US President Donald Trump denied being “desperate” to reach an agreement with Iran on Thursday, as he used threats and diplomacy in an effort to end his war in the Middle East.
In his first cabinet meeting since the start of the joint US-Israeli operation, Trump asserted that Iran was “beaten to shit” and was “begging” for a deal, despite Tehran’s denials.
However, Trump rejected reports that he was looking for an exit ramp as oil prices soar and political pressure mounts to avoid the kind of drawn-out Middle East war he once spurned.
“I read a story today that I’m desperate to make a deal,” Trump told reporters. “I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care.”
Trump has been insisting for days that Iran wants to reach a deal, and there are rising signals that he wants the confrontation to end quickly. Iran, on the other hand, claims that no direct conversations are taking place.
Throughout the 90-minute televised discussion at the White House, Trump alternated between repeated threats to “obliterate” Iran and claims that it was on the verge of capitulating.
“They want to make a deal. The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to shit,” Trump said.
Trump stated that “we’re extremely, really, a lot ahead of schedule,” citing his original timescale of four to six weeks given shortly after the US-Israeli offensive began on February 28th.
The US president stated that Iran has allowed ten oil tankers to pass through the key Strait of Hormuz as a “present” to demonstrate its commitment to peace talks.
However, he later stated that taking control of Iran’s oil was an “option,” as the US effectively did with Venezuela after deposing Nicolas Maduro, who appeared in a US court on Thursday.
Trump’s words will ignite conjecture about the 79-year-old’s war ambitions and timing.
The US-Iran negotiations have been cloaked in mystery since Trump announced them on Monday and postponed a threat to destroy Iran’s power plants.
Trump’s deadline for Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz or face damage to its energy network is set to expire on Friday, but with only a day remaining, he has suggested he is unsure whether he will extend it.
“In Trump time, a day, you know what it is? That’s an eternity,” he said.
However, Trump’s global envoy, Steve Witkoff, disclosed for the first time that Washington had issued a 15-point “action list” through mediator Pakistan and said there were “strong signs” Iran may reach an agreement.
Meanwhile, Trump spent much of his time criticizing NATO and other partners for rejecting his requests to assist in protecting the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas regularly travels.
He criticized the British aircraft carriers that London eventually offered as “toys” in comparison to their American counterparts.
“I’ve done a great favor for the world. The world has not been reciprocal,” Trump said. “I believe that’s going to cost them dearly.”
Trump’s top officials also joined in.
Top US ambassador Marco Rubio appeared to mimic rappers Public Enemy, saying, “Every day, the Department of War lets the drummer get wicked over every portion of Iran.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth applauded Trump for “doing the work of the free world.”
“We pray for a deal, and we welcome a deal,” Hegseth said. “But in the meantime…the Department of War will continue negotiating with bombs.”
