations represent Tehran's last chance to sign a good deal. When asked by reporters about the status of the talks, he replied: "They are currently underway," adding that the two sides are talking at the request of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, among others. "This is the last chance for them to sign a good document," he said, referring to Iran.
However, Tehran strongly rejects claims that talks between the two warring sides are active. According to a report by the state news agency IRNA, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagei said earlier on Monday that Iran is working with Oman to establish a joint temporary sea route for ships in the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz. He stressed that only Iran and Oman were involved in these talks and that Tehran is not currently engaged in negotiations with the United States.
Following Bagei's comments, Trump sharply criticized Iran's leadership on his Truth Social platform. "They request a meeting, some would say even 'beg' for it, talks begin, more are scheduled in the near future, and then they openly and proudly say they are not holding any talks, that nothing is being discussed, and that they are only dealing with 'Oman'," the US president wrote, characterizing such behavior as "incredibly two-faced."
Trump emphasized that the US will continue its naval blockade of Iranian ports "unless a deal is reached or a complete surrender." The issue of the right of passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for the transport of oil, gas, and fertilizer, is a central point of the military conflict between the US and Iran.
At its narrowest point, the Strait of Hormuz is only about 39 kilometers wide. Because both Iran and Oman claim a 12-nautical-mile (approximately 22.2 kilometers) territorial sea, the territorial waters of the two coastal states overlap, meaning there is no international maritime space in that area.
Bagei clarified that Iran and Oman are considering a proposal under which tankers and cargo vessels would enter the Strait of Hormuz using the northern route that passes through Iranian territorial waters. After stopping at ports in Iran or in the Arab Gulf states, ships would return via the southern route through Omani territorial waters. This planned system restricts free passage, unlike the situation before the outbreak of the military conflict, and Iran would have the ability to decide which ships from which countries are allowed to enter the strait.
Trump also revealed that the Iranians had contacted him and asked him not to attack, saying they would take steps.
