WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Iran appear far apart in diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war, just over 24 hours from President Donald Trump’s deadline for the government in Tehran to either agree to a deal or face a bombardment of attacks on its country’s infrastructure. Since then, the president has vacillated between saying a deal is unnecessary for Iran to reopen the strait to saying it is not the United States’ but other countries’ responsibility to ensure the strait is reopened to demanding that Iran reopen the strait or face attacks on its infrastructure. Dennis Ross, a former Middle East envoy who is currently a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Iran’s leaders have lost much of the country’s military might from U.S. and Israeli strikes, but despite Trump’s threats, they see significant leverage in controlling the Strait of Hormuz given the impact on the global economy.
Author: Abigail Williams, Gabe Gutierrez, Daniel Arkin, Natasha Lebedeva
Published at: 2026-04-06 21:30:24
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