Trump Says Iran Will ‘Give Up’, Claims Record Oil Movement Through Hormuz

US President Donald Trump said Iran would “give up” and claimed the United States had taken more oil out of the Strait of Hormuz over the preceding days than at any previous point, as Tehran renewed its warning over the security of regional infrastructure.

“They will give up... We took more oil out of the Hormuz Strait over the last couple days than at any point in history,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

Trump did not provide figures in the remarks cited to substantiate the claim. His comments followed a luncheon with technology executives focused on safety commitments for advanced artificial intelligence systems.

Iran Warns ‘No Infrastructure Will Be Safe’

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responding to Trump’s earlier remarks about the strait and the passage of ships, accused the US president of repeating claims that Tehran rejected.

“The delusional US president recently made rhetoric about the Strait of Hormuz and the passage of ships through it that is a repetition of previous claims, and the truth of these delusional positions is known to everyone,” Ghalibaf said during a public video conference on Tuesday.

He linked the movement of oil through the region to Iran’s ability to sell its own crude and maintain its security.

“Both Americans and other countries should know: As we said before, in a region where we do not sell oil, no one will sell oil, and if our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe,” he said.

US Links Sanctions Relief to Nuclear Progress

The public exchange came as mediators worked to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table.

A US official told CNN on Monday that Trump was willing to offer sanctions relief and release frozen Iranian funds as part of a final agreement, provided Tehran demonstrated “concrete progress” on the nuclear issue.

The official described discussions through mediators as “positive and constructive”, but said there would be no agreement without addressing nuclear matters.

According to the official, Iran had signalled flexibility on those issues, although differences remained over the timing of the two sides’ commitments.

Trump had rejected Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, calling it “unacceptable”.

Tehran Awaits Washington’s Response

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Tehran had held further indirect talks with the United States through Qatari mediators in New York, Al Jazeera reported.

He said Iran was awaiting an official response from Washington, which he “hopefully” expected by Tuesday.

Araghchi subsequently left New York for Tehran after completing his diplomatic engagements and consultations, according to Iranian news agency IRNA.

The accounts point to continuing indirect negotiations, with the sequence of commitments and Washington’s demand for nuclear progress remaining unresolved.

With inputs from ANI