US President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran surrender to end the war with the United States, as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran remain stalled.
Speaking to a Fox News reporter by phone on Monday, Trump said Iran should “put up the white flag of surrender”, signalling that his administration was maintaining pressure on Tehran despite ongoing efforts to revive negotiations.
The comments came as an interim agreement between the United States and Iran appeared to have collapsed. The June memorandum of understanding had provided for an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts”, but Trump declared the arrangement over on July 7.
Iran’s foreign ministry subsequently said the agreement had been suspended. The memorandum had also committed both sides to negotiate a broader final deal, including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, within 60 days, a deadline that fell on Monday.
Meanwhile, Oman and Iran have been negotiating an agreement aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route that carried about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began in late February.
Trump warned Oman against obstructing efforts over the strategic waterway, telling Fox News: “If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the shit out of them.”
The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz has contributed to higher fuel prices and increased pressure on the US administration to bring the conflict to an end, particularly ahead of the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
Trump, however, rejected suggestions that the approaching elections were influencing his approach to the conflict.
“Midterms have nothing to do with my thinking,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, Trump reiterated his stated objective in a post on Truth Social, saying his “number one Goal” remained preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The renewed threats came as diplomatic efforts remained deadlocked, with the fate of Iran’s nuclear programme and the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continuing to shape the confrontation.