"Tweets A Lot, Talks A Lot": Iran Minister Slams Trump Over Hormuz Blockade

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the Iranians were not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks with the US because the Americans "have not abandoned their maximalist position".

Speaking on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Khatibzadeh criticised Trump about his recent comment suggesting that the US would "start dropping bombs again" if no deal is reached by Wednesday.

"The American side tweets a lot, talks a lot. Sometimes confusing, sometimes, you know, contradictory," Khatibzadeh said, referring to US President Donald Trump and his frequent social media posts.

"He said contradictory things within the same statement," he said. "I don't know exactly what he meant."

On Friday night, Trump told reporters accompanying him aboard Air Force One to Washington that a deal is "going to happen" and flatly rejected the idea of restrictions or tolls by Iran on the Strait of Hormuz.

However, Khatibzadeh said that the Iranian position was clear and that the Islamic Republic would resist pressure from Washington. He said that they will "heroically and patriotically" defend their country.

Khatibzadeh rejected US accusations that Iran was threatening freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and said, "Americans cannot impose their will to do a siege over Iran while Iran, with good intention, is trying to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz."

The Iranian official said that even though the Islamic Republic believes that "war cannot lead to any positive outcome", it can defend itself if under attack.

"We will fight until the last Iranian soldier," he said.

Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait, and further limits would squeeze an already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again. Iran's Friday announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil is shipped, came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.