Trump: Iran wants a deal but is not ready
Shafaq News- Washington
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said Iran is eager to reach an agreement with Washington but is not ready to accept the “right deal,” while the nearly six-month conflict continues to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters, Trump claimed Iran was under severe economic and military pressure, had “no money,” no navy or air force, and was struggling to pay soldiers and police, while Washington had “total control” around the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also called the Strait “American territory right now.” Tehran rejected the US president’s claims. In a social media post, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Trump’s remarks would be corrected “either by circumstances or by Iran.” Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, also criticized the comments, pointing to “a wide gap” between Washington’s inability to reopen the Strait and its claim to control the strategic waterway.
Ship-tracking data showed only seven to nine commodity vessels crossed the waterway on Friday. Before the war began on February 28, the strait carried nearly one-fifth of global crude oil and LNG shipments.
According to Kpler data, China, the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil, received about 534,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude so far in August, compared with a 2025 average of 1.4 million bpd.
Iran has insisted that unrestricted passage through Hormuz will not resume until Washington meets conditions tied to the interim agreement reached in June, including lifting the blockade of Iranian ports and oil sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending military operations.
