The White House is declining to say whether negotiations with Iran have stopped after Donald Trump's Truth Social post saying the US does not need a deal. Asked directly by ABC News on Thursday 12 November, an unnamed White House official did not answer the question and gave a statement on the blockade and economic pressure instead.
The statement says the US is "in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing". It says the blockade, "Operation Economic Outcast" and the new "Operation Iron Gate" will continue "with full effect".
"President Trump holds all the cards, will do what is best for the United States, and will make sure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon."
The statement repeats the claim of US control of the Strait of Hormuz that Trump made earlier today. CNBC and ABC News have reported that claim as unverified.
Trump's post, quoted by Fox News, said the days of needing a deal "have long since passed" and told Vance, who had been described as the lead US negotiator, to focus on crime and corruption in Democrat-run areas.