Following Tehran's refusal, Trump demands 'deal, or total surrender' to lift naval blockade

President Donald Trump reacted harshly on Monday after the Iranian regime denied that it was negotiating with the United States. In a post on Truth Social, the president stated that the U.S. military blockade will continue until Tehran agrees to a "Deal, or Total Surrender."

Trump accused Iran of being "duplicitous" for openly claiming it is not in talks, despite what he said are actual contacts. "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," he wrote.

Trump's response came after the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the only talks it is holding are with Oman, focused on a possible scheme for shared control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy trade.

Rhetorical standoff over control of the Strait of Hormuz

President Trump had suspended a new round of airstrikes over the weekend, arguing that he had received requests from regional powers and from Tehran itself.

Trump insisted that Iran had requested the talks—"some would say 'beg[ged]'"—but is now engaging in its "usual blather" regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the president, that strait "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."