DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) – United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Iran to “get smart soon” and sign a deal, after days of impasse in efforts to end the conflict and a media report that the United States will extend its blockade of Iranian ports.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump, who has said Iran can call if it wants to talk and has repeatedly emphasized that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon, said the country “has failed to get its act together.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials said the president had instructed his aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran’s ports in an attempt to force Tehran to capitulate.
Officials said Trump chose to continue to pressure Iran’s economy and oil exports with the blockade, as his other options — resuming bombing or abandoning the conflict — carry more risks, according to the WSJ.
“They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better wise up soon!” Trump declared in Wednesday’s post, without explaining what such a deal would entail.
Iran wants some kind of U.S. recognition of its right to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful, civilian purposes.
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Iran has a stockpile of about 440 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, material that could be used for several nuclear weapons if it were enriched further.
Iranian officials said on Tuesday that the country could withstand the blockade as it was using alternative trade routes, and the Islamic Republic does not consider the war over.
The conflict has killed thousands of people, thrown energy markets into turmoil and disrupted global trade routes.
IRAN FIRST WANTS A FORMAL END TO THE CONFLICT
Iran’s latest offer to resolve the two-month war, suspended since April 8 under a ceasefire agreement, would set aside discussion over its nuclear program until the conflict is formally ended and shipping issues resolved.
However, this proposal did not meet Trump’s demand that the nuclear issue be discussed from the beginning.
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U.S. intelligence agencies, at the request of senior administration officials, are studying how Iran would respond if Trump declared a unilateral victory in the two-month war that has become a political liability for the White House, two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Since the war began on February 28, Tehran has blocked virtually all shipping except its own in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global energy supplies. This month, the US began blocking Iranian ships.
Trump’s post on Truth Social featured a posed image of him wearing sunglasses and wielding a machine gun, with the caption “No More Cool.”
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