West Asia updates: Trump says Iran not ready to make the 'right deal'

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U .S. President Donald Trump said on ‌Friday (August 21, 2026) he thought Tehran was not ready to make the “right deal” and ⁠that Washington was observing “what happens” in the Iran war.

“We have total control of that entire region ‌having to do with the Strait of Hormuz, and that means well into it, the land areas. So, they ⁠would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal, in ‌my opinion,” said Mr. Trump.

Addressing a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Mr. Trump said, “We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon; we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, or you will see some very bad things.”

“We went down, and we stopped them; they will never have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Mr. Trump said Iran wanted to reach an agreement but questioned whether Washington would accept a deal, asserting control over the strategic waterway.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and described the Strait of Hormuz as “American territory” amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, Al Jazeera reported.

“They want to make a deal so badly, we don’t even know if we want [a deal] because I view the Strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now, it’s an American territory,” Mr. Trump said, as per Al Jazeera.

Earlier, speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for Myrtle Beach, Mr. Trump had claimed that the United States had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and supported the idea of declaring the strategic waterway a U.S. territory.

USA / Donald Trump / Iran / Israel-US strikes on Iran / West Asia / war / unrest, conflicts and war

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