Trump says Iran wants to make a deal
The claim follows Iran's security chief saying talks won't happen until Tehran's demands are met.
Published · Updated
UpdateWednesday, September 16, 2026 at 8:45 PM ET
Trump now says Iran is not ready to make a deal, contradicting his earlier statement that it wants one.
Trump said Wednesday evening that Iran is not ready to make a deal, reversing his earlier remark that Tehran wants one.
UpdateWednesday, September 16, 2026 at 8:10 PM ET
Trump had said Iran wants a deal; he now says Iran is not ready for one.
Trump reversed course, saying Iran is not ready for a deal after all. He added that the war with Iran will end "very soon."
Trump said Iran wants to make a deal, and separately said he hopes the war is nearing its end. Vice President Vance has described the conflict as entering a managed phase after the midterms.
Iran's own security chief has said talks will not happen until its demands are met. Blinken said this week that Trump has put the US in a very difficult position on Iran, and that Gulf states are looking to open their own separate talks with Tehran. Gulf states are weighing those talks now.
The fighting has not stopped. A US-contracted ship was hit in a fresh round of Gulf shipping attacks this week, and explosions were reported on Iran's Qeshm Island on Tuesday, according to local sources cited by Iran's state news agency. US officials have also held talks with Houthi representatives in Oman.
The economic cost is already being felt. Von der Leyen has said the conflict added 90 billion euros to the EU's fossil fuel import bill. Commerce Secretary Phelan has said higher oil prices are starting to bleed through into the broader economy, and members of the Bank of Canada's governing council have flagged elevated inflation risk tied to oil and the conflict. A real deal would reverse the war's trajectory and could ease the pressure on oil prices and inflation. But Trump's statement gives no detail on Iran's actual position, and it follows months of similarly upbeat framing from US officials that has not yet produced any diplomatic movement.