US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday to “step up soon” as talks between Washington and Tehran to end the war remained stuck in limbo. “Iran can’t get its act together. They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better step up soon,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The post also included an AI-generated image of Trump, showing the US president holding a machine gun while bombs explode in the background of what appears to be somewhere in Iran.
“Iran in a state of collapse”
Trump’s Truth Social post came hours after he said on the platform that Iran said it was in a state of collapse and wanted the United States to open the Strait of Hormuz while it addressed its leadership.
“Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘state of collapse’. They want us to “open the Strait of Hormuz” as soon as possible as they try to establish their leadership (which I believe they will be able to do!). Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump said on Tuesday.
Trump is unhappy with Iran’s latest proposal to resolve the two-month-old war, a US official told Reuters, dimming hopes for a resolution to the conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fueled inflation and killed thousands of people.
The first direct talks between the US and Iran
The US and Iran held their first direct talks in Pakistan on 11 and 12 April. But despite hours of talks, high-level delegations from both sides failed to reach a consensus on ending the war, which began on February 28.
What happened last week?
Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad renewed hopes for a second round of talks between the two sides. However, Araghchi left Pakistan even before the US delegation arrived in the country. In the aftermath, Trump canceled a planned trip by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Pakistan and said future negotiations would be handled by phone.
Why the US and Iran Can’t Agree on a Deal
Iran insists that any talks with the US can only resume after Washington lifts the naval blockade.
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor for the world’s oil, in response to US and Israeli attacks on the country. After the first round of talks in Islamabad failed to end the standoff, the United States responded with a blockade of Iran’s navy and continued to build up its military presence in the region, with three aircraft carriers in the Middle East for the first time in more than 20 years.
The naval blockade, along with disagreement over the future of Iran’s nuclear program and continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon, have been obstacles that have stalled talks between Washington and Tehran.
