US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (local time) that it was “very possible” that a deal with Iran would be reached by the time King Charles III visits the US later this month, Sky News reported.
Trump remarked, “It’s possible. Very possible. They’re pretty badly beaten. It’s very possible.”
His remarks came just days after Pakistan-brokered talks between the US and Iran broke down. The talks, which lasted over 21 hours in Islamabad, ended without any agreement being finalized, with both sides blaming each other for the failure. After the negotiations broke down, Trump additionally threatened to enforce the blockade, which the US military carried out on Monday night. The US military is using more than 10,000 personnel, along with a dozen warships and aircraft, to block ships entering and leaving Iranian ports, US Central Command said in a post on X.
Why is the US enforcing the blockade?
The decision aims to put pressure on the Islamic Republic by targeting two of its key economic drivers: the huge fees Iran demands for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed since the start of the war in late February, and the Islamic Republic’s oil revenue, the BBC reported.
Trump comments on the US’s special relationship with Great Britain
In an interview with Sky News, Trump also commented on the relationship between Washington and London, noting that it “was better.” He said, “What’s the relationship like? It’s a relationship where when we asked them for help, they weren’t there. When we needed them, they weren’t there. When we didn’t need them, they weren’t there. And they’re still not here.”
The bitterness in Trump’s remarks stemmed from his spat with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the Iran war, with the latter refusing to intervene or help Trump. It comes after the US president called on the UK and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to get involved militarily in the war and in particular to help reopen the waterway to the Strait of Hormuz, which had been closed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Strait of Hormuz is an arterial waterway responsible for transporting roughly a fifth of the world’s oil.
The U.K. government has allowed the U.S. to use British bases for defensive actions and strikes, and Trump has previously been criticized for his rhetoric about allies not supporting America despite soldiers dying in post-9/11 wars like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Trump vs Starmer
Commenting on his relationship with Starmer, Trump noted that he likes Starmer, but added that the latter made a “tragic mistake” by shutting down North Sea oil. He added: “You see, your energy prices are the highest in the world and I think he has made a tragic mistake on immigration.”
He even suggested that Washington might want to change the terms of the customs deal with the UK as he raised complaints about Britain’s domestic policies. “We gave them a good trade deal. Better than I had to. Which can always be changed,” the US president added.
