Trump denies Iran talks, declares Hormuz new US territory

President Donald Trump on Tuesday flatly denied any current or future dialogue with Iran, a statement that appeared to contradict remarks made by his envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who had described "very positive and animated" discussions.

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There is no dialogue or conversations underway, nor are they planned, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Despite the denial, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy trade, remains tense. Trump, who has declared the strait as new US territory and published a map to illustrate this, asserted that the naval blockade continues and operations in the strait are ongoing. He also claimed all naval mines had been cleared.

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The naval blockade remains in place. The Strait of Hormuz is open and operational. All mines in the waters have been removed or detonated.

However, the UAE issued a rare missile threat alert, reporting that its air defenses detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran. One missile reportedly fell outside territorial waters, while the second landed within them. This incident underscores the persistent instability in the region, which has seen nearly six months of conflict.

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The air defenses of the Emirates detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards the country, the first fell outside the territorial waters and the second fell in the territorial waters.

Sources indicate that while Kushner's discussions were described as positive, Trump has instructed his teams not to resume dialogue until Tehran aligns with Washington's positions. Iranian authorities, meanwhile, have outlined their own conditions for opening the strait, including the lifting of the US naval blockade, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, and the end of the oil embargo. The Strait of Hormuz remains a key transit route, though traffic has been significantly reduced since the conflict began, with some vessels opting to disable their transponders.

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The Strait of Hormuz will not be opened as long as Washington does not fulfill its commitments provided for in a protocol agreement signed in June.