President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that the US is striking Iran with great force and that the Iranians want to reach a deal, but they are not prepared to do so yet, according to reports. 'Soon they will be,' he added, according to a circulated quote. The remarks come one minute after a similar statement in which he said Iran repeatedly changes the terms.
President Donald Trump said at 23:06 Jerusalem on Wednesday evening that the US is striking Iran "very hard" and that the Iranians want to reach a deal, but they are not yet prepared to do so. The statement came one minute after a similar remark in which he said Iran repeatedly changes the terms and is not ready for a deal, as The Zioneer reported at 23:05 Jerusalem.
The 23:05 statement was itself the latest in a rapid series of conflicting statements from Trump on Wednesday evening. At 22:56 Jerusalem, he first said Iran would be "ready very soon" for a deal. Within minutes, he shifted to saying Iran is not ready, then claimed Tehran repeatedly changes the terms, and then issued an implied threat. The new statement at 23:06 introduces a new element: the claim that the US is striking with great force and that Iran wants a deal — a shift in emphasis from the earlier framing of the impasse.
The rapid sequence follows weeks of conflicting signals from the White House. As The Zioneer reported on Wed Jun 10, 19:09 Jerusalem, Trump said he thinks Iranians want a deal "but we will see." On Thu Jun 11, 15:53 Jerusalem, he told Fox News the US "hasn't hit Iran hard enough yet." Later that day, at 23:16 Jerusalem, he said Iran "wants a deal more than I do" because they have "taken hits." On Thu Jul 9, 08:42 Jerusalem, after US strikes, he said the US struck with a 20:1 ratio and that Iran called seeking a deal. On Wed Jul 15, 21:03 Jerusalem, he threatened to strike "very hard" for three consecutive nights. On Tue Jul 21, 18:44 Jerusalem, he said Iran "hasn't seen anything yet" and that the US was "very nice and generous." Later that evening, at 19:38 Jerusalem, he said the US is "not finished at all" with Iran.
The new statement, while still indicating Iran is not ready, leaves the door open for a near-term deal. What remains unclear is whether Trump's claims about the intensity of US strikes and Iranian willingness to negotiate are consistent with the administration's actual posture. The situation remains fluid as the US continues military operations.
5 developments
- ConfirmedTrump warns Iran: US will strike any nuclear site, retaliate 10-fold if Hormuz attacks continue
- DevelopingTrump: each Iran strike on Hormuz vessels will trigger US bombing of a bridge or power plant, including near Tehran
- StrongTrump threatens to 'blow the sh*t out of' Iran over Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingTrump says Iran 'out of control' with Hormuz attacks, questions whether they are 'worthy' of a deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake