Later, at a White House Event, He Told Reporters That Iran "Spend Hours and Hours Together Talking" But Disliked Admitting It

President Donald Trump lashed out at Iran on Monday, accusing its leadership of being "unbelievably duplicitous" for denying that talks were underway, even as he insisted negotiations continued with Qatari, Saudi, and Emirati support. In a Truth Social post, he complained that Tehran claimed to deal only with Oman and boasted of controlling the Strait of Hormuz, which he said was already under U.S. Navy blockade. Later, at a White House event, he told reporters that Iran "spend hours and hours together talking" but disliked admitting it.

When asked why this round of threats and planned strikes would differ from past failures, he replied, "I don't know, before vowing to "decapitate" Iran. Polls show most Americans expect the war to last months or years, with only two in ten supporting continued hostilities. U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz refused to set a timeline for the conflict's end, and Senator Kelly, a Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, urged Trump to replace negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, calling them "real estate buddy and son-in-law out of their depth. The president's claims of a safe Strait of Hormuz were undermined when an oil tanker struck a mine there ten days after his July 16 assurance.