Arabic version: ترامب يلوّح بضغط اقتصادي على إيران

According to Al Jazeera, United States President Donald Trump said Washington is relying on economic pressure rather than new military strikes to push Iran towards a deal.

In an Axios interview on Sunday, Trump described a more cautious approach after months of conflict. “We are low-keying it,” he said, adding that Washington was “only semi-negotiating” with Tehran while watching the effect of the war on Iran’s economy.

Trump said Iran was in “very bad shape” financially, citing high inflation and difficulties paying its troops. He credited a US naval blockade, in place since April, with increasing the pressure. He also said oil prices just above $75 a barrel had reduced the economic impact on US consumers.

His comments came as Oman-mediated talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping appeared close to a breakthrough. Iran’s foreign ministry said this month that negotiations had reached their “final” stages, with both sides nearing agreement on coordinates for a new route through the strait.

Tehran has said it will not fully reopen the waterway until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, including by lifting the naval blockade, stopping military actions and paying war damages. A June ceasefire collapsed weeks later in a dispute over control of the strait, after which fighting resumed. Iran has continued intermittent strikes on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, while Yemen’s Houthis declared a separate naval blockade against Saudi Arabia last month.