President Trump says Iran is ready to negotiate a ceasefire, but he isn’t

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he’s not ready to make a deal to end the war with Iran despite the country’s willingness to do so “because the terms aren’t good enough yet.” He didn’t say what those terms would be.

In a telephone interview with NBC News, the President also said he is working with other countries on a plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid surges in global oil prices.

Mr Trump said he was “surprised” that Iran decided to attack other Middle Eastern countries in response to the US-Israeli operation launched 2 weeks ago, and that US strikes on Kharg Island on Saturday “totally demolished” most of the island but that “we may hit it a few more times just for fun.”

On the phone call, Trump said he was unwilling to make a deal to end the war with Iran at this stage. “Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” he said, adding that any terms will have to be “very solid.”

When asked what the terms of a potential deal to end the war would be, the President responded: “I don’t want to say that to you.” But he agreed that a commitment from Iran to completely abandon any nuclear ambitions would be part of it.

He also previewed what the rest of the US military operation in Iran could look like. It began last month with Israeli and US forces launching joint strikes on the nation and Iran responding by launching strikes on Israel and US targets in nearby countries.

On Saturday, the President said that “the only power they have, and it’s a power that can be closed off relatively quickly, is the power of dropping a mine or shooting a relatively short-range missile. But when we get finished with the shoreline, they’re not going to have that power either.”

Trump on Saturday said he is asking “numerous countries that are affected by the thuggery of Iran” to help secure the Strait of Hormuz — a key marine passageway for oil tankers — as global oil prices have surged amid the war.

In a Truth Social post on Saturday morning, Trump wrote: “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” adding: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area.”

There are many different directions, positive and negative, that this war could go. It comes down to President Trump’s instincts, and how effective the actions the US and Israeli military take in the coming days and weeks.

What we do know is that the stakes are high, and whatever happens will shape the Middle East for decades to come.