US ‘winning big,’ says Trump, ‘no hurry’ to reboot talks with Iran

President Trump says time is on America’s side as sanctions on Iran tighten, citing “massive inflation” in the Islamic Republic, causing its economy to “fall apart.”

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump said he is in no rush to bring Iran back to the negotiating table, signaling that Washington is prepared to continue exerting economic pressure on Tehran rather than quickly returning to negotiations aimed at ending the nearly six-month conflict.

Asked Wednesday in an interview with Al Jazeera how much time he was giving Iran to return to talks, Trump said he had set no deadline.

“I have no time schedule, none,” Trump said, adding that he was “not in a hurry.”

Trump argued that the US currently holds the advantage, pointing to the severe economic pressure facing the Islamic Republic.

“We are winning very big,” Trump said, citing what he described as “massive inflation” and an Iranian economy that is “falling apart.”

The president also accused Tehran of harshly suppressing domestic dissent and said both military force and economic measures had proven effective against the Islamic Republic.

His remarks come days after the Trump administration launched a new sanctions campaign dubbed “Operation Economic Outcast,” intended to isolate Iran from the international financial system and target countries and businesses that continue to provide Tehran with economic lifelines.

The Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned roughly 60 individuals, companies and vessels connected to Iran while warning foreign governments and companies that continued dealings with the Islamic Republic could expose them to secondary US sanctions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the effort as an “economic onslaught” intended to sever Iran’s financial connections around the world until Tehran is isolated.

The administration has increasingly emphasized economic pressure as large-scale US military operations against Iran have slowed. Washington has nevertheless left open the possibility of renewed strikes if the standoff escalates.

The latest confrontation follows the breakdown of a temporary agreement reached by Washington and Tehran in June. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding providing for a 60-day negotiating period intended to lead to a broader agreement covering Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

That diplomatic window expired this month without a permanent agreement.

The Strait has emerged as one of the central disputes between the two countries.

Commercial traffic through the waterway, which carried roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments before the war, remains severely disrupted. Iran has used its control over access to the Strait as leverage, while Washington has demanded unrestricted freedom of navigation.

Despite Trump’s suggestion that Washington can afford to wait, regional governments are continuing efforts to revive negotiations.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected to visit Tehran Thursday as part of a new mediation effort aimed at reducing tensions and restarting US-Iran talks. Qatar previously played a central role in helping broker the June agreement.

Iran, meanwhile, has publicly rejected the suggestion that the new US economic campaign will force it to capitulate.

“America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday, while also maintaining that Tehran favors resolving disputes through negotiations.

Pezeshkian said Iran would remain open to diplomacy while resisting US pressure, underscoring the continuing gap between the two sides over the conditions for resuming negotiations.