US President Donald Trump has said that Iran wants to make a deal but is not ready to do so at this time ‘because the conditions are not right yet.’
In a telephone interview with US broadcaster NBC on Saturday, the US president refused to clarify what those conditions would be, but Trump did say that a promise by Iran to abandon any nuclear ambitions would be part of the deal.
In the same interview, Trump also said that several countries have promised to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but he declined to name these countries.
Trump also claimed that the US had “totally destroyed” the Iranian oil-exporting island of Kharg, but “maybe we’ll hit it a few more times for fun.”
Pushing aside concerns about rising oil prices, the US president said: “There’s a lot of oil and gas, but right now the supply is somewhat blocked. It’s going to be opened up very soon.”
In the interview, Donald Trump also raised questions about the condition of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
He said: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. Nobody has been able to bring him out yet.” Trump said this because Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on Thursday in writing rather than speaking on camera.
Terming reports of Mojtaba Khamenei’s death as “rumors,” Trump said: “I hear he is not alive, and if he is, he should be wise to surrender for the sake of his country.”
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