US President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran wants to reach an agreement but is not ready for what he termed the “right deal”, while reiterating that Washington has control over key areas in the region amid escalating tensions between the two countries.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, Trump said economic measures against Iran did not indicate limited military options for the US.
“No, not at all. It just means that we’re seeing what happens. They have no money, they have no navy, they have no air force, they are not paying their soldiers, they’re not paying their police, they have 350% inflation,” Trump said. Earlier, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States fulfilled commitments under a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding, including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and easing oil sanctions.
Trump said Iran was interested in reaching an agreement but had not yet agreed to the terms sought by Washington. “So they would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal in my opinion,” he said. His remarks came amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran, with Trump recently announcing what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever taken” against Iran and warning countries providing financial, business or government support to Tehran of “tremendous economic consequences”.
