Trump says no Iran talks ongoing as six-month standoff deepens

Six months into a war that neither side seems willing to end, the United States and Iran remain locked in a standoff with no negotiations happening and none scheduled. President Trump made this clear on Tuesday, posting on his Truth Social platform that there were no talks or conversations underway with Iran's government. His son-in-law Jared Kushner, serving as an envoy, had said the day before that Iran showed no interest in striking a deal that would make sense for America. The 60-day ceasefire agreement that both countries had signed in June has effectively expired, with each side now claiming the other abandoned it first.

The conflict has hollowed out the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas passes. Ship traffic plummeted 19.5 percent last week, with only 95 confirmed transits recorded—down sharply from normal levels. On Sunday alone, just three vessels made it through. Some ships are moving through the strait with their transponders switched off, invisible to tracking systems. Others are taking longer, riskier routes around the Arabian Peninsula. On Tuesday, a commercial vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the strait, killing one crew member and damaging the engine room. The British military confirmed the incident; the Omani Coast Guard assisted the remaining crew.

Iran has made clear it will not reopen the strait until the United States meets a list of demands: lifting the naval blockade of Iranian ports, removing sanctions on Iranian oil and gas sales, and releasing frozen Iranian financial assets held abroad. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, stated this plainly on state television Tuesday. He also rejected any ceasefire, saying Iran would accept nothing less than an end to the war itself. Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told state media that the conflict had fundamentally changed how the world perceives Iran—erasing the image of a weak nation and replacing it with one that has weathered American pressure and survived.

The diplomatic landscape has grown more volatile. Trump threatened Monday to bomb Oman, a longtime U.S. ally, because the country is negotiating with Iran over how to manage shipping through the strait. Trump has repeatedly suggested the Strait of Hormuz should be American territory, posting a map on Tuesday with the waterway highlighted as "NEW U.S. Territory." White House officials later said he was joking. Qatar, which has been mediating the stalled talks, said Tuesday that an Iran-Oman agreement on the strait could make it easier to resume U.S.-Iran negotiations. But Trump's threat to Oman suggests he views any deal that doesn't give America control as unacceptable.

Regional tensions have spiked. The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade and financial dealings with Iran on Tuesday after accusing it of firing two ballistic missiles at shipping in the Gulf. Iran denied the accusation. The UAE's defense ministry said both missiles fell into the sea—one outside territorial waters, one within—and caused no damage. It was the first Iranian strike on the UAE in months. The country had faced daily drone and missile attacks in March, including strikes on Dubai, but those largely stopped after the June ceasefire. The last Iranian strike on UAE territory came in May, though Iran has continued targeting UAE oil tankers in the strait in recent weeks.

The war has also spawned a cyber dimension. The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it had indicted 17 Iranians accused of hacking on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The accused worked for an Iran-based company called the Mabna Institute and illegally accessed computer systems at 144 American universities, at least 42 private companies, and at least five U.S. government agencies. Nine of the defendants allegedly targeted 100,000 professors' email accounts worldwide, successfully breaching roughly 8,000 and stealing about 31 terabytes of research data. Eight additional defendants were charged with targeting HBO, stealing proprietary data and attempting to extort the company for approximately $6 million in bitcoin.

Diplomatic relations have frayed in other directions. France announced it will expel two Iranian diplomats in retaliation for Iran banning two French diplomats from returning to Tehran. The French diplomats were detained and questioned in July over accusations of interference, with one physically abused. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister called Trump's suggestion that America should control the Strait of Hormuz a "delusion," saying it would either be corrected or they would correct the delusions of "this deluded man." Meanwhile, Iran's parliament speaker attacked Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying they were "way out of their league" and calling on them to stop waiting for the administration to resolve a conflict it created.

The human toll continues to accumulate. Sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for nine months—three months longer than a typical deployment—are experiencing deteriorating mental health conditions, according to families who have voiced concerns in recent days. There have also been complaints about sanitary conditions and food supplies. Trump dismissed these reports as fake news on Monday, saying the ship was beautifully maintained. An admiral he spoke with, whom he did not name, allegedly told him the Lincoln was in good shape. U.S. Central Command acknowledged that extended deployments at sea are "uniquely challenging and tough," but did not confirm or deny specific problems aboard the carrier.