President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that the United States is not engaged in any talks with Iran and has none scheduled, while insisting the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping.
Iranian officials offered a sharply different account, rejecting any firm deadline from a June agreement and vowing to keep the strategic waterway closed until Washington meets a series of conditions.
The statements came one day after a 60-day negotiating period under a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding expired, leaving both sides entrenched and commercial traffic through one of the world’s most important energy routes severely limited.
Trump Rules Out Talks and Asserts Control of the Strait
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated: “There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The U.S. president said the naval blockade of Iranian ports “remains in full force and effect.”
“The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated.”
The remarks directly contradicted an Iranian assertion that the waterway was still shut.
Trump’s position also appeared to be different from comments the previous day from his son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner, who had described talks with Iran as still underway and “probably more robust” than they had ever been.
Trump has previously indicated he has no plans to extend the June memorandum. Preliminary shipping data on Tuesday showed vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz remaining in the single digits, far below pre-conflict levels.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 18, 2026
Iran Rejects Any Deadline in the Islamabad Memorandum
According to IRNA Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei pushed back firmly against the idea that the June agreement imposed a binding 60-day deadline.
Speaking at a press briefing, he said: “There is no such thing as a 60-day deadline in the text of the MoU, and the Islamic Republic of Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums or time constraints. All decisions are made solely based on evaluations of national interests and national security.
“What was anticipated in the MoU was merely a 60-day window for talks on two axes — sanctions relief and the nuclear issue — which could be extended if no result was reached. Due to the blatant and widespread violation of the June 18 MoU by the US just a few weeks after its signing, no talks were initiated, and consequently, the issue of the 60-day period completely lost its relevance.”
Baqaei added that Iran’s armed forces were closely monitoring all movements.
The memorandum, mediated by Pakistan and signed around June 17-18, had called for the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts. It set a maximum 60-day period, extendable by mutual consent, to negotiate a broader final deal covering Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of U.S. sanctions. That window elapsed on Monday.
UN Calls for Renewed US-Iran Talks as Islamabad Ceasefire Agreement Hits Deadline
Ghalibaf Links Hormuz Reopening to Full U.S. Compliance
According to Al-Jazeera Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s top negotiator, said the Strait of Hormuz would stay closed until the United States fulfills its commitments under the memorandum.
According to Iranian state media, he told a parliamentary session: “Until the US commitments in the memorandum of understanding — including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and other conditions to which America committed — are implemented, the Strait will not be opened.”
Iran has maintained control over shipping through the strait since the conflict began, requiring vessels to seek permission and, in some cases, pay transit fees. The waterway normally carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Tehran was shifting to a “fully offensive” military posture because of the diplomatic stalemate. No fresh strikes by either side were reported on Tuesday.
The Unraveling of a Fragile Understanding
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding had sought to halt hostilities and open a path to wider negotiations.
It quickly frayed over disagreements about control of the Strait of Hormuz and the pace of implementation. The United States has kept its naval blockade of Iranian ports in place, while Iran has refused to restore free passage through the strait.
The two sides continue to present competing versions of reality: Washington asserting the waterway is open and cleared of mines, Tehran insisting it remains shut until sanctions relief, asset releases, and an end to military threats materialize. With the formal negotiating window closed and no new talks scheduled, the risk of prolonged disruption to global energy flows remains elevated.
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.
