US readies new Iran pressure, Trump says Tehran not ready for 'right deal'
The United States is preparing unprecedented economic measures against Iran, as President Donald Trump seeks to intensify pressure on Tehran after nearly six months of conflict, according to reports. Trump, speaking to the press on Friday, said Iran "would love" to make a deal with the US but was not prepared to make "the right deal."
Trump also asserted that the US had total control over the "entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz," adding that his announcements of economic warfare against Iran did not mean the US's military options were limited. The remarks came a week after Trump vowed to hit Iran hard economically, and as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would impose measures on Tehran that have "never been seen."
In a Newsmax interview on Thursday, Bessent said there would be "more announcements coming next week" on new economic measures aimed at Iran that "have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," without specifying them, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
Conflict backdrop: stalled talks, blocked strait
The war between the US and Iran has lasted almost six months, with talks aimed at a lasting peace stalled and intermittent clashes continuing, disrupting oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the South China Morning Post. The two sides have accused each other of being untrustworthy negotiators, and Iran has taken steps to maintain control of the strait.
At a speech on Long Island on Friday, Trump boasted that the US blockade of Iranian ports was a "wall of steel" that allowed Washington to effectively govern the waterway. Iran says it is managing traffic in the strait, the report said. "Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States," Trump said with a chuckle.
Trump on midterms: 'I don't care'
Trump, in a brief interview with Fox News, said the US was planning to hit Iran's economy hard, and that he did not care if the conflict ended before the November US midterm elections, which would hinge on voter perceptions of the economy, the South China Morning Post reported. Trump has struggled to find an off-ramp to the war, which has spiked the price of oil and petrol, the report said.
Iranian media rejects inflation claim
Addressing Iran's economic situation on Friday, Trump said, "They're not paying their soldiers, they're not paying their police. They have 350 percent inflation." Iranian media was quick to reject the statement, with multiple state-aligned outlets calling the 350 percent inflation statistic a baseless claim with no correlation to economic reality, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.