Iran rules out US talks as Hormuz Strait remains closed

Excerpts from article by Mark Hallam and Ramisha Ali with Reuters, dpa, AFP, AP:

*US President Donald Trump spoke briefly to the Axios news outlet on Monday.*

*Asked about how long he was willing to give the diplomatic process, after two nights without US strikes on Iranian targets, he said: “Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.”*

*Trump was quoted as saying that Washington was in “very deep talks with Iran” — seemingly contradicting the outward claims of the Iranian regime which on Monday said it had not initiated more direct talks — but warning that he was also ready for “strong military action” if diplomacy failed.*