ANALYSIS
'Last Chance': Trump grows tired of Tehran's 'hypocrisy' and urges the Ayatollahs to 'sign a good deal'
The president insists that negotiations—which Iran denies are taking place—are underway, and notes that the opening of the Strait of Hormuz could happen "literally tomorrow," although denuclearization "might take a little while." Oil prices see a slight rebound followingMonday's sharp declines.
Ships north of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz
A visibly annoyed Donald Trump, citing Iranian leaders' "incredible hypocrisy," issued an ultimatum to the Ayatollahs' regime, offering them "one last chance before decapitation" to "sign a good deal."
The president reiterated that the negotiations he himself had announced after suspending the "devastating attacks" scheduled for the weekend were indeed taking place, despite Tehran's denials.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could happen "literally tomorrow"
According to the Republican president, the talks are focused on the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which he said could happen "literally tomorrow," and on Iran's denuclearization, a process he noted "might take a little while," according to AFP.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he agreed to enter into talks "at the request" of Iran and "with the support" of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and other countries, but that his patience had already reached its limit in the face of the "incredible hypocrisy" of the ayatollahs.
"This is their last chance to sign a good deal. I want to give them one last chance before decapitation."
Slight uptick in oil prices amid instability in the Middle East
Despite the threat, and the announcement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry itself that talks with Oman to establish a new management system for the Strait of Hormuz had made significant progress, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported early Tuesday morning that a cargo ship was struck there by an "unknown projectile," with no injuries or damage reported.
This situation triggered a slight rebound in oil prices, following Monday's sharp declines in response to the president's announcement of the talks. The price of a barrel of U.S. WTI crude rose 0.52% to $80.76, while that of North Sea Brent—the global market benchmark— rose 0.53% to $84.21.
These prices, however, remain far from the more than $100 per barrel reached in July.
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