On June 2, Trump took to social media platform Truth Social to refute claims that talks between the U.S. and Iran had ceased. He stated, "The fake news report that Iran and the U.S. stopped talking a few days ago is false and wrong." He added, "Our conversations have continued for four days, three days, two days, yesterday, and today. No one knows how these discussions will end, but as I told the Iranians, it is time for you to reach an agreement in some form."
Earlier, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that Iran's negotiation team had suspended communication regarding a peace agreement with the U.S. in protest of Israel's attacks in Lebanon.
While the U.S. maintains that talks are still active, it has made it clear that sanctions relief is not linked to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but rather to Iran's commitment to nuclear disarmament. According to reports from the Associated Press, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that "Iran has been sanctioned for possessing highly enriched uranium and engaging in nuclear activities. If they agree to abandon these, sanctions relief will be tied to their promises and compliance."
When asked if sanctions relief was being offered in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio responded, "That has not been discussed or proposed." He expressed strong concerns about the potential for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, noting that the country's decision-making structure is a theocratic regime. He warned that if Iran obtains nuclear capabilities, they would effectively gain impunity, limiting the options available to counter them and allowing them to hold the world hostage.
Rubio also indicated that without preemptive strikes from the U.S. and Israel, Iran would likely soon possess nuclear weapons, which he described as making Iran a "worse" threat than North Korea due to its greater financial resources.
Military Clashes Continue Amid Negotiations
Military confrontations persist even as negotiations unfold. According to reports from Reuters and AFP, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced through state media that it had targeted the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain and a U.S. Air Force base in Kuwait with missiles and drones.In response, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, immediately refuted Iran's claims. CENTCOM stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "the assertion that Iran struck the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and the U.S. Air Force base in the region is false," adding that "all Iranian attacks on U.S. forces have failed."
CENTCOM also reported that it intercepted three attack drones launched by Iran targeting civilian vessels legitimately transiting the regional waters and conducted airstrikes on an Iranian military ground control facility on Qeshm Island.
Maritime blockades continue as well. CENTCOM announced via X that it had implemented a blockade on the Botswana-flagged tanker 'M/T Lexi' as it was passing through international waters en route to Iran's Kharg Island.
Economic pressure on Iran remains in effect. The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, and major trading platforms as targets for sanctions, also sanctioning four individuals, including Nobitex's co-founder and former and current CEOs.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.