US President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that discussions with Iran were being held "right now" and focused in particular on a reopening, possible "as early as tomorrow", of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran had however denied this shortly before.

Published on: 08/03/2026 - 02:15 Modified on: 08/03/2026 - 23:53

Donald Trump affirmed on Monday August 3 that negotiations with Iran were taking place "at this very moment", despite Tehran's denial shortly before. The American president specified that these discussions represented "the last chance" for the country to obtain a good agreement.

In an exchange with journalists at the White House, he assured that these talks were taking place "at the request" of Tehran and with the "support" of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Qatar. “This is the last chance the Iranians have to sign a good document,” he said.

According to Donald Trump, these discussions relate in particular to a reopening, possible according to him "as early as tomorrow", of the Strait of Hormuz.

Read alsoAmerican-Saudi strikes: why Riyadh is (a little) digging up the hatchet against Iran

Previously, he had castigated, in a message on his Truth Social network, the “incredible duplicity” of Iranian leaders. “They ask for a meeting (...), discussions begin, others are planned for the immediate future and they say, publicly and proudly, that they have no discussions,” he wrote on his platform.

The American president had threatened a few days ago to "hit hard" the Islamic Republic, before announcing to suspend his plans for massive bombings, in a new about-face, alternating several times in recent weeks threats and announcements of talks.

Iran says it is negotiating with Oman over Hormuz

Iran's response came during its weekly diplomatic press briefing: "We are not negotiating with the United States at the moment. We are negotiating with Oman to secure a passage through the Strait of Hormuz," said Esmaïl Baghaï.

The day before, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had spoken of a close agreement with Oman to reopen this crucial route for global hydrocarbon trade, once again locked since the American-Iranian memorandum of understanding was shattered at the beginning of July.

Iran, which does not want a return to the pre-war situation, currently only authorizes one route along its coasts. The Omani sultanate, which angered Tehran in June by opening an alternative route across the strait, has not yet made a statement.

See alsoStrait of Hormuz: who will give in first?

“We are on the verge of reaching an agreement on a route acceptable to both parties – neither the North nor the South road – while respecting the sovereign rights of each country and guaranteeing our national interests and our security,” assured Esmaïl Baghaï on Sunday.

Oil prices fall

These apparent advances caused oil prices to fall: around 6:25 p.m. GMT, a barrel of Brent, the world benchmark, lost 4.8%, falling to $83.7. It had briefly exceeded $100 at the end of July.

In the meantime, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains tense. An explosion near an oil tanker was reported there overnight from Sunday to Monday by the British maritime safety agency UKMTO.

Donald Trump had conditioned the announced suspension of American strikes on the rapid conclusion of an agreement with Tehran, in particular on the strait. He claimed on Monday that it was "totally controlled" by the American navy and warned that the American blockade of Iranian ports would only be lifted in the event of an "agreement" or "total surrender".

Hostilities, triggered at the end of February by an American-Israeli offensive on Tehran, generally ceased in April before resuming at the beginning of July. According to American media, Washington was considering new massive bombings over the weekend, particularly against energy infrastructure.

Donald Trump said he had renounced this new attack at the request of countries in the region, which, according to him, "think we have an agreement": "There is an agreement on Hormuz and then there will be an agreement on nuclear power, one could even say on the denuclearization of Iran." He claimed that the request came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran itself, which Tehran also denied, citing a "new lie" from the US president.

The war has expanded recently, with a new front in the Red Sea, where Yemeni Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, announced they were imposing a blockade on Saudi ships and have since claimed attacks on the kingdom's tankers and oil installations.

With AFP

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