Open the Strait of Hormuz and Negotiations End? Reports Stir Confusion

[Anchor]

Reports have emerged that U.S. President Trump was prepared to conclude negotiations even without a nuclear agreement, as long as the Strait of Hormuz was opened. However, as Iran presented even tougher conditions, President Trump reportedly made remarks suggesting a step back, stating that he is responding with low intensity.

Correspondent Kim Hyunwoo from New York reports.

[Reporter]

In a phone interview with a U.S. media outlet, President Trump stated that he is taking a low-key approach to the Iran issue.

He also noted that Iran is suffering from inflation, adding that he is simply watching an Iran with no money.

This stance is far more passive compared to last week when he claimed that the Strait of Hormuz would open soon.

[Trump/U.S. President (August 4): (The negotiations) are moving along nicely. You'll find out. You'll find out in the next 48 hours.]

While interpretations emerged that Trump would opt for economic pressure instead of military threats, it remains uncertain whether this will work on Iran.

As a prerequisite for opening the strait, Iran has presented the United States with a new set of demands that go beyond the previous memorandum of understanding.

These include six demands, such as U.S. compensation for damages from two aggressive wars last year and this year, and the immediate lifting of economic sanctions that had been aligned with the nuclear deal.

[Araghchi/Iranian Foreign Minister: There is no possibility of resuming negotiations unless the United States compensates for its violations of the memorandum of understanding.]

Iran also appointed Mohsen Rezaei, a hardliner who once stated that the Strait of Hormuz is more important than dozens of nuclear weapons, as the new secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

With depleted weapons stockpiles making it difficult to resume large-scale airstrikes,

U.S. officials reported that President Trump, caught between a rock and a hard place, had intended to declare victory and end negotiations as long as the Strait of Hormuz was opened, even if a nuclear deal fell through. Now, analysis suggests that even this modest goal has become difficult to achieve.

With outlets like the UK's Telegraph characterizing this war as a strategic mistake of historic proportions, forecasts continue to mount that it could become another painful U.S. defeat akin to the Vietnam or Afghanistan wars.

(Camera filming: Lee Hee-hoon, Video editing: Kim Byung-jik)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.