US President Donald Trump addressed the standoff with Iran on Wednesday, one day after declaring that Washington had no current or scheduled negotiations with Tehran as the 60-day negotiating window came to an end.
Speaking to reporters, Trump suggested that the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz could decline as alternative energy infrastructure expands.
“Record numbers of pipelines are being built. So I think the Hormuz Strait is not going to be quite as important as it was in the past," Trump said.
He noted that shipping through the waterway was continuing, while warning that the volume could eventually decrease.
“We’ll see what happens. Right now, the strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through. People aren't reporting that, and that may slow down a little bit, at some point, but right now, a lot of boats are coming through."
Asked about potential sanctions against Iran, Trump said the United States has extensive measures available.
“We have things that we could sanction on Iran. We have very draconian sanctions, and we’ll see what happens."
Trump also described the US naval blockade as fully effective, saying it had prevented vessels from reaching Iran while allowing traffic to continue toward other destinations.
“The blockade [on the Strait of Hormuz] has been 100% successful. No boats have gotten into Iran, but they are getting in for other places, but we'll see. We're gonna see what happens. It'll either be extremely good and oil prices are going to drop like a rock or we'll continue to do exactly what we're doing. You know, they were talking about $350 a barrel and it's today 84-85 and we are getting a lot of oil out," Trump continued.
His comments followed a Truth Social post Tuesday in which he said there were no negotiations underway with Tehran.
"There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated."
Trump's statement appeared to conflict with comments he had previously made to Fox News indicating that a secret channel between Washington and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was being used for peace discussions.
The IRGC denied that such a channel exists. Its spokesperson, Hossein Mohebbi, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that Trump's claim was a "delusion" and said there were no discussions between IRGC officials and American representatives.
Mohebbi also said Iran's official diplomatic bodies were not negotiating with Washington, attributing the lack of dialogue to what he called Washington's "breach of promises."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei separately rejected reports of undisclosed contacts between the United States and the IRGC involving representatives from Iraqi Kurdistan. He also denied reports that a secret US-Iran meeting had taken place in Erbil.
Baghaei characterized the reports as "media techniques and psychological operations used to sow discord among Iran's decision-making bodies".