After months of US military strikes on Iran, sanctions and a blockade, President Donald Trump says that his administration is watching economic pressure mount on Iran, according to an interview with Axios.
“We are low-keying it,” Trump was quoted as saying during a brief phone call.
“We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.”
He stressed that Iran “is in very bad shape” economically and has no money to pay its troops. Trump said the US naval blockade has exacerbated Iran’s economic crisis.
At the same time, Trump said that with oil down to slightly over $75 a barrel, US consumers are feeling less pain from the war.
“It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game,” Trump said of the back-and-forth with Iran.