Description; The president said "conditions are not good enough yet" to make a deal with Iran amid the escalating war in the Middle East.President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is not ready to make a deal with Iran to end the war, despite the country being willing to do so “because the terms are not good enough right now,” but he declined to say what those terms would be.In a wide-ranging telephone interview with NBC News lasting about 30 minutes, the president also said he was working with other countries on a plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid rising global oil prices, and he dismissed Americans' concerns about rising gas prices since the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation two weeks ago.The president also asked whether Iran's new supreme leader was "still alive.'Trump said he was "surprised" that Iran decided to attack other Middle Eastern countries in response to the US-Israeli operation, and that the US attack on Kharg Island on Saturday "totally demolished" most of the island but that "we can hit it a few more times just for fun."He also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying it was more difficult to reach an agreement with him than with Russian President Vladimir Putin on efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump's comments follow criticism from world leaders after the United States eased sanctions on Russian oil in an attempt to curb rising global oil prices.Trump says he is not ready to make a deal with Iran.On the phone call, Trump said he was not willing to make a deal to end the war with Iran at this stage."Iran wants to make a deal, and I don't want to do it because the terms are not good enough yet," he said, adding that any terms would have to be "very concrete."When asked what the terms of a possible agreement to end the war would be, the president replied: “I don’t want to tell you that.” But he agreed that a commitment by Iran to completely abandon any nuclear ambitions would be part of it.Trump's comments came after a Reuters report that the Trump administration had set aside efforts to advance negotiations to end the war.He also examined what the rest of the U.S. military operation in Iran might look like. It began last month with joint Israeli and U.S. forces launching attacks on the nation, and Iran responded by launching attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets in nearby countries. Thirteen active-duty U.S. service members have been killed since the conflict began, including six American crew members who died Friday after a military refueling plane crashed in Iraq.Trump administration officials have sent mixed messages over the past two weeks about what U.S. military targets in Iran are and how long the conflict might last, with Trump sometimes saying it could take a month or more and sometimes saying "we're way ahead of schedule" and "there's practically nothing left to target."On Saturday, the president said that "the only power they have, and it's a power that can be shut down relatively quickly, is the power to drop a landmine or a relatively short-range missile. But when we're done with the coast, they won't have that power either."He later added: "We have disabled most of their missiles. We have knocked out most of their drones. We have largely eliminated their production of missiles and drones. It will be completely eliminated within two days."Securing the Strait of HormuzTrump said on Saturday he was asking "a number of countries that are affected by Iran's bullying" to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea passage for oil tankers - as global oil prices have soared during the war.Meanwhile, Iranian leaders have vowed to keep the strait closed and have called for oil prices to rise since the conflict began.The president said several countries had pledged to help secure the strait, but he declined to name any of them."Not only have they committed, but they think it's a great idea," he said.In a Truth Social post on Saturday morning, Trump wrote: “Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, will be sending warships to join the United States in keeping the Strait open and safe,” adding: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other countries that are affected by this will send warships to the area.”In a Truth Social post on Saturday morning, Trump wrote: “Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, will be sending warships to join the United States in keeping the Strait open and safe,” adding: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and other countries affected by this will send warships to the area.”On the phone call, Trump said it was unclear whether Iran had dropped mines in the strait."We are going to clear the strait very strongly, and we are sure that we will be joined by other countries that are somewhat of an obstacle, and in some cases an obstacle to getting oil," he added.When asked if the US Navy would begin protecting ships through the strait, the president said firmly, "I don't want to tell you anything about that," but added that "it's possible."The president also confirmed that US forces attacked Kharg Island, a strategic island off the coast of Iran that is home to an oil terminal responsible for the majority of the country's oil exports.US Central Command said Saturday morning that it had carried out precision strikes on 90 military targets "preserving oil infrastructure", but Trump said later on Saturday that "we completely demolished Kharg Island, but we can hit it a few more times just for fun."We've completely dismantled it," the president added. "Except, as you know, I didn't do anything with the energy lines, because it would take years to rebuild."Trump questions whether Iran's new supreme leader is 'even alive'The president questioned on Saturday whether Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was alive because Khamenei did not appear on camera to issue his first statement as Iran's leader on Thursday.In a written statement, Khamenei, the son of slain predecessor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to continue the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on US allies in the region."I don't know if he's even alive," Trump said by phone on Saturday."I'm hearing that he's not alive, and if he is, he should do a very smart thing for his country, and that's surrender," Trump added, but dismissed the news of his death as a "rumor."On Friday, Defense Minister Pat Hegseth said the younger Khamenei was "wounded and possibly disfigured" and called his written statement "weak.""Iran has a lot of cameras and a lot of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why? His father: dead; he's scared, he's injured, he's on the run, and he lacks legal status."Khamenei was named the new supreme leader earlier this week after his father was killed in US and Israeli attacks on Iran a week earlier.Trump declined to say whether there was a specific Iranian leader he would like to see as supreme leader, saying instead, "We have people living who would be great leaders for the future of the country."Asked if he was in contact with any of the potential leaders, the president said: "I don't want to say that. I don't want to put them in danger."Trump 'surprised' that Iran targeted other Middle Eastern countries.The president said Saturday that America's allies in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are "very good" and "were shot down unnecessarily.""I was very surprised," Trump said of Iran's targeting of other Middle Eastern countries, "that was the biggest surprise to me of the whole thing." According to an NBC News analysis, Iran has been raining drones down on Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain and Kuwait, which Trump mentioned, and targeting oil infrastructure, logistics centers and government centers.The US does not release figures on the number of drones it encounters or intercepts, but according to UAE figures, 1,475 unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down in the country as of March 10.Iraqi officials said Saturday morning that an Iranian attack targeted a helipad inside the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad. Also Saturday, in the wake of the U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, Iran threatened to destroy oil and gas infrastructure throughout the region if the U.S. attacks oil infrastructure on the island.Trump isn't worried about rising gas prices.Trump, who repeatedly attacked then-President Joe Biden in 2024 over high gas prices, dismissed concerns on Saturday that rising gas prices in the United States could hurt Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections."I think they're going to be lower than they were before, and I took them to a record low," Trump said of gas prices, promising that theywould soon fall once the war in Iran was over.On March 1, the day the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran, gas averaged $2.94 per gallon, per GasBuddy. On Saturday, the average price was $3.66."There's a lot of oil, gas - there's a lot there, but you know, it's closing down a little bit. It's going to be opened up very soon," the president added.Asked if gas prices could affect midterm governments, Trump said, “I’m not worried at all.”He added that all I want to do is ensure that Iran can never become the bully of the Middle East.Trump says Russia is 'probably' sharing information with Iran.Asked about his decision to temporarily lift some sanctions on Russian oil amid rising global oil prices, the president said: "I want oil for the world, I want oil,"He added that the sanctions, which were imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, “will be lifted as soon as the crisis is over.”On Saturday, when asked about criticism from some foreign leaders about lifting sanctions, Trump did not respond directly but directed his anger at the Ukrainian president, saying over the phone, "I'm surprised Zelensky doesn't want to deal. Tell Zelensky to deal because Putin is ready to deal."The US president added that "it is much more difficult to make a deal with Zelensky."Zelensky earlier this month offered to help US forces and their allies in the Middle East intercept Iranian drones, drawing on the Ukrainian military's experience in shooting down Russian drones.But on Saturday, Trump said "we don't need help," adding that "the last person we need help from is Zelensky."The president declined to comment on whether the United States had accepted Ukraine's help with drone interception technology.In a post on X on Friday, Zelenskyy wrote: “Middle Eastern countries have contacted us, asking to share their expertise in intercepting Iranian ‘martyr’ drones during mass attacks. That is why we have already sent expert teams to three countries.”Earlier Saturday, an Iranian politician said Ukraine was a “legitimate and lawful target” for Iran because Ukraine offered help defending against Iranian drones.In response to reports that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran about the location of US forces, Trump said, "Russia may be giving information, maybe they're not."He added that the US is "doing this against them" because "we are giving Ukraine a little bit of information and we are trying to bring peace between the two countries."
Tags
World