Trump Halts Talks.. Iran Considers Targeting US Assets

U.S. President Donald Trump directed his top envoys to halt talks with Iran, after weeks of efforts aimed at making progress in negotiations without yielding tangible results, according to a U.S. official quoted by CNN. According to the network, Trump appears to be moving toward adopting a new approach toward Tehran, after previously stating that the United States does not intend to hold talks with Iran. In a related development, the U.S. president affirmed that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and operational, despite limited traffic, following reports that a ship was attacked while leaving the vital waterway. Trump wrote on social media that the U.S. blockade of the strait “remains in place and fully effective,” while simultaneously asserting that all naval mines had been removed. Meanwhile, the Financial Times, citing two high-ranking sources in Tehran, reported that Iran is considering, in the event of an escalation, options that include targeting U.S. assets in southeastern Europe, as well as targeting fiber-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz area. Data published showed a slowdown in navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with most ship owners avoiding passage through this vital waterway, amid no clear signs of its imminent reopening after it was blockaded during the war between Iran and Israel. Data from Kpler showed that five vessels carrying bulk commodities transited the strait, compared to nine, and below the average daily transit of 11 vessels over the past ten days.