'Deal makes no difference, sweeping the Strait': Trump downplays Iran talks as US warships cross Hormuz
Speaking to reporters outside White House, President Trump said that the American military has started clearing the Strait of Hormuz, which has become the flashpoint of the US-Iran peace talks. The Hormuz is one of the critical transit points through which nearly 20% of the global crude passes.
Reiterating once again that the United States (US) is winning the war against Iran, President Donald Trump said on Saturday (local time) that it doesn't matter to him if the Iranian sides makes a deal with him or not, as the outcome of the conflict has already been decided. His remarks came after the US and Iran held talks in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad to cease all hostilities in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, the American leader also said that the US military has started clearing the Strait of Hormuz, which has become the central point of the conflict. US has pressing for Iran to open the Hormuz, while the Islamic Republic has remained firm on its decision to remain the waterway blocked, which has severely disrupted global supply chains.
"They've been meeting for many hours. We will see what happens. Regardless of that, we win. Maybe they make a deal; maybe they don't. It doesn't matter. From the standpoint of America, we win. The boats are sailing up and heading out to our country. We are loading the huge tankers with oil and gas," he said.
"We will see what happens. We are in a deep negotiation with Iran, we win regardless. We have defeated them militarily... We are sweeping the Strait. Whether we make a deal or not, it makes no difference to me and the reason is because we've won... We were not helped by NATO," he said when asked whether the US would consider releasing Iranian assets.
The US-Iran talks in Pakistan
The talks lasted for nearly 15 hours on Sunday, and are expected to continue on Sunday as well. Quoting a Pakistan official, AFP reported that the talks were "progressing in the right direction". "I can say that discussions are moving positively and the overall atmosphere is cordial," said the official.
Although a report by the Financial Times has claimed that the talks have hit a "stalemate" over disagreements over the control of Hormuz. The report quoting sources claimed that Iran wants to retain the control of Hormuz and refused US proposal of a "joint control". Though it should be mentioned here that two US military vessels have already crossed the Strait and launched mine clearance operation there.
Iran's military has denied that any American warships had entered the waterway; although it has promised safe passage for "civilian vessels under specific conditions" during the two-week ceasefire. "Any attempt by military vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz will be dealt with severely," Iran's IRGC warned.
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