US President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning posted a warning to Iran on social media, promising that there would be "no more Mr. Nice Guy."
In the post, Trump wrote, "Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!" The post featured an AI picture of Trump himself holding a weapon and was captioned, "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!"
Earlier on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying that Trump has instructed his aides to prepare for an "extended blockade" in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to WSJ, Trump believes that walking away from the war or resuming fighting both carry more risk than maintaining the blockade and "squeezing" Iran's economy.
Iran, for its part, has insisted that the US choose between its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations with Iran.
Ali Safari, a senior official in Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said interview with Al Jazeera, that only negotiations based on mutual respect can advance a solution. Safari added that prior to any diplomatic move, trust must be restored between the sides; to this end, he claimed that "lifting the blockade imposed on Iranian ports" would be considered a positive step toward resolving the disputes.