Iran’s Ghalibaf accuses Trump of conducting show diplomacy ‘on loop’

What the report says

Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has accused US President Donald Trump of cycling between threats and negotiations in what he called “theatre diplomacy on loop.” In a post on X reported by Al Jazeera on 6 August 2026, Ghalibaf said Washington’s repeated warnings of military action, followed by talk of a deal, amounted to a failed pressure tactic. He urged the United States to recognize the facts and honor its commitments.

The comments came after Trump said he had cancelled a planned large-scale attack on Iran and claimed that the outlines of an agreement were already taking shape. Trump has also said the war could end soon and suggested Iran could not continue much longer. Al Jazeera reported that he told reporters he was involved in the negotiations and expected petrol prices to fall once the conflict ends.

The dispute is unfolding alongside talks involving Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments. According to the report, Tehran says a deal on the strait is close, while also asserting greater control over the waterway. The regional conflict has disrupted energy markets and pushed oil prices higher, making the negotiations significant well beyond Iran and the United States.