The American army intercepts a boat suspected of heading towards an Iranian port

TEHRAN: Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that Iranians had “better get smart and fast!” as negotiations between the two countries aimed at ending the war in the Middle East permanently have hit a deadlock.

The conflict, triggered on February 28 by an Israeli-American attack on Tehran, has resulted in thousands of deaths, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and its repercussions continue to shake the global economy.

The consequences are particularly felt in Iran, where the national currency, the rial, reached a all-time low against the dollar on Wednesday since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, according to several currency monitoring sites.

And in the capital, some express their fatalism.

“The idea of reliving the war is terrifying, but we also have no hope for the outcome of the negotiations,” says Ali, a 52-year-old architect, speaking to AFP from Paris.

“They go to negotiate and come back with even more sanctions, and the discussions always focus on nuclear issues: we never talk about the people, the economy, or freedom,” he adds, as his country has been under international sanctions for decades.

“Become smart”

Although a truce was declared on April 8, Iran and the United States still cannot agree to hold new talks in Pakistan, a mediator country, after an unsuccessful first session on April 11.

The Iranians “better get smart, and fast!” threatened Donald Trump on his Truth social network.

The same message includes a photo montage of the president holding an assault rifle in a war setting, with the comment: “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”

The United States is skeptical of a new proposal from Tehran to unlock the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage for oil and gas trade.

Iran has controlled it since the beginning of the war, and the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

According to an article from the American site Axios, relayed by the official Iranian agency Irna, Tehran’s offer aims to reopen the strait and end the war, postponing further discussions on the nuclear issue.

“More risks”

But this issue remains central for the United States and Israel, who accuse the Islamic Republic of seeking to acquire a nuclear bomb – which it denies.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the American president has instructed national security officials to prepare for a long blockade of Iranian ports to compel Tehran to abandon its nuclear program.

The journal suggests that Mr. Trump believes he can force Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment for 20 years, then accept strict restrictions thereafter.

Iran regularly reaffirms its inalienable right to civil nuclear power, while deeming the enrichment rate “negotiable.”

According to U.S. officials cited by the WSJ, Donald Trump also believes that blocking Iranian port infrastructure would continue to pressure the Iranian economy and its oil exports.

The White House tenant “considered that his other options – resuming bombings or withdrawing from the conflict – carried more risks than maintaining the blockade,” these officials said.

Tehran, on its part, called on Washington to abandon its “irrational demands,” believing that the United States were “no longer in a position to dictate their policy to independent nations.”

Hegseth hearing

While Iran regularly announces arrests or executions of people accused of links to Israel or the United States, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced on Wednesday that 21 people had been executed and more than 4,000 detained for political or security reasons since the start of the conflict.

Iran did not immediately respond to these allegations.

On the Lebanese front, Israel, which is fighting the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, two people, including a soldier, were killed on Wednesday in a new Israeli strike in the south of the country, according to the Lebanese army.

Each side accuses the other of violating the ceasefire declared on April 17.

In the United States, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth will have to explain on Wednesday the conduct of the war in Iran during his first parliamentary hearing since the conflict began.

Since the end of February, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have criticized the American executive for the lack of information provided to them.