President Donald Trump reacted on Saturday to Iran's announcement that it again closed the Strait of Hormuz over alleged violations of the ceasefire by the U.S.
Speaking to Press, Trump said Iran "got a little cute." "They can't blackmail us," he added, according to Axios journalist Barak Ravid. Trump noted that parties are still talking and he will know by the end of the day if a deal is moving forward.
Iran said it closed the key waterway and accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by continuing its own blockade.
Semi-official state news agency Fars quoted an official saying that the U.S. continues to "engage in banditry and maritime piracy."
"As long as the United States does not agree to the complete freedom of navigation for vessels .... the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled and in its previous state," the official added.
Iran appears to have fired on at least three tankers attempting to go through the strait, Axios noted, highlighting reports from a U.S. defense official and the U.K. Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO).
Audio recordings from one of the attacks shows one ship was cleared to cross and then fired upon.
The development is a departure from Trump's optimistic remarks from Friday, when he said Tehran had "agreed to everything," including giving up its enriched uranium stockpile.
"We'll go down and get it with them, and then we'll take it. We'll be getting it together because by that time, we'll have an agreement and there's no need for fighting when there's an agreement. Nice right? That's better. We would have done it the other way if we had to," Trump said when describing how the uranium would be retrieved. He went on to claim the stockpile will be taken to the U.S.
He also told Bloomberg that Tehran has has agreed to suspend its nuclear program indefinitely and won't receive frozen funds from the U.S.
Talk about the unfreezing of funds were also reported by Axios, which claimed that parties were negotiating the release of $20 billion in exchange for Tehran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium.
The outlet detailed that Iran has about 2,000 kilograms of enriched uranium buried in underground facilities bombed by the U.S. last year, including 450 kilograms enriched to 60%, close to the threshold require to make nuclear weapons.
