The U.S.-Iran War Is In Limbo. Tehran Officials Reportedly Believe They Have The Upper Hand Over Trump

Iranian officials are reportedly comfortable with the current state of the war and believe they have leverage over President Donald Trump, according to a new report.

The New York Times detailed that Tehran will seek Washington’s recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz, something the country has been unwilling to do so far.

The outlet did note that the scenario is not without challenges for Tehran, as the country’s economy is set to continue deteriorating as a result of the U.S.’s blockade of its ports and a years-long malaise.

Tehran continues taking steps towards solidifying its control over the waterway in the meantime. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with Omani and Saudi counterparts about the future of navigation through the strait.

Tehran’s ministry said the calls “emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region and eliminate the insecurity imposed on the Strait of Hormuz caused by the aggressive actions of the United States.”

Another report detailed that Gulf states have backed a proposal that would allow Iran to charge fees to vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz if the payments are made voluntarily.

Oman, which controls the opposite shore of the strait, has won the backing of other Gulf states for the plan as negotiations between the countries appear to continue.

The proposal would be similar to that in place at the Strait of Malacca, where Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore ask ships to give voluntary donations for, among other things, environmental protection and search-and-rescue operation.

President Donald Trump has warned of “very strong military action” against Iran if talks between the countries are unfruitful.

Speaking to Axios on Monday, Trump said the U.S. is in “very deep talks” with Tehran but promised to escalate significantly if they don’t yield results soon.

Asked how long he will give for diplomacy, he replied: “Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.” Later on Monday he said: “You can’t bribe them. You’ve got to beat them, and we’ll beat the hell out of them. But we’ll see how it turns out. Right now, there are very friendly negotiations going on.”