No talks with Iran underway or scheduled: Trump

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that no talks with Iran were underway or scheduled, adding that the Strait of Hormuz remained open under Washington’s naval blockade.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he added.
Trump shares image depicting Strait of Hormuz as ‘US territory’
Trump earlier shared an image depicting the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, days after saying he would declare the strategic waterway part of the United States.
Trump posted an image on his social media account showing a map of the Strait of Hormuz labelled “New US territory”, echoing his earlier remarks about declaring the waterway US territory.
Speaking at an event on August 14, Trump had claimed that the US Navy was enforcing a complete blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump had said.
In a separate social media post, Trump had also said the US had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and that he believed Washington could maintain that control.
Strait of Hormuz will not open until all terms of MoU are met: Ghalibaf
Senior Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen “until the blockade is lifted, frozen assets are released, oil sanctions are removed, military threats and operations on all fronts are ended, and the other terms of the MoU are fully met.”
In statements carried by the IRNA and ISNA news agencies, he added that “Iran is prepared to impose a heavier defeat on the enemy than before, proportionate to the enemy’s actions and aggressions.”
Beijing opposes Washington’s unlawful measures against Tehran
The Chinese ambassador to Iran voiced opposition to the measures of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, IRNA reported on Tuesday.
Referring to the US conflict with Iran, Cong Peiwu opposed the unlawful measures of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran. He said Chinese President Xi Jinping has submitted four initiatives to the United Nations to preserve and promote peace and stability in the Middle East.
He described the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations as the beginning of effective and profound engagement that can create a new level of cooperation between the two countries.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the Chairman of the Iran–China Friendship Association, also thanked the Chinese ambassador and embassy for organising the event, describing bilateral relations as deep and historical and stressing the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
He added that Iran–China relations have long maintained a positive and steady path across different historical periods and entered a new phase in the 20th century.
Agreement over Hormuz would make resuming US-Iran talks easier: Qatar FM spokesperson
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that resuming US-Iran talks would become easier once an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz took place.
He said that the mediators were waiting for Oman and Iran to reach a bilateral agreement before returning to broader US-Iran talks.
On the topic of the Iranian pilots that Iran says are detained by Qatar, a claim that Qatar denies, the Qatari spokesperson said that an invitation is still open for the Iranian delegation to visit on the pilots issue, but Iran has not responded.
He said that Iran and Qatar were in direct contact on the matter of the pilots, and that any Iranian request for ICRC involvement was a “media ploy.”
Saudi Arabia resumes oil loadings, sales from inside Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Aramco resumed oil loading from inside the Strait of Hormuz last week and has more tankers waiting to load as the state energy giant offers spot heavy crude cargoes, according to shipping data and trade sources.
On Monday, the world’s top oil exporter offered some Asian refiners Arab Medium and Arab Heavy crude cargoes for loading via ship-to-ship transfers off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates this month.
It had halted sales for weeks following attacks on its tanker fleet in the Strait of Hormuz during an escalation of the US-Iran conflict last month.
The resumption of Saudi exports could help ease the tight supply of heavier grades that produce more residue fuel, which can be used to refuel ships or further processed at refineries to yield higher-quality fuels such as gasoline and diesel.