Trump on Iran: 'They Want to Make a Deal'

President Trump says talks with Iran aren't dead, even after he shot down Tehran's latest offer. In a Sunday phone interview with Axios, Trump said he expects US negotiators to hold new discussions this week, likely through indirect channels mediated by Qatar. "They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make," he said, adding that Iran "overplayed their hand." Tehran, for the record, suggested the same is true of the US. "Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening ‌the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met," wrote Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on social media, per Reuters. "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock."

Iran's proposal: Reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear talks within a week if the US lifts its naval blockade, removes oil sanctions, and restores a regional ceasefire. "The bottom line is they were asking for everything up front with a promise that they would then talk," US envoy to the United Nations Mike Waltz told CNN over the weekend, explaining Trump's rejection. Oil prices have climbed 4% to about $108 a barrel since Trump's weekend rejection of Iran's offer, reports CNBC.