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President Donald Trump said that Iran \u201cgave\u201d the US most of the 15 demands it issued to Tehran to end the war, even as it remains unclear whether either side is negotiating.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gave us most of the points. Why wouldn\u2019t they?\u201d he told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be asking for a couple of other things.\u201d He declined to specify what concessions Iran has offered.<\/p>\n
Publicly, Iran has rejected the US\u2019s 15-point list of ceasefire terms delivered by the Trump administration via intermediaries in Pakistan, and has countered with five conditions of its own \u2014 including maintaining sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Earlier Sunday, however, Trump said he wanted to seize Iran\u2019s oil resources, a move that would mark a major escalation in the conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: \u2018Why are you doing that?\u2019 But they\u2019re stupid people,\u201d he said in an interview with the Financial Times.<\/p>\n
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Taking Iran\u2019s oil would require a risky military operation involving the invasion and occupation of its main export hub, Kharg Island, which also houses an Iranian naval base.<\/p>\n
Trump added that taking Kharg Island \u201cwould also mean we had to be there for a while.\u201d The president has said the war would end \u201csoon,\u201d as the economic fallout risks spiraling into a political liability for his Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n
The US has sent dissonant messages about the next stages of the war. Trump has pushed for ceasefire talks with Iran even as the military ramps up forces in the region. The president said Sunday that negotiations don\u2019t preclude further military action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing extremely well in that negotiation,\u201d Trump said. \u201cBut you never know with Iran, because we negotiate with them, and then we always have to blow them up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thousands of US troops amassed in the Middle East over the weekend, including an amphibious assault team that arrived on Saturday. Members of the 82nd Airborne are also on their way.<\/p>\n
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Officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met over the weekend to find a path out of the conflict, but it\u2019s unclear whether they made any progress.<\/p>\n
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said after the meeting with his counterparts that \u201cboth Iran and US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan\u201d to host future talks, although neither side has indicated they are ready to meet.<\/p>\n
Trump also suggested that the US has already achieved its goal of regime change. US strikes killed Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the initial hours of the war. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has taken over for his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re dealing with different people than anybody\u2019s dealt with before,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole different group of people. So I would consider that regime change. And frankly, they\u2019ve been very reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n