Iran denies Trump’s claim that Tehran wants a deal ‘quickly and badly’

President Donald Trump declared Monday that Iran is desperate to reach an agreement with the United States, posting on Truth Social that "the failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly," while asserting that he alone will decide whether Washington engages with Tehran. The statement came amid stalled diplomatic efforts following the collapse of a memorandum of understanding reached in June and the resumption of U.S. military strikes on Iran in August.aa+1

Iran Rejects Trump's Characterization

Tehran pushed back swiftly. Iran's Tasnim News Agency, a state-linked outlet, denied Trump's claims, stating that Iran has repeatedly said it does not want negotiations with the U.S. government and that Trump's assertion of Iranian willingness to deal was "untrue". The denial underscores the gap between the two sides even as fighting continues to roil the region.bloomingbit

Trump had on Sunday said he did not "care" about a proposed meeting between Iran and Gulf states to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil transits in peacetime. That meeting was postponed on Monday, with officials citing the need for more conducive conditions.moneycontrol+1

Threats and Escalation

The rhetorical posture has been matched by threats of force. Trump has warned that Iran's power plants and bridges would be destroyed if Tehran fails to meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Airstrikes have already hit bridges and a train station inside Iran, and Iranian officials have urged civilians to form human chains around power infrastructure. Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Budapest, said "the ball is in the Iranians' court" and that the U.S. had largely achieved its military objectives in the region.newsonair

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has said 14 million people, including himself, have volunteered to fight. The conflict, which began in late February, has driven energy market volatility, with Brent crude reaching as high as $110 per barrel, while U.S. 10-year Treasury yields hit 5% for the first time since 2007 on Monday.justthenews+1

Diplomatic Prospects Remain Uncertain

The U.S. and Iran reached the Islamabad understanding in June through Pakistani and Qatari mediation, but its implementation stalled over disagreements concerning the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has sought a commitment from Iran never to possess a nuclear weapon, a condition Tehran has so far refused to accept. The situation has been further complicated by a Houthi offensive in Yemen that struck Saudi oil infrastructure and by the reported absence of public appearances by Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei since his appointment in March.ua+2

Trump's message that Washington remains "open to the concept" of engagement leaves the door ajar, but with both sides publicly rejecting the other's terms, the path to renewed talks remains narrow.businessupturn