Trump Calls on Tehran to ‘Wave the White Flag’ as Iran-US Talks Stall
US President Donald Trump has called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender” as a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran expired amid stalled efforts to end the conflict.
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Trump told Fox News that his administration was in talks with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but the IRGC denied the claim.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said US violations had made the MoU deadline “entirely moot.” He warned that Iran’s forces remain prepared to respond to any attack. The agreement, signed in June, expired as negotiations between the two sides remained deadlocked.
Meanwhile, senior IRGC commander Brigadier General Yadollah Javani said Iran’s defensive posture could shift toward an offensive strategy under a new policy of “maximum deterrence.”
US Faces Limited Options for Escalation
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Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said Washington has limited options for further escalating its blockade of Iranian ports without exposing US forces to greater risks.
Clark argued that air power alone would not be enough to achieve a decisive outcome. He said one possible next step could involve US naval and air forces actively escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Such a move would mark a significant escalation because Washington has so far avoided directly using military ships to protect commercial traffic in the strait. Clark warned that increased naval involvement could raise the risk of attacks similar to those seen during the 1980s Tanker War.
He added that ground forces could represent a further escalation, although the US might first consider limited ship escorts to demonstrate that Iran does not have complete control over the strategic waterway.
Clark predicted that the standoff could eventually end through a negotiated arrangement involving Iran and Yemen over control and access to the Strait of Hormuz. Such an outcome, he suggested, could allow Washington to present the settlement as protecting US interests while avoiding a broader military confrontation.