Trump says Iran talks could resume ‘at some point,’ threatens ‘draconian’ sanctions
Washington Examiner · RC · trust 55/100
President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested the United States could resume peace talks with Iran but claimed the war’s status quo is “very good” as he expressed confidence that concerns about the Strait of Hormuz are being resolved.
Trump initially said Tuesday that U.S. negotiators were not talking to their Iranian counterparts, a day after a 60-day ceasefire between the two countries expired. At the time, the president said he had “no time schedule” and is “not in a hurry” to negotiate with Iran, arguing that “they should put up the white flag of surrender.”
When asked at the White House Wednesday about whether the U.S. would return to peace talks, Trump said, “maybe at some point.” But he emphasized his belief that disputes over the strait, which has emerged as the chief pressure point in the conflict, are being ironed out, and that the U.S. could handle the war with “very draconian sanctions” against Iran, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previewed last week . Hours after his remarks at the White House, Trump unveiled a new campaign targeting Iran’s economy that he touted as “economic D-Day.”
“It will either be extremely good and oil prices are gonna drop like a rock, or we’ll continue exactly what we’re doing,” the president said at the White House, as he continued to comment on whether negotiations could resume. “Right now, I think the situation is so good. Maybe at some point.”
Trump detailed what he described as progress in the Pentagon’s control of the strait, after he argued it should become a U.S. territory . Much of the world’s oil and gas supply passes through the passage, which lies between Iran and Oman. After the war began on Feb. 28, Iran sought to seize control of it and use it as a global energy choke point, spiking gas prices worldwide, including in the U.S.
This week, the president told reporters that oil tankers are once again passing through the strait, seeking to ease concerns about energy shortages.
“Last night, we had a lot of boats come through,” he said during a tour of the helipad currently under construction outside the White House. “We have possession, complete control of the strait, I mean, outside of nuisance value. And there has been nuisance value when they shoot a drone every once in a while.”
“And not everybody is going to go through, but they come through, and over the last couple of weeks we’ve had a lot of oil coming in. It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s a lot of oil coming in,” Trump added.
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