U.S. President Donald Trump on the 18th (local time) claimed that end-of-war talks with Iran were going well even though Iran had resumed control of the Strait of Hormuz.
At an executive order signing ceremony at the White House that day, President Trump said, "They wanted to close the strait again," and added, "They have done that for a long time, but they cannot threaten us." He went on to note, "They are being a bit sly, as they have for the past 47 years," while again stressing that Iran's navy and air force had all disappeared and that the leadership had also disappeared, achieving a regime change.
He added that end-of-war talks with Iran were "going quite well and, in fact, proceeding smoothly," and said, "We will see, but we will receive some information during the day." President Trump's mention of "some information" is seen as suggesting there could be significant progress in talks with Iran during the day.
After referring to the fact that numerous U.S. soldiers were killed in Iran's bomb terror attacks, President Trump said, "We have a completely different view from other presidents," adding, "They have gotten away with murder for 47 years, but they will not be able to do that now."