Iran Negotiations Ongoing, As Trump Says 'War Has Been Won' (Q&A)

President Trump took questions from reporter on the war in Iran and a potential deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security after he swore-in Markwayne Mullin as the new head of DHS.

Trump doubled down on his assertion that the US has already 'won' the war with Iran and told reporters that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are taking part in negotiations.

President Trump was also asked about a potential deal to fund DHS. Trump told reporters he thought lawmakers were getting close on a deal, but indicated he likely wouldn't be happy with legislation if it didn't include voter ID provisions.

President Donald Trump signaled that Iran had offered a “present” as a show of good faith in negotiations the US leader has claimed are ongoing to end a 25-day conflict that’s upended global markets, even as he deploys more troops to the Middle East.

Trump wouldn’t detail the gift, “worth a tremendous amount of money,” but confirmed it was related to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. A Thai ship passed through the vital waterway earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.

“We’re in negotiations right now,” Trump told reporters at the White House, noting that special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are all involved. Still, Trump’s optimism contrasted with the Pentagon’s movement of more ground troops to the region.

Trump claimed again, as on Monday, that Iran was in agreement on some parameters of a potential deal — starting from the US insistence that the Islamic Republic is prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense. It all starts with they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “Nobody knows who to talk to, but we’re actually talking to the right people, and they want to make a deal so badly, you have no idea how badly they want to make it.”

There remained broad uncertainty about who the US is negotiating with, the structure of talks, and the outlines of any potential agreement.

The US and a group of regional mediators are discussing the possibility of holding high-level peace talks with Iran as soon as Thursday, but are awaiting a response from Tehran, Axios reported earlier, citing two sources with knowledge of the discussions.

While Trump said on Monday he’s refraining from US strikes on energy sites, giving the Islamic Republic five days to reach a deal, US Marines are on their way to the region, raising the prospects of ground operations. The Pentagon is planning to send a brigade combat team from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to the region to support operations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two US officials.

--------

Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube

Weekdays 7am-6pm ET

Follow us on X

Subscribe to our Podcasts:

Bloomberg Daybreak

Bloomberg Surveillance

Bloomberg Intelligence

Balance of Power

Bloomberg Businessweek

Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app:

Apple CarPlay

Android Auto

Visit our YouTube channels:

Bloomberg Podcasts

Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Originals