US president claims fresh Iran contact for deal | The Express Tribune

WASHINGTON/PARIS:

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that “people” from Iran had contacted the United States, indicating that Tehran wanted a deal, as the American Navy began a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports.

Speaking outside the Oval Office, Trump did not specify who had called whom, what the US response was, or what other issues were discussed during the contact. The president also gave no details about the content of the conversation.

“I can tell you that we’ve been called by the other side,” Trump said, referring to Iran. “We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal.”

The US and Iran had held talks in Islamabad that ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement, raising questions about what happens when the current two-week truce expires on April 22. As negotiations wrapped up, both sides blamed each other for the failure.

Just hours later, Trump announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a move that immediately drew a sharp warning from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which vowed a “forceful response” to any hostile action.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, Trump had said the United States Navy would “begin the process of blockading any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.”

The blockade took effect at 2pm GMT on Monday. Trump warned that if any Iranian “fast-attack” boats approached the blockade, they would be eliminated. He also said the US would not allow Tehran to “extort the world”, referring to Iran’s reported toll collection measures.

“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at sea. It is quick and brutal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Vessel tracker MarineTraffic confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that at least two ships reversed course within minutes of approaching the strategic waterway after the US announcement. It said one of the vessels was a China-bound tanker departing from the UAE’s Sharjah anchorage.

Trump initially said the US would work with other countries to block all ship, but the US military later clarified that the blockade would only apply to vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports. NATO allies, including Britain and France, said they would not be drawn into the conflict.

“We’re not supporting the blockade,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC. “My decision has been very clearly that, whatever the pressure – and there’s been considerable pressure – we’re not getting dragged into the war.”

The refusal to participate in the blockade has added another point of friction between the US and its allies. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said European governments had been told that Trump wants concrete commitments in the near future to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that France would organise a conference with Britain and other countries to create a multinational mission to restore navigation in the strait. “This strictly defensive mission, distinct from the belligerents, will be deployed as soon as the situation allows,” he said.

The initiative aims to establish rules for safe passage and coordinate naval escorts for tankers, Starmer told parliament on Monday. “Let me be very clear: this is about safeguarding shipping and supporting freedom of navigation once the conflict ends. Our shared aim is a coordinated, independent, multinational plan,” he said.

The meeting to draw up plans for the mission involving about 30 countries, including Gulf states, India, Greece, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, could take place as soon as Thursday in Paris or London, according to a French diplomatic source.