3 min readAug 5, 2026 11:56 AM IST

US President Donald Trump said that the Strait ​of ​Hormuz “is going to be open very ⁠soon,” warning that if Iran backed out, it would be “hit very hard”.

“The Strait’s going to be open very soon, or they are going to get hit very hard,” he said.

“If they back out again, they are going to get hit really hard. They know that. They understand that. I have no choice,” Trump later added.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, he said that there was an “all-day negotiation” with Tehran on Tuesday (Aug 4), and that both countries were having “very good” discussions, adding that his first choice was pushing for a diplomatic agreement.

“We hit them very, very hard. But the hard hit is yet to come, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” he said. “I hope we won’t – we’re having very good discussions. They don’t like to admit that.”

Deal could happen ‘tomorrow or next day’

The US president further said that Iran was keen on exploring ways to end the conflict.

“The only thing that matters is action. And they want to make a deal. We’ll see what happens,” POTUS said.

“I have plenty of time,” he added.

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He then said that he believed a deal could happen “tomorrow or the next day.”

Axios, citing two regional sources and a US official, reported that the United States and Iran were close to reaching an interim agreement to reopen the strategic strait with Oman’s backing. The report stated that Washington was aiming for an announcement as early as Wednesday.

The Iranian state media, however, citing an informed source, said that an agreement with Oman on the strait will be delayed “as long as the United ‌States continues to threaten Iran.”

Meanwhile, Qatar said that the mediators were making progress in their efforts to end the conflict, even after Tehran denied that talks were underway.

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The office of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Tuesday, said that he received a phone call from Trump and they discussed ways to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran and bridge the gap between both countries.

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