US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that Iran would be "hit very hard" unless the Strait of Hormuz reopens "very soon," even as negotiators worked towards an interim deal to restore safe passage through the strategic waterway.
"The strait is going to be open very soon, or they're going to get hit very hard, and then the strait's going to be open," Trump told Fox News during a visit to California.
He said Tehran had been given "a final chance to reach a deal," cautioning: "If they back out again, they're going to get hit really hard. They know that; they understand that. I have no choice. They can't have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple."
Trump described talks with Iran as constructive, saying Tehran appeared eager to bring the conflict to a close. "We're having very good discussions," he said. "The only thing that matters is action. And they want to make a deal. We'll see what happens." Pressed on timing, he struck an unhurried tone: "I have plenty of time."
Trump also said the US had been ready to launch what he called its largest strike since World War II before Tehran sought talks at the eleventh hour.
"They called me and said very politely, please, can we talk?" he recalled, framing the prevention of an Iranian nuclear weapon as the non-negotiable goal behind Washington's approach.
ALSO READ: US Faces Missile Shortage as Iran War Depletes Arsenal: Report
Axios reported, citing unnamed regional and American officials, that the US, Iran and Oman were closing in on a 60-day arrangement to guarantee safe passage through the strait.
The proposed deal would not involve toll payments and could be extended beyond its initial term, with inbound Gulf-bound traffic routed along a northern shipping lane and outbound vessels directed through a southern lane within Omani waters.
Boarding Air Force One shortly afterwards for a flight to Las Vegas, Trump suggested an agreement was within reach, saying he expected a deal "tomorrow or the next day."
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil and gas flows, has remained at the centre of the conflict since it erupted on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
ALSO READ: Hormuz Reopening In Sight: Rubio Signals Progress In Iran Talks To Unblock Shipping Route
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