Iran accuses Trump of 'theater diplomacy' as Strait of Hormuz traffic collapses to 2 vessels

Published Aug 7, 02:06 PM UTC

Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accused U.S. President Donald Trump of staging 'theater diplomacy' after Trump called off planned strikes and claimed a deal was near, a claim Tehran denies. The conflict is widening across the region, with Saudi Arabia bracing for coordinated attacks by Iraqi militia factions and Iran-backed Houthis. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to just two vessels on Wednesday, down from a prewar baseline of 130-140 daily transits. A draft Iran-Oman plan for managing the waterway would bar U.S. and Israeli ships and impose penalties on violators. Oil prices rose on the news, with Brent crude up 1.3% to $83.55 a barrel. Trump pushed back on reports of depleted U.S. munitions stocks.