Iran Wants to Settle, Says Trump in Conversation with Bloomberg

Bloomberg Surveillance TV Co-Host Annmarie Hordern discusses her brief phone conversation with President Trump this morning.

US President Donald Trump repeated threats to destroy Iranian energy assets if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened soon, raising fears the war could escalate after more American troops arrived in the region.

The US “is in serious discussions” with what he called a new regime in Iran to end military operations, Trump said in a social-media post on Monday. But if a deal isn’t reached and Hormuz reopened, “we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!).”

Trump has regularly vacillated between saying a deal with Iran is imminent and warning he’s prepared to up the military tempo, though in this case the threat to water facilities would constitute a war crime as defined by the Geneva Conventions.

Iran has consistently said peace talks aren’t progressing and has signaled it can carry on fighting for much longer.

The US leader’s comments came as Israel and Iran exchanged missile strikes with the war continuing into a second month. The conflict is threatening to cause severe economic damage around the world, with the closure of the critical Hormuz waterway choking supplies of energy, fertilizer and other critical commodities. The US military said over the weekend that about 3,500 sailors and Marines have arrived in the Middle East on an amphibious assault ship, raising fears of an escalation in the conflict rather than an imminent switch to diplomacy. The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group is also carrying fighter aircraft.

The Israel Defense Forces said it’s carrying out airstrikes on Iran a day after attacks resulted in power outages in the capital, Tehran, and nearby areas. Iran said it’s striking Israel, which reported a strike on the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa, although not to production facilities.

The United Arab Emirates issued multiple alerts overnight and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reported a number of interceptions of drones and missiles. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that an agreement to end fighting could come soon, claiming that Iran agreed to “most of” the 15 demands the US has issued, without offering specifics.

Iran suggested that isn’t the case, having publicly rejected the proposal last week.

“The demands conveyed to us have been excessive and illogical,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in press conference on Monday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to say who the US is engaged with on the Iran side, telling ABC’s Good Morning America it would put them in danger.

“There’s some fractures going on there internally,” he said.

Iran has insisted on its own conditions to end hostilities, issuing a five-point plan that includes demands — such as the payment of war reparations — that Trump and Israel are unlikely to accept. Tehran has also called for an end to the war on all fronts, a likely reference to I

--------

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