President Donald Trump said he wanted to take Iran’s oil and suggested American troops could seize the country’s Kharg Island export hub, even as he added in comments published Monday that a deal with Tehran to end the war “could be made fairly quickly.”
On the ground, the war showed no sign of letting up: Tehran struck a key water and electrical plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery in Israel came under attack. Israel and the U.S. launched a new wave of strikes on Iran.
Trump’s comments in an interview with the Financial Times highlight how he has repeatedly said that talks with Iran are ongoing — and even going well — though Tehran denies negotiating directly. But at the same time, he has continually ramped up his threats, as thousands more Marines and other U.S. troops pour into the Middle East.
It remains unclear where the diplomatic effort facilitated by Pakistan stands. Iran’s attacks on its Gulf neighbors could add another element of uncertainty to any talks. The United Arab Emirates — which has long billed itself as a beacon of safety and stability in a volatile region — has been hard hit in the war, and increasingly is signaling it wants Iran disarmed in any ceasefire. Iran’s theocracy likely won’t accept that.
