US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran is seeking an agreement with the United States but is not yet prepared to reach one. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said Tehran will either accept a favorable deal or there will be no agreement.
“Iran wants to make a deal. They’re not ready, in my opinion," Trump said. “They’re going to either make a deal that’s good, or we’re not going to make a deal at all."
Trump indicated that the US strikes carried out with B-2 bombers had eliminated Iran’s ability to advance toward obtaining a nuclear weapon. Without the American operation, he said, Iran would now have such a weapon “and they would use it. They would use it very easily."
He continued, "You look anywhere in the world, they're considered the most evil country right now in the world, and they've been that for a long time. They've been that for many, many years."
Trump also described Iran as being in a “very weak state," pointing to what he said was the worst condition of its economy, with inflation exceeding 300 percent. He added that soldiers, other military personnel and police officers were not receiving their salaries.
Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the United States has firm control of the strategic waterway. “We control the Hormuz Strait. We control it strongly," he said, adding that American forces were attacking ships at night after destroying Iranian radar systems.
When asked whether he expected additional US military deployments or preferred to resolve the conflict through an agreement, Trump replied, “I think we’ll end up winning. I don’t know about through a deal, but we’re already winning."
The Fox News interview came hours after Trump told Axios that he was approaching a major decision regarding the next stage of US military action against Iran.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me," he said.
Trump had said Wednesday that Tehran was eager to reach an agreement with Washington. “Hopefully we're toward the end of the war. Iran is very much wanting to make a deal," he told reporters.
Asked if he had recently communicated with Iranian officials and whether those contacts were direct or conducted through intermediaries, Trump replied, “No, directly."
Trump is expected to meet with Gulf leaders in New York next Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The war with Iran and plans for the period following the conflict are expected to be central issues in the discussions.