Trump Aims for New Talks with Iran Amid Economic Pressure Campaign
US President Donald Trump has expressed his expectation of holding new talks with Iran this week, despite rejecting a ceasefire proposal from Tehran. In a recent phone interview with Axios, Trump stated that he believes Iran wants to make a deal but is not willing to agree on the terms he seeks.
The proposed deal that Trump refers to as what 'we would have maybe agreed to a year ago' is unclear, but it's evident that both sides have significant differences in their negotiating positions. Trump's administration has been intensifying its economic pressure campaign against Iran, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicting that the country will complete its remaining oil shipments to China within two weeks.
Bessent explained that only about 15 million barrels of Iranian oil remain for delivery now that the US is blockading the ports. He described this dwindling shipment as evidence that Operation Economic Outcast has left Tehran economically isolated, with 'nothing left to trade for anything'.