ERBIL () - President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran wants to make a deal with the United States but that he will not consider any agreement unless it meets the right conditions, while leaving open the possibility of further significant military action against Tehran as the US-Iran war enters its seventh month.
In an exclusive phone interview with NewsNation's Robert Sherman, Trump was asked about his recent comments that he was considering whether to annihilate Iran. "We'll see what happens,"Trump said, declining to close off the military option.
When asked what he wants to see from Iran before making that decision, Trump said Tehran is already signaling a desire to negotiate. "Right now, they want to make a deal,"Trump said, adding that he believes Iran is "losing in every way"financially and militarily. "If the deal's not a correct deal, then I wouldn't even think about it. But right now, they want to make a deal because they're losing in every way."
Trump's assessment that Iran is losing in every way is consistent with the picture painted by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent throughout the week, who confirmed that 85 percent of Iran's tankers have been targeted, that Iranian oil exports through Hormuz have reached zero, that $140 billion in oil has moved safely through the strait under American escort in two weeks, and that Iran's inflation has exceeded 100 percent with its currency having collapsed and the regime unable to pay its soldiers' salaries.
The comments come as Trump has recently said he hopes the conflict is nearing an end, while also warning that he is approaching a major decision about whether to launch another significant attack against Iran. The combination of expressed hope for a deal and an open military threat reflects the same dual-track posture Trump has maintained throughout the conflict, in which economic strangulation through Operation Economic Outcast and military pressure through the naval blockade and Tanker for Tanker policy are being used simultaneously to force Tehran toward a settlement.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared on Friday that as long as the US blockade and economic war continue, maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed, and that the return of security to the strait is conditional on the cessation of America's destabilizing actions. Iranian President Pezeshkian has separately said that Iran will immediately reciprocate if the US returns to its June 17 MOU commitments, suggesting a pathway exists even as the hardline posture of the IRGC and the Supreme National Security Council complicates any settlement.
