President Donald Trump is pressing Tehran to choose diplomacy while refusing to surrender America’s interests in the Strait of Hormuz or compromise on the nuclear question.

The Trump administration is betting that firm pressure, backed by diplomacy and American strength, can force a breakthrough with Iran without giving Tehran control over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

President Donald Trump is once again putting his trademark “peace through strength” approach at the center of American foreign policy, giving Iran another opportunity to reach an agreement while making clear that Washington will not accept terms that undermine American interests.

The latest diplomatic push comes as negotiations involving the United States, Iran and regional mediators focus heavily on the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international shipping route whose disruption has created serious concerns for energy markets and global commerce.

Trump said Wednesday that American and Iranian officials had held what he described as productive discussions. The comments have raised hopes that diplomacy could eventually produce an arrangement allowing commercial traffic through the strait to resume more normally.

For Trump’s supporters, the message is familiar: negotiate from a position of strength, but never confuse a willingness to talk with a willingness to surrender.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF DIPLOMACY

The president’s approach is sharply different from the traditional Washington model of endless negotiations with few clearly defined consequences.