War in the Middle East: Donald Trump declares that Iran wants at all costs to conclude an agreement

Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is at the heart of diplomatic negotiations.

Donald Trump, as usual, sends mixed signals. The American president announced on Monday, April 13 on his Truth Social network that Iranian “fast attack boats” attempting to defy the blockade of Iranian ports, which came into effect at 4 p.m., will be “immediately ELIMINATED.” The day before, he had issued an ultimatum to prevent the navigation of “vessels of all nationalities entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal zones,” while allowing those passing through the Strait of Hormuz without going through Iran to continue. The Iranian military then denounced an “illegal” blockade, which they called “an act of piracy.” “If the security of the ports of the Islamic Republic of Iran is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea will be safe,” they threatened.

During a press conference at the White House, he also hoped for a resolution to the conflict. “I can tell you that the other side has reached out to us. They want to make a deal, at any cost,” said the American president after the failure of discussions in Pakistan to end the war in the Middle East. Thirty-four ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, “by far the highest number since the start of this senseless closure” by Iran, claimed Donald Trump.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on “all parties” to “respect freedom of navigation, including in the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with international law.” “According to international law, no country has the right to prohibit innocent passage or the freedom of navigation in the international straits used for international transit,” emphasized International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.

France and the United Kingdom will organize “in the coming days a conference with willing countries to contribute” to “a multinational peaceful mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz.