At the Strait of Hormuz, Iran-US Diplomacy Stalls Again as Trump Tweet Fuels Tension

US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 (27 Mordad 1405) that no negotiations with Iran are under way and that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains in force with full force. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier said message exchanges through intermediaries continue but do not amount to negotiations, and a source close to Iran's negotiating team said recent talks with Oman concerned Iran's sovereignty arrangements over Hormuz, not talks with the US. Shipping tracker Kepler reported confirmed transits through the strait fell 17 percent to 10 on Tuesday, none of them via the strait's official shipping lane.

Citing the Financial Times and CNN, Donya-e-Eqtesad reported that Trump has instructed his team to halt talks with Iran and that US strategy has shifted from seeking a quick deal to applying gradual pressure. In response, Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the strait will only be managed under Iran's own arrangements. Before the war began, about one fifth of the world's energy supply passed through the strait.