Trump: Iran is in ‘flux,’ wants to make a deal

President Donald Trump says that following arrival of a “big armada next to Iran,” Tehran has called the US repeatedly in the hope of negotiating a deal.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran is in a state of “flux,” President Donald Trump said Monday, adding that Tehran is desperate to reach a deal with the US following the arrival of an American naval force in the region.

On Monday, the USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, reached the US Central Command area of responsibility, a week after it was dispatched from the Pacific.

The USS Lincoln is accompanied by three destroyers.

The president spoke with Axios following the arrival of the carrier battle group, telling the outlet that the US now has a “big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela.”

Trump said that Iran is now “in flux” and has reached out to his administration repeatedly in hopes of reopening talks to de-escalate tensions.

“They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.”

A senior US official who spoke with reporters several hours after the interview said the administration is “open for business” if Iran is serious about resolving the crisis.

“If they want to contact us and they know what the terms are, then we’re going to have the conversation,” the official said.

The official emphasized that the Trump administration has conveyed its terms for a deal to Tehran on multiple occasions over the past year.

A report by The New York Times on Monday cited multiple sources who said that Trump has been shown intelligence assessments which estimate that the Iranian regime’s hold on power is at its weakest level since the Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah in 1979.

The assessments also suggest that despite the decline in the protests, following the violent crackdown, the government’s position continues to weaken.