STRAIT TALK: During the hour and twenty minutes of his Wednesday Cabinet meeting that was televised, President Donald Trump flatly rejected all of Iran’s demands that were outlined in an unofficial draft floated by Iranian media, insisting he is under no pressure to accept a bad deal.“I can say that we can make a good deal right now, but maybe not a great deal, and if it’s not a great deal, we’re not making it,” Trump told reporters. “They thought they were going to outwait me,” he said. “You know. ‘We’ll outwait him. He’s got the midterms.’ I don’t care about the midterms.”The White House called the purported draft memorandum of understanding “not true and a complete fabrication,” and Trump ruled out unfreezing any Iranian assets until after Iran agrees to terms and shows it’s complying, and rejected outright Iran’s suggestion that it would administer traffic going through the Strait in partnership with U.S. ally Oman.
“We’re not talking about any easing of sanctions or giving money. No sanctions, no money, no nothing,” Trump said. “When they behave properly and when they do what’s right, we’ll let them have their money.” As for the future of the Strait, Trump said, “It’s international waters, and Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up.”
