In a post today on the Truth Social platform, President Trump announced that the United States is continuing its blockade of Iranian ports, is controlling the Strait of Hormuz, and will impose transit tariffs of 20% on the value of cargo carried by commercial ships.

Meanwhile, earlier today in an interview with Fox News, Donald Trump essentially confirmed the news leaks reported by CNN a few days ago, according to which, despite the climate of tension prevailing in the Persian Gulf, Washington and Tehran maintain backchannel communication.

Specifically, it revealed that yesterday (July 12) U.S. and Iranian officials held an 11-hour marathon meeting, at the end of which they reportedly agreed on “almost everything.” However, the Iranian side then wanted to reconsider certain terms that had reportedly been agreed upon—a move that infuriated the U.S. President.

A final decision or a tactical move?

Putting these two facts together, Gabriel Charitos, an analyst for ALPHA Cyprus on Middle East issues and visiting a professor of international relations at Panteion University, commented that this raises the reasonable question of whether the content of President Trump’s post today constitutes a “final decision” or a tactical move—assuming, of course, that behind-the-scenes contacts between Iran and the U.S. are indeed taking place, while military operations not only continue, but also appear to be escalating, as U.S. airstrikes over the past 24 hours have hit Iranian targets that had not previously been targeted.

The Houthi-Saudi Arabia front is “reigniting”

Meanwhile, tensions escalated today on the front between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. The Saudi Air Force struck the international airport in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, which is controlled by the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, who subsequently made it clear that the ceasefire had ended and announced that their retaliation would not be long in coming.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to take this action was based on intelligence indicating that the Revolutionary Guards were transporting armed personnel and weapons from Iran to Yemen to strengthen the Houthis’ operational capabilities. It now remains to be seen whether the pro-Iranian rebels will carry out their threats, while it is worth noting that their missiles have repeatedly struck the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in the past.

Watch Gabriel Haritos’s report live from Jerusalem on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Dimitra Makrygianni.