President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering broadside against Iranian leadership on Truth Social on Monday, accusing the regime of “unbelievably duplicitous” behavior and demanding what he framed as an ultimatum: strike a deal or face total surrender.
The president’s remarks came hours after Iranian officials publicly denied that substantive negotiations were taking place with Washington, insisting they were only engaging with Omani intermediaries—a claim Trump flatly rejected.
“They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’ talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with ‘Oman,'” Trump wrote.
Trump says “Iranian leadership Iranian Leadership is unbelievably duplicitous” after Tehran denies talks taking place. pic.twitter.com/hFfG5JlFBB
— Views&News (@ViewsNewsMag) August 3, 2026
On Sunday, Trump had told reporters aboard Air Force One that new negotiations with Iran would begin Monday to address the Strait of Hormuz and ultimately Iran’s nuclear program issues.
Trump’s remarks Sunday followed his threat to hit Iran “very hard. ”The president called off the strikes at the urging of Middle Eastern allies including Saudi Arabia.
However, Monday morning, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told a televised press conference that Tehran is not holding talks with Washington. Instead, Iran is engaged in discussions with Oman on a temporary safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Baqaei described a proposed arrangement involving a single path with designated entry and exit lanes.
.@POTUS on Iran: “Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon — and we’ll see.” https://t.co/jrvoju7nG6 pic.twitter.com/B7bmK3brYC
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 2, 2026
Reacting to Iran’s denial of negotiations, Trump Monday pushed back forcefully on Iranian rhetoric regarding the Strait of Hormu,.
Tehran has repeatedly asserted its ability to operate powerfully in the waterway, but Trump declared that the U.S. Navy has effectively sealed it off.
“It is already completely controlled by the United States Navy and our ‘Blockade’ or, as some say, ‘The United States Wall of Steel!'” he proclaimed. “Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished.”
Trump framed the escalating standoff as a long-running crisis of Iran’s own making, stating that the U.S. is engaged in “talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused, for decades.”
He concluded with an emphatic, all-caps pledge that has been a cornerstone of his Iran policy: “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
