Trump says Iran wants deal, hails economy

Washington:US President Donald Trump said that Iran “looks like it wants to make a deal very badly,” as he pointed to what he described as progress in talks on Iran, Russia and Ukraine, while also touting economic gains and lower prices at home.

“We had very, very good talks today, having to do with Russia, Ukraine,” Trump said. “Something could be happening.”

He said discussions with Iran were also moving forward. “We likewise, had very good talks on Iran,” he said. “Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly.”

Trump said any agreement would differ from past efforts. “We have to see what that deal is,” he said. “It’ll be different than last time.”

He said the US military was reinforcing its presence in the region. “We have a big Armada. We have a big fleet heading in that direction,” Trump said. “It’ll be there pretty soon.”

Turning to the economy, Trump claimed historic market gains. “The stock market, as you know, broke the number that they thought was going to be impossible to break,” he said. “We broke 50,000 of the Dow.”

He said the milestone came earlier than expected. “Most people thought that was not possible to do so quickly,” Trump said. “We did it in the first year, so we’re about three years ahead of schedule.”

Trump also highlighted falling prices. “Prices are way down,” he said. “Energy is down.”

He cited gasoline prices during a recent trip. “The gallon of gasoline in Iowa… was $1.85, $1.89 and $1.99 in three different stations,” he said. “So gasoline is way down.”

Trump added, “Energy is down. Groceries are down.”

He blamed Democrats for earlier price increases. “You don’t hear the Democrats talking about affordability anymore,” he said, adding, “They cause the affordability problem very badly.”

Trump said his administration had reversed earlier policies. “We’ve broken the Biden disaster, the mess that I inherited,” he said.

On border security, Trump said enforcement had reached record levels. “The border, is extremely secure, more so than it’s ever been,” he said. “We’ve got nine months with zero people coming in illegally.”

He also claimed historic crime reductions. “Crime is at a record low for 125 years,” Trump said. “Lowest has been since 1900.”

Trump was also asked about a social media post that was later removed. He said he had reviewed only part of it. “I looked at the first part,” he said. “It was about voter fraud.”

He said the post was taken down after concerns emerged. “We took it down as soon as we found out,” Trump said.

Responding to calls for an apology, Trump said, “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”

Responding to a question on diplomacy with Iran, he said talks would continue. “We have very good talks going with Iran,” Trump said. “We’re going to meet again early next week.”

“They want to make a deal, Iran, as they should want to make a deal,” he said. “They know the consequences if they don’t.”

Trump did not spell out those consequences, adding only, “We have plenty of time.”

The United States has long sought to curb Iran’s nuclear activities through diplomacy and sanctions, while also maintaining a significant military presence in the Middle East. Talks with Russia and Ukraine have drawn global attention amid ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe.

Trump has repeatedly used public remarks to link foreign policy, markets and domestic prices, framing them as measures of his administration’s performance, while sharply criticizing his predecessor’s record.

IANS