Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of acting in bad faith during ongoing negotiations and claimed that a drone attack targeting Indian ships near the Strait of Hormuz had been thwarted, injecting fresh uncertainty into diplomatic efforts that he had earlier said averted planned US military strikes.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump rejected Iran’s public description of the negotiations and said Tehran had misrepresented the terms of an agreement reached in writing.
“The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing,” Trump wrote.
“What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. AMAZING!”
Trump also alleged that Iran was behind an attempted drone attack on Indian vessels transiting one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.
“Also, their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” he said.
“They better get their act together, and FAST!”
The President did not provide evidence for the claim, identify the vessels involved or explain how the alleged attack had been repelled. There was no immediate response from Iranian authorities.
The remarks came hours after Trump announced that he had cancelled planned strikes and bombings against Iran, saying discussions with the Islamic Republic had reached “the highest level of Iranian leadership” and received approval.
At the time, Trump said negotiations had been endorsed by several countries, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt.
He had also said a naval blockade would remain in force until a final agreement is completed and signed.
The latest comments suggested that despite progress in negotiations, significant disagreements remain between Washington and Tehran.
Trump’s reference to Indian ships is likely to attract attention in New Delhi. India has major economic and strategic interests in the Gulf region, which supplies a large share of its energy imports and is home to millions of Indian nationals.
Any threat to commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz is closely monitored by India due to its potential impact on trade, energy supplies, and freight costs.
Neither the White House nor Iranian officials immediately provided additional details on the status of the negotiations or the alleged drone incident.
(IANS)
