Trump says Iran ‘wants to make a deal,’ but he’s not ready yet

President Trump said on Saturday that Iran is ready to make a deal with the U.S., but that he was not ready to come to an agreement and negotiate a ceasefire. 

“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump told NBC Newss’ Kristen Welker in a phone interview. 

The president went on to question if the country’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was alive but called reports of his death “a rumor.”

“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump told the outlet. 

“I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender,” he continued. 

On Friday, Trump said in a TruthSocial post that Iran “wants a deal.” 

Over the weekend, Trump called on other countries including the United Kingdom, China, France, South Korea, and Japan to deal with Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping lane for oil. 

The strait’s closure has led to concerns that fuel prices could rise dramatically in response to the war. 

“We’re going to be sweeping the strait very strongly, and we believe we’ll be joined by other countries who are somewhat impeded, and in some cases impeded from getting the oil,” Trump told NBC News. 

When asked by Welker whether the U.S. would start escorting ships through the Strait, Trump said “it’s possible.” 

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