00:00U.S. President Donald Trump said that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come as
00:05soon as Wednesday, but warned Iran that it would get hit very hard if the talks fell through.
00:11Transit of the waterway, a key maritime corridor for global oil and gas shipping,
00:16has been a sticking point in the talks and led to renewed fighting despite a ceasefire
00:21agreed in April. Iran has tightened its grip on Hormuz and wants to take control of the
00:27Strait and charge tolls, powers it did not exercise before the war began on 28 February.
00:33Trump, speaking to reporters in California, said that negotiators had a, quote,
00:38very good day, a change in tone from earlier threats he had directed at the Islamic Republic.
00:44The Strait's going to be open very soon, or they're going to get hit very hard,
00:48and then the Strait's going to be open. We were going to a tremendous attack,
00:52the biggest since World War II, and they called me and said, very politely, please, can we talk,
00:58can we talk? They didn't want. And I said, yes, we can talk. Let's get it done. Finally, let's get
01:05it
01:05done. Iran has meanwhile doubled down on its claims that no talks are ongoing with the U.S.,
01:11even as Trump insisted they were happening. Qatar, which has been mediating the talks
01:16between Iran and Oman, said there were no direct talks between Washington and Tehran,
01:21but acknowledged that diplomatic efforts are underway. U.S. media reporting on the potential
01:28deal said it would include a 60-day safe passage arrangement in the Strait between Iran and Oman.
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