By Amjad Qaimkhani
WASHINGTON: Aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump said late on Friday that he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire once it expires.
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday following a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, although Tehran warned it could close the vital waterway again if the US blockade continues.
A ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday. “Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked whether the ceasefire would be extended. Asked about the prospects of a deal, Trump said: “I think it’s going to happen.”
Significant differences remain between US and Iranian positions, including issues that earlier talks held in Pakistan failed to resolve. Trump told reporters there would be “not going to be tolls” imposed by Iran on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, referring to proposals Tehran had previously raised in earlier draft peace plans.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said China’s President Xi Jinping was “very happy” about the reopening of the global oil chokepoint. “Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, historic,” Trump added, referring to a summit planned in Beijing in May.
He also said Washington and Tehran would jointly transfer enriched uranium stored in Iran to the United States under a proposed plan aimed at ending the conflict that began on 28 February. Iran’s foreign ministry has previously said its uranium stockpile would not be transferred “anywhere”.
