On Aug. 19 at the White House, President Trump said the US has "a lot" of areas it can sanction and that it holds "very severe" measures, adding "we'll see." He also said the US "owns" and "fully controls" the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran's occasional drone launches "do cause trouble." Earlier Aug. 19 he said talks with Iran might resume "at some point" only if Iran fully abandons nuclear weapons; on Aug. 18 he said there were no talks or dialogue, contradicting his prior claim that negotiatio

On Aug. 19 at the White House, President Trump said the US has "a lot" of areas it can sanction and that it holds "very severe" measures, adding "we'll see." He also said the US "owns" and "fully controls" the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran's occasional drone launches "do cause trouble." Earlier Aug. 19 he said talks with Iran might resume "at some point" only if Iran fully abandons nuclear weapons; on Aug. 18 he said there were no talks or dialogue, contradicting his prior claim that negotiations were underway — a position Tehran has repeatedly denied.