Trump and Iran clash over Strait of Hormuz talks as cargo ship is attacked

President Donald Trump accused Iran of duplicity and insisted the two sides were discussing reopening the Strait of Hormuz as early as Tuesday, even as Tehran denied talks were even taking place.

President Donald Trump accused Iran of duplicity and insisted the two sides were discussing reopening the Strait of Hormuz as early as Tuesday, even as Tehran denied talks were even taking place.

The diplomatic confusion was underscored by an attack on a cargo vessel near the strait’s Oman coast, as reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, an organization run by the British navy that helps protect commercial shipping in high-risk areas.

With traffic through the bottleneck still at a trickle of its peacetime flow, the international oil benchmark Brent crude rose again by 2.7% Tuesday, reflecting uncertainty in the market rather than any confidence in the diplomatic process.