Trump threatens to hit Iran 'really hard' if deal not inked

Trump says ‘all-day’ talks held with Iran, deal could happen on Wednesday or Thursday

Rubio: Progress made, but there’s still work do to; report says US used up 80% of THAAD interceptors during war; crew of Indian ship rescued after being sunk in Houthi-targeted Red Sea

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the American delegation had held an “all-day negotiation” with Iran, characterizing the talks positively while also threatening to hit the Islamic Republic “really hard” if a deal is not reached.

“We’re having very good discussions,” he said, insisting that Iran is keen to find a way to bring an end to the conflict. “The only thing that matters is action. And they want to make a deal. We’ll see what happens.”

“I have plenty of time,” he added, warning that he will strike Iran if the strategic Strait of Hormuz is not reopened “very soon.”

Trump said he believes a deal could happen “tomorrow or the next day.”

The Axios news site, citing unnamed regional officials and a US official, said the deal on the table would be a 60-day arrangement for safe passage in the strait between Iran and Oman.

That deal — which would allegedly not involve the payment of tolls — could then be extended, the report said.

Earlier, two regional officials cited by The Associated Press said the agreement calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman. Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said, though this may only come into effect if the 60-day period reported by Axios isn’t renewed.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.

The officials said negotiations were still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the US blockade on Iran’s ports.

The New York Times reported similar details of the deal, while a senior Iranian source told Reuters Tehran is seeking full control over inbound shipping and visibility over outbound traffic, with the ability to intervene if necessary.

Trump claimed on Saturday that a deal was imminent when he decided to pull back from his latest threat to bomb Iran. Then on Monday, he claimed that a deal could be signed on Tuesday, when his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared the agreement could be sealed on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday also said progress had been made on a deal with Iran to fully reopen the Hormuz, though there still was some work to go.

“There’s been progress made in those talks, but no finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly,” Rubio told reporters at the State Department.

Rubio reiterated that the agreement under discussion only deals with Hormuz and that an additional deal will need to be signed pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program.

He also said the United States was involved in negotiations between Oman and Iran on increasing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, as the latter two reported making progress toward a deal.

Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a significant strategic victory for Tehran. For that reason, the US could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade. The strait was an open international waterway before the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the bilateral talks with Oman were focused on “establishing safe inbound and outbound shipping lanes,” routes that “uphold sovereign rights while also addressing the national security considerations of both Iran and Oman.”

“The final results of these negotiations will be announced once concluded,” he added, in remarks carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

A US official familiar with the negotiations said that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iran or charges. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.”

Qatar, which has been mediating negotiations, confirmed that diplomatic efforts were ongoing but that no direct Iran-US talks were planned.

Its leader, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, spoke with Trump by phone on Tuesday, with Doha saying they discussed “efforts to deescalate tensions.”

Earlier Tuesday, Britain’s maritime security agency UKMTO said an unnamed cargo vessel had been struck by an “unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman.

Iran continues to impose an effective blockade on the strait and insists ships coordinate crossings with it.

Report: US used up 80% of its THAAD missile interceptors in Iran war

Meanwhile, the CNN news site reported that the US stockpile of interceptors for the THAAD missile defense system is “dangerously low.”

According to the report, the US military has used up close to 80% of its interceptors for the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system and approximately 50% of its Patriot interceptors.

Sources told the news site the low stockpiles are among the reasons advisers convinced Trump to hold off on a planned major strike against Iran over the weekend. The White House has pushed back on the claim, saying Trump held off due to pressure from Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia.

Last week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies published a report estimating that between February and July about 65% of Patriot interceptors were expended, and that the number of THAAD ballistic missile interceptors in US stockpiles was at least 38% lower than at the start of the war. Patriots and THAADs are systems that detect and destroy incoming missiles and are among the most effective in the country’s arsenal.

Red Sea attack

The disruptions in Hormuz have only placed greater importance on shipping lanes through the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu has enabled it to keep up shipments to global markets by circumventing Hormuz entirely.

But since the Houthis announced their blockade, they have claimed attacks on multiple ships they say are in violation.

On Tuesday, the Indian ship MSV Faize Noore Oliya sank in the Red Sea off Yemen following an unattributed attack, with all of its crew rescued.

The Red Sea is a gateway to the Suez Canal, and a previous campaign of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza forced shippers to instead take lengthy detours around the southern tip of Africa.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.