“They overplayed their hand”: Trump expects more Iran talks, keeps strikes on table

• Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal but expects more talks this week.
• He said renewed strikes on Iran are possible before the November midterms.
• An Iranian official said Iran halted 20 ships in the Strait of Hormuz over 48 hours.
• Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran is ready for diplomacy or war.
• U.S. gas prices hit $4.49 a gallon, a record for this time of year.

President Donald Trump told Axios on Sunday he anticipates further negotiations with Iranian officials this week, a day after rejecting Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the U.S. naval blockade.

“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 said.

The president separately acknowledged that renewed military strikes remain possible before the November midterm elections, deepening uncertainty over a conflict that reached the seven-month mark Monday.

Iranian official challenges Trump’s strait claims

Trump said U.S. efforts moved more than 20 million barrels of oil through Hormuz over the weekend. If accurate, that would be the most oil to move through the waterway in months, although flows remain lower than before the war.

Speaking to RT, an Iranian security official disputed that account, asserting that Iranian forces halted 20 vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over a 48-hour period. The official suggested Trump’s claims were aimed at manipulating oil markets and dismissed them as “media rhetoric.”

“There is no operational and sustainable mechanism for safe navigation through this strategic waterway outside the framework established and approved by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the official said.

Tehran signals readiness for diplomacy or prolonged conflict

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s openness to negotiations while warning the regime is prepared for extended hostilities. Speaking to NBC, Araghchi said Iran seeks the release of its frozen assets and the ability to sell oil internationally.

“We want our assets, which are illegally frozen, to be released. We want to be able to sell our oil. We want certain things that the U.S. has already committed itself [to] in the previous deals,” Araghchi said.

Araghchi also said Iran’s leaders are indifferent to the U.S. election calendar and focused solely on their national interests. “We stand firm in the face of any aggression against us, even if it comes to a doomsday war,” he said. “At the same time, we are ready for diplomacy.”

Midterm elections factor into strategic calculations

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told aides he expects a renewed bombing campaign after the November midterm elections, even as administration officials insist the squeeze on Iran’s economy will bring Tehran to the table.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that Iran’s last oil deliveries to China should wrap up within about two weeks. “They will have nothing to trade for anything,” he said, adding that roughly 15 million barrels of Iranian oil are still in transit under the U.S. blockade.

AAA reported that the national average for regular gasoline hit $4.49 per gallon Friday, up from $3.16 a year earlier and a record for this time of year, citing turmoil in the strait and high crude prices. Secretary of State Marco Rubio conceded Wednesday that the war carries a price at home but argued that letting Iran eventually acquire a nuclear weapon would cost far more, particularly for future generations.

The president told reporters at the Presidents Cup the war will be won “very soon,” claiming Iran’s currency is worthless and its inflation rate is close to 300%. When asked whether military strikes could resume before midterms, Trump said, “I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that.”

Trump also said the U.S. has “already won” the war from a military standpoint, yet seven months in, the administration has offered no end date and no timeline for relief at the pump. Americans are being asked to absorb today’s costs for the sake of future generations, and many may wonder why a war the president calls won still has no exit.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

FoxNews.com

TheHill.com