U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he is not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to resolve the conflict, adding that negotiations are ongoing through phone contacts.
“They’ve got to come up with the right deal. At this moment, I’m not satisfied,” Trump told reporters before he departed the White House.
Asked why he is not satisfied with Iran’s proposal, Trump said: “They’re asking for things that I can’t agree to.”
“Right now, we have negotiations going on. They’re not getting there. They are very disjointed,” Trump said. “They’re not able to get along with each other as leaders. They don’t know who the leader is.”
“They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up,” he added.
He said negotiations are continuing with Pakistan’s involvement, praising officials in Islamabad for working with Washington, but cautioned that “the trip is a very long one.”
Despite what he described as some “strides” in talks, Trump said: “I’m not sure if they ever get there.”
The president also linked a potential end to the war to global energy markets, saying oil shipments currently stuck near the Strait of Hormuz could soon move.
“When the war ends, gasoline prices will go down to below what they were,” he said.
The war began on Feb. 28, when Israel and the U.S. began airstrikes on Iran. On Friday, the Iranian state news agency IRNA said Tehran had sent its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to Pakistani mediators.
Despite a cease-fire declared on April 8, neither side has moved toward a durable settlement, and the truce has done little to ease military or maritime tensions in the Gulf.
Trump also told reporters he had spoken with Iraqi prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday, and voiced strong support for him.
Washington is seeking to maintain close ties with Baghdad amid ongoing regional tensions and security concerns.
