US President Donald Trump has said that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen "very soon" as negotiations with Iran continue, while warning Tehran that the United States would take strong military action if a deal is not reached.
"The Strait is going to be open very soon — or they're gonna hit very hard, and then the Strait is going to be open," he told Fox News on Tuesday.
Trump said he had previously been prepared to launch a major attack against Iran but agreed to negotiations after Iranian officials requested talks.
"We were going to a tremendous attack, the biggest since World War II, and they called me and said, very politely, 'Please, can we talk? Can we talk?'... I said, 'Yes, we can talk. Let's get it done. Finally, let's get it done,'" he added.
The president said Iran would face a severe response if it abandoned negotiations, reiterating that Tehran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
"If they back out again, they're going to get hit really hard. They know that; they understand that. I have no choice. They can't have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple," he said.
Trump said US and Iranian officials were engaged in "very good discussions," though he acknowledged that Tehran has not publicly confirmed the progress.
"The only thing that matters is action, and they want to make a deal. We'll see what happens," he said. "If they don't make a deal, it's going to be too bad."
‘Very shortly’
Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran.
"They had an all-day negotiation today, and it looks like things are very good. And if that happens, where the Strait has opened up ... but if the Strait opens up, and it's partially opened anyway, and as you know, we control the Strait totally through the blockade. But if we have no friction, then oil will go down to, I think it'll go down to $2.50 a gallon," he added, referring to retail gas prices.
Trump added that the oil companies have got to start lowering gas prices.
Later, speaking to reporters in the state of California, he said the US is "moving along very nicely" with Iran.
"We're moving along very nicely. We'll find out. We'll know in 48 hours," he added.
The US, Iran and Oman are nearing an interim agreement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, with a possible announcement expected as early as Wednesday, the Axios news site reported on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington and Tehran have yet to finalise talks on passage through crucial international waterways, but he hopes an agreement will come “very shortly.”
Iran has been engaged in a conflict with the US since February, when the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Tehran. Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes on Gulf nations hosting US assets.
The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April and subsequently signed a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending their military conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.
The deal, however, collapsed last month, with the two sides exchanging attacks for nearly two weeks before Trump abruptly halted the bombardment amid reports of talks to resolve the conflict.
