Trump expects Iran negotiations to continue after rejecting ceasefire proposal - USA Today
President Donald Trump said he expects U.S. negotiators to continue talks with Iran this week, one day after he rejected the country's ceasefire proposal that would have opened the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Trump shared the update with Axios in a phone interview on Sept. 27 after he previously said Iran is "dying" and "outsmarted themselves" by closing the strait because they "have no money coming in."
"I expect more talks with Iran (this week). They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand," Trump told Axios.
When asked if he has considered resuming strikes against Iran, Trump said, "I am always thinking about it," but he didn't commit to specific attacks.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 25 that Trump denied a proposal that included opening the Strait of Hormuz, resuming nuclear talks and lifting the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. The reporting said that Trump is privately skeptical that Iran would meet his demands.
The president's response to Axios comes just weeks from the November midterm elections that will test his popularity in a number of swing states − and red states that have become unexpectedly competitive. Higher gas prices, spurred by the Iran war, has been a top issue for Americans ahead of Election Day, polls show.
Trump has said that the U.S. military is facilitating the movement of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz, which had been a major artery for one-fifth of the world's oil suply. He told Axios that "more than 20 million barrels" were moved through the strait since the war began in February.
And Trump last week said the United States and Iran had "a very good" meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. But he also threatened to annihilate the country during his address to the annual gathering and vowed on social media since that Iran "CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!!!"
