Trump presses Iran to 'wave white flag'
President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Iran's military capability and said Tehran "should wave the white flag of surrender", a demand rejected by Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, as renewed escalation continued in the Gulf region for a second consecutive day.
Speaking a day after launching 'Project Freedom' to open the Strait of Hormuz, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran's military had been reduced to firing "peashooters" and that Tehran privately wanted to make a deal despite its public sabre-rattling.
He downplayed the recent tensions amid a slow peace process with Iran, calling them a "little skirmish" and claiming the US had "total control". He said Iran was quietly negotiating and "wants to make a deal," even as a fragile ceasefire held amid new attacks.
"They play games, but let me just tell you, they want to make a deal. And who wouldn't, when your military is totally gone?" he said. "[Iran] should wave the white flag of surrender. If this were a fight, they'd stop it," he added. "They should do the smart thing, because we don't want to go in and kill people."
Trump also praised the US blockade of Iranian ports. "It's like a piece of steel. Nobody's going to challenge the blockade. And I think it's working out very well," he said. When asked whether Iranian actions constituted a ceasefire violation, he again described the situation as "a little skirmish".
Trump announced that 'Project Freedom' had been launched on Monday to escort ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz since US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28. However, Iran used force to scuttle US naval movements and rejected US claims that six of its boats had been sunk.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it intercepted missiles fired from Iran, while a projectile hit an oil facility in the emirate of Fujairah. On Tuesday, the UAE said its air defences were engaging missiles and drones from Iran for the second consecutive day.
Iran denied the UAE's claims. Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said it had not carried out attacks against the UAE in recent days, but warned of a "crushing response" if any action was taken by the Gulf country against Iran.
Iran's Press TV reported that Tehran had set up a new mechanism to manage vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz and warned the US Navy to stay out of the flashpoint waterway. The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they would respond firmly to any ships that deviated from approved routes.
"We warn all vessels planning to transit the Strait of Hormuz that the only safe passage is the corridor previously announced by Iran. Any diversion of ships to other routes is dangerous and will result in a firm response from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy," it said in a statement carried by state television.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation to protect commercial shipping was temporary and that the four-week-old truce was not over. "We're not looking for a fight," he told a press conference. "Right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we're going to be watching very, very closely."
Iran's chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf had earlier said that breaches of the ceasefire by the US and its allies endangered shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the US military insisted the ceasefire still held.
"We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even begun yet," Ghalibaf said in a social media post.
The top US general, Dan Caine, said Iranian attacks against US forces fell "below the threshold of restarting major combat operations". Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reiterated that Washington was "not looking for a fight" but warned of "overwhelming and devastating American firepower" in response to any Iranian attacks on commercial shipping.
Gen Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States was "ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so", adding: "No adversary should mistake our current restraint for a lack of resolve."
Iranian media reported that President Pezeshkian warned against US military build-up and threats amid ongoing dialogue. "The US pursues a policy of maximum pressure and wants Iran to come to the negotiating table and surrender to its unilateral demands; this is impossible," he said.