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Trump ties talks to force
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on July 27 that if negotiations with Iran fail, the United States will take strong military action, saying, “The only reason they want talks is because we have pressured them very strongly.”
Trump made the remarks during a meeting with reporters on the presidential aircraft en route to Michigan, and he said, “If not, we will return to what we were doing two days ago.”
The U.S. has been conducting continuous airstrikes against Iran since July 13 but halted them starting from July 24, and it remains uncertain whether the lull will lead to meaningful progress in ceasefire negotiations.
Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz is in “very good shape,” while insisting Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and telling reporters, “It’s very simple.”
Oman talks; Iran denies
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, even as the fighting between the two sides was halted on July 26, according to The Hindu.
The Hindu also reported that Iran and the United States held their fire on Sunday (July 26, 2026), giving Gulf shipping and the oil industry a respite from missile strikes as Donald Trump’s UN envoy said the president was “giving talks some space.”
CBS News reported that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Monday that the Iranian delegation has made no pleas or requests to continue negotiations and that Iran rejected an American proposal.
CBS News added that Gharibabadi said talks were held in Oman after Iran “once again closed the Strait of Hormuz,” and he described the U.S. proposal in Islamabad as containing “extreme demands.”
Netanyahu meeting and stakes
Attention is focused on the summit between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled for July 28 at the White House, with Trump saying, “I will tell Netanyahu that if I were not president, Iran would have possessed nuclear weapons by now, and Israel would have been destroyed.”
Netanyahu’s statement released the same day emphasized that the meeting marks the eighth summit between the two leaders since Trump’s re-election and said the Iran problem will be the “top priority.”
AP News said the U.S. military has paused its airstrikes on Iran after nearly two weeks of intensifying bombing, while diplomatic efforts have pushed forward to try to avert a return to all-out war.
AP News also reported that Israel launched the war alongside the U.S. on Feb. 28 and that the planned visit next week in Washington adds uncertainty to whether the U.S. and Iran can take an “off-ramp” from the conflict.
