Oil & Energy
Trump Says Iran Wants to 'Desperately Meet' as US Demands Meaningful Talks
US President Donald Trump said Iran wants "to desperately meet" with the US to end the conflict, but Washington has no interest until Tehran engages meaningfully.Trump made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with the President of Lebanon at the White House on Tuesday."They want to desperately meet, and until they're ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest," Trump said after dismissing reports that Iran intends to continue the conflict.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran has repeatedly had opportunities to negotiate."Iran's been given every opportunity to negotiate, to show that they're reasonable on the Strait of Hormuz - but if they're going to shoot at commercial shipping, then we're going to hit them... 10x harder. Every night, we're degrading them further and further," Hegseth said.Trump said the US naval blockade on Iranian ports remains fully effective. "Nobody gets through the blockade. It's like a steel wall," he said while discussing efforts to keep regional shipping lanes open.Asked about possible Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Trump said the US would respond if shipping comes under threat."So far, it hasn't happened - it might happen, but we take care of things. If something like that happens, we take care of it," he said.Trump warned the US would target any future nuclear sites. "Any site where they're even thinking about nuclear, we'll be hitting it very, very powerfully," Trump said, adding recent operations set Iran's program back by "20, 25 years."Trump reiterated that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and credited his withdrawal from the Obama-era nuclear agreement and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities with delaying Tehran's program.Asked about the possibility of undisclosed Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump said, "I would never say that. But we'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily."Trump described Lebanon as "a very mistreated country" and said the US will continue supporting its recovery, adding Washington has already helped address several issues affecting the country.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the two countries signed "the framework with the ultimate objective of ending the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel forever," calling the agreement a path toward lasting regional peace.
