Trump Says US Blockade on Iran Will Continue Until 'Deal or Total Surrender'
"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," Trump wrote.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States will maintain its military blockade against Iran until Tehran agrees to a deal or "total surrender," after Iranian officials denied they were engaged in direct negotiations with Washington.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Iran of being "duplicitous" after it publicly rejected claims that direct talks with the United States were underway.
"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," Trump wrote.
The remarks came after Iran's Foreign Ministry said there were no direct negotiations with the United States, contradicting Trump's earlier assertion that talks would take place after he called off a planned round of heavy U.S. airstrikes over the weekend. Trump had said he suspended the strikes following appeals from regional powers and Tehran.
Iranian officials stated that their only ongoing discussions were with Oman regarding plans for shared management of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which a significant portion of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass.
Trump, however, maintained that Iran had requested negotiations—"some would say 'beg'"—while accusing Tehran of making misleading statements about control of the Strait of Hormuz.
"The Strait 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," he wrote.
The United States, alongside Israel, launched military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, targeting the country's nuclear infrastructure, missile capabilities, and regional military networks.
More than five months into the conflict, Iran continues to retain significant missile and drone capabilities and maintains stockpiles of enriched uranium despite sustained U.S. and Israeli strikes.
The confrontation has also intensified tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian attacks on commercial shipping disrupting global energy trade and increasing pressure on international oil markets, making the strategic waterway a central point of leverage in the ongoing standoff.