Trump: I expect more talks with Iran this week — even though I rejected the ceasefire proposal

President Donald Trump said he expects U.S. negotiators to continue talks with Iran this week, just a day after rejecting the Iranian ceasefire proposal that would have reopened the critical Strait of Hormuz, as USA Today reports.

He shared the news with Axios in a Sunday phone interview, after earlier declaring that Iran is “dying” and that Iranians “overplayed their hand” by closing the strait, because “they have no more money coming in”. “I expect more talks with Iran (this week). They want a deal, but it’s not the deal I want. It’s what we could have gotten maybe a year ago. They overplayed their hand,” Trump said.

Asked whether he has considered resuming strikes against Iran, the president committed to nothing concrete, but answered: “I’m always thinking about it.” Earlier, the Wall Street Journal had reported that on 25 September Trump had rejected a proposal that included opening Hormuz, restarting nuclear talks and lifting the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, as he is privately skeptical that Iran will meet his demands.

The president’s reaction comes just weeks before November’s midterm elections, where high fuel prices caused by the war with Iran are a key issue for Americans, as polls show. Trump said the U.S. military is facilitating the movement of oil from the Strait of Hormuz and told Axios that “more than 20 million barrels” have passed through the strait since the war began in February.

Last week, Trump said the U.S. and Iran had “a very good meeting” on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly — but in his speech before the delegates he threatened Iran with annihilation, and later wrote on social media that Iran “CANNOT HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS!!!”