Kathmandu— Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, has accused US President Donald Trump of conducting what he calls “theatre diplomacy on loop.” This accusation comes after Trump repeatedly claimed to be ordering attacks on Iran before calling them off. Ghalibaf made these remarks in a social media post Thursday, just days after Trump canceled his latest planned strikes, claiming that the perimeters of a deal with Tehran had already been agreed upon.

Ghalibaf's Criticism

Ghalibaf dismissed Washington’s narrative as a failed pressure tactic. He wrote on X: “‘Massive attack coming…wait, never mind, they want to negotiate.’ That’s theatre diplomacy on loop.” Ghalibaf further criticized the US strategy of using bullying, broken promises, and fake news as leverage, calling it ineffective.

Trump's Claims

On Saturday, Trump canceled a planned large-scale military attack on Iran, claiming that Tehran and other regional countries had requested the strikes be called off due to an impending diplomatic breakthrough. He promised this agreement would lead to the “immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and end “Iran’s nuclear threat.” Trump also told reporters he believed the war on Iran was close to ending, asserting that petrol prices would drop once the conflict concluded.

Strait of Hormuz Negotiations

Meanwhile, Iran has been holding talks with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran claims a deal is “on the verge of being finalised,” after both countries agreed on the coordinates for routes through this critical waterway. The strait, a major artery for global energy, was closed by Tehran following attacks launched by Israel and the US in February.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.