WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will work closely with Iran and the two countries are discussing tariff and sanctions relief, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire.
Trump’s upbeat talk towards Iran in three Wednesday social media posts marks a dramatic, 24-hour turn in tone.
On Tuesday he had threatened to end the country’s whole “civilisation” while on Wednesday he declared “A big day for World Peace!”
Trump said on social media that many of the 15 points in the US plan proposed to Iran had been agreed to, but did not elaborate.
“We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran,” Trump said.
Despite his ebullient comments, and widespread relief on Iran’s streets and in global financial markets over the ceasefire, the main disagreements between Washington and Tehran remain unresolved and the two sides are sticking to competing demands for a potential peace deal.
Trump’s agreement to a two-week cool-down came less than two hours before the deadline he had set for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane, or risk its bridges and power plants being destroyed.
He said on Wednesday the United States “will be helping the traffic buildup” in the Strait. Some analysts have predicted it will likely take more than two weeks to clear the backlog of more than 1,000 ocean-going vessels trapped within the Gulf.
The president also said any country supplying weapons to Iran would immediately face a 50% tariff on any goods exported to the US, although he did not specify under what authority he would impose the levies.
The Supreme Court in February struck down his use of the authority invoked for last year’s sweeping global tariffs, and other tariff options available have limitations to their scope and hurdles to swift imposition.
Beijing and Moscow have helped Iran build military capacity to counter U.S. and Israeli pressure, supplying missiles, air-defense systems and technology intended to bolster deterrence. But that support appeared capped during the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Both countries have denied any recent weapons supplies, although allegations against Moscow have persisted. US imports of Russian goods have shriveled since the military operations against Ukraine in 2022 and the wave of sanctions imposed on Moscow as a result.
