Trump Says Iran Is 'Negotiating on Fumes'

President Trump asserted on Wednesday that Iran is "negotiating on fumes" and insisted that November's midterm elections won't make him rush into a deal to end the conflict that's spurred unease across the global economy. Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed confidence that a deal is near, the AP reports. "They want very much to make a deal," Trump said. "So far, they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be—either that or we'll have to just finish the job." "It's gotta be perfect," Trump said later in the meeting, adding that he won't sign a "crummy" deal.

• "I don't care about the midterms." Trump dismissed the idea that the upcoming elections would shape his Iran strategy. "They thought they were gonna outwait me. You know, 'We'll outwait him. He's got the midterms,'" Trump said. "I don't care about the midterms."

• He opposes Russia, China, taking uranium. Trump said he opposes Russia or China retrieving Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile. "That would not make me comfortable," the president said.The two countries have the closest relations with Tehran. Nuclear analysts have said either country could serve as a potentially acceptable third party to the Iranian Republic to take possession of the enriched uranium, which could be used to make a nuclear weapon, as part of a potential deal with the US to end the war. But Trump seemed to shut down that possibility Wednesday.
• A threat to "blow up" Oman. "Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up," Trump said. The president made the comment after being asked whether he would accept a deal allowing Iran and Oman to share control of the Strait of Hormuz. He said the strait must be open to everyone and that no one can control it, though he said the US will "watch over it." After issuing the threat to Oman, Trump added: "They understand that. They'll be fine."

• A Venezuela mix-up. "I don't call it a war. I call it a conflict," Trump said in an effort to downplay the Iran war. "Despite the conflict with Venezuela, who no longer has a navy, no longer has an air force, no longer has a lot of people that were leading the country into very bad places," Trump said, mixing up the South American country with Iran.
• Abraham accords. Saying "I'm not sure we should make the deal" on Iran if additional countries don't join the Abraham Accords—the US-brokered agreements from Trump's first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel—Trump said he's "requesting strongly" that others, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar sign on. But asked by reporters at the Cabinet meeting if an Iran deal was contingent on that act, Trump added, "I don't want to say that." Trump also said that, while he felt a "good deal" with Iran could be achieved now, he preferred "a great deal," and then said the agreement must be "perfect."
• Other subjects. Trump also talked about his renovation and architectural plans for Washington, as well as efforts to lower prescription drug prices and the vice president's task force on fraud, among other subjects. Trump spoke about the Reflecting Pool project for five minutes and elaborated on the project with painstaking detail. He introduced his lengthy tangent as "a slightly smaller subject," then walked through work on the 2,400-foot pool between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, saying it'll be done by July 4. "We cleaned it. We fumigated it. We had 10 major truck—dumpsters of garbage taken out. Can you believe it?" Trump said, blaming his Democratic predecessors for the "disgusting" conditions and disrepair.