President Trump said Iran is “begging” to make a deal because its military is reeling from his strikes.
Mr. Trump opened Thursday’s Cabinet meeting by saying Tehran is the side that needs a ceasefire, not the U.S.
“They are begging to make a deal, not me,” Mr. Trump said. “They’re lousy fighters, but they’re great negotiators. They are begging to work out a deal.”
The president said of Iran, “The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to s—-.”
Mr. Trump said by contrast, he is the “opposite of desperate.”
“I don’t care,” he said.
Mr. Trump joined forces with Israel to begin bombarding Iran on Feb. 28, hoping to dismantle its missile program and nuclear ambitions while diminishing its support for terror proxies in the Middle East.
Mr. Trump said Thursday he had to act because Iran’s leaders were “sick” and looking to strike Israel and eventually the U.S.
This week, the president held off on attacking Iranian power plants because he hoped an agreement would end hostilities.
The president said that if both sides can reach the right deal, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and oil prices will stabilize.
Also Thursday, Mr. Trump repeated his complaints about NATO allies who have been reluctant to help with the Iran war or reopen the strait, which is a critical oil chokepoint.
He said the U.S. will “come to their rescue, but they’ll never come to ours.”
