US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Iran are under way or scheduled, as he posted a map showing the Strait of Hormuz as a new American territory in a fresh jibe at 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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

A day earlier, Fox News said Trump had confirmed to the network that the US had a backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and that officials in Washington were speaking directly with IRGC officials.

On Monday, the president’s senior aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner spoke of “robust” conversations between the US and Iran, while acknowledging that Tehran wasn’t yet ready to make a deal that is satisfactory to Washington.

But on Tuesday, Trump denied the talks. He also wrote that the US blockade of Iran’s ports remained in place, and claimed that the Strait of Hormuz was “open and operating,” even though ship traffic is down dramatically compared to before the war.

Trump additionally declared that “all water mines have been removed or detonated,” though he has made a number of contradictory claims regarding whether or not mines were ever planted in the first place in the strait, a key waterway for the global supply of oil.

Separately, the US president posted a map on his Truth Social platform showing the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW U.S. Territory,” pressing his threat to claim sovereignty........

© The Times of Israel