Trump says Iran 'would love' to make a deal with the US but isn't prepared to make the right one

ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERSAUGUST 22, 2026 00:47US President Donald Trump stated that Iran "would love" to make a deal with the US but was not prepared to make "the right deal," while speaking to the press on Friday.Trump also said that the US had total control over the "entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz," and explained that his announcements of US economic warfare against Iran did not mean that the US's military options were limited. This comes a week after Trump vowed to hit Iran hard economically, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would impose measures on Tehran that have "never been seen."US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stands behind U.S. President Donald Trump who speaks to the media on the day of a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/UMIT BEKTAS)"They're not paying their soldiers, they're not paying their police. They have 350 percent inflation," Trump said of Iran on Friday. Iranian media pushes backIranian media was quick to reject Trump's statements, with multiple state-aligned media outlets calling Trump's 350 percent inflation statistic a baseless claim with no correlation to economic reality.Follow us on Google