Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Donald Trump of conducting "theatre diplomacy on loop" in a social media post on Thursday, dismissing U.S. claims of progress toward ending the months-long conflict between Washington, Israel and Tehran.
The criticism followed Trump's statement Thursday that he believed the war on Iran was close to an end and his assertion that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen "very soon". Iran has been holding talks with Oman on restoring commercial shipping through the strait, with Tehran claiming a deal is "on the verge of being finalised", though Iranian officials caution reopening will not be automatic. Trump on Saturday cancelled a planned large-scale military attack on Iran, citing requests from mediating countries and Tehran itself.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering a regional war. The two sides signed a ceasefire memorandum on June 17, though hostilities continued and Iran reimposed restrictions on the strait, a conduit for 20% of global oil trade before the conflict.