President Donald Trump is defending his Iran war strategy, attacking critics and sceptics on Monday as “TRAITORS, ALL” after a second round of talks with Iran were thrown into doubt by the US Navy's seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz.
It was the first such interception since the US blockade of Iranian ports began last week, and Iran’s military vowed to respond.
Trump said Vice President JD Vance, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff would be going in Islamabad, where Pakistani officials were preparing the venue, but Iranians made no commitment to a Round Two of talks with the US, and Vance's motorcade was later spotted at the White House.
Trump appeared to throw cold water on hopes for an agreement, telling Bloomberg News that he’s “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire before it expires later this week.
The escalating standoff threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after nearly two months of fighting that Iran's forensic chief has killed at least 3375 people in Iran.
Israel and Lebanon meanwhile said they would join another round of talks in Washington, DC, on Thursday, continuing their first direct diplomatic talks in decades.
Trump gets defensive on Iran strategy
In a pair of social-media posts, the US president lashed out at Democrats — calling them “TRAITORS, ALL” — and the media for their criticism and scepticism about his handling of the war in Iran.
Trump accused Democrats of doing “everything possible” to hurt the administration on Iran and he stressed that he wouldn’t be rushed into a deal “that is not as good as it could have been".
“This is being perfectly executed, on the scale of Venezuela, just a bigger, more complex operation. The result will be the same,” Trump wrote, insisting that “time is not my adversary.”
He also rebutted notions that a deal he’s negotiating with Iran is similar to what former President Barack Obama reached in 2015, ranting about a Washington Post column on the topic.
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