Trump Rules Out Iran Deal ‘For Now’ as Strikes Continue
President Trump dampened hopes of an early truce with Iran overnight, telling the White House Correspondents’ dinner “I don’t think it’s time yet” for a deal, though he was “willing to listen”. His remarks came as US Central Command completed a further night of strikes and Mr Netanyahu’s office confirmed the Israeli premier would visit the White House on Tuesday, his seventh trip of Mr Trump’s second term.
Mr Trump said Iran was talking to Washington and would “love to make a deal”, but judged that Tehran was not “ready to”. The visit doubles as an occasion for Mr Netanyahu to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham; the President declared on social media that the Israeli leader “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States”. Separately, the New York Times reported that Mr Trump switched aircraft in Turkey over a “credible threat” from Iranian proxies. With neither side conceding on the Strait of Hormuz, the war grinds towards a third week of renewed fighting. Watch Tuesday’s talks for any shift.