Trump says Iran 'not ready' to make deal despite wanting to negotiate

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran wanted to reach a deal but was not yet prepared to do so.

"They want to make a deal, but they're not ready to make a deal in my opinion," Trump told PBS News, adding that the US was "doing very well" in the campaign. He had previously said he had "agreed to talk" with Iranian officials, while also warning that strikes would continue unless Tehran met Washington's demands.

On Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal, Trump said the facility is "out of commission" but that he had deliberately avoided hitting oil pipelines, saying it would take years to rebuild such infrastructure. "Didn't even come close," he said, adding he would strike the island again if necessary.

Trump said Friday that all military targets on the island had been destroyed, adding that he had chosen "for the reason of decency" not to target oil infrastructure but warned he would immediately reconsider if Iran interfered with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said he had also held back from striking Tehran's broader infrastructure. "I could knock out the electric plants in one hour," he said, but added that doing so would cause years of damage and "trauma" to the population.

On oil prices, which went higher due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the conflict was a "very small price to pay," predicting prices would "drop like a rock as soon as it's over," which he did not believe "would be long."

Asked about the prospect of US ground troops in Iran, Trump declined to answer directly. "I don't wanna say that," he said, adding that his thinking on the matter had not changed but that he did not want to discuss military strategy.

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on Feb. 28, killing over 1,300 people so far, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Fourteen US service members have been killed since the beginning of the war.