Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Feb 7: US President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran appears eager to strike a deal with Washington, while also hinting at progress in discussions related to Russia and Ukraine, even as he highlighted what he described as strong economic and security gains under his administration.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said diplomatic engagements on multiple fronts were moving positively. “We had very, very good talks today on Russia and Ukraine. Something could be happening,” he remarked, without offering further details.
Turning to Iran, Trump struck an optimistic note, saying negotiations were advancing. “We also had very good talks on Iran. Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly,” he said, adding that any future agreement would be markedly different from previous ones. “We have to see what that deal is. It’ll be different than last time.”
At the same time, Trump underscored a show of military strength in the region, revealing that US naval forces were being reinforced. “We have a big armada, a big fleet heading in that direction. It’ll be there pretty soon,” he said.
On the domestic front, the President pointed to what he called unprecedented economic milestones. He claimed the stock market had crossed levels once considered unreachable. “The Dow broke 50,000 — a number people thought was impossible to break,” Trump said, adding that the achievement came far ahead of expectations.
He also asserted that prices across key sectors had declined significantly. “Prices are way down. Energy is down,” Trump said, citing gasoline prices below $2 per gallon during a recent visit to Iowa. “Energy is down. Groceries are down,” he repeated.
Trump blamed Democrats for earlier inflationary pressures, saying affordability was no longer a talking point for the opposition. “They caused the affordability problem very badly,” he said, while claiming his administration had reversed the damage. “We’ve broken the Biden disaster — the mess that I inherited.”
On border security, Trump declared that enforcement had reached historic highs. He claimed illegal crossings had dropped dramatically, stating that the US had seen months with virtually no illegal entries. He also asserted that crime rates were at their lowest levels in more than a century.
Addressing questions about a social media post that was later deleted, Trump said he had only reviewed part of the content and denied making any error. “We took it down as soon as we found out,” he said, rejecting calls for an apology.
Reiterating his stance on Iran, Trump said talks would continue in the coming days. “We’re going to meet again early next week,” he said, adding that Tehran understood the stakes involved. “They know the consequences if they don’t [make a deal].”
While Trump did not elaborate on those consequences, he maintained that the US was in no rush. “We have plenty of time,” he said.
The US has long pursued a strategy of diplomatic pressure and sanctions to limit Iran’s nuclear programme, while maintaining a strong military footprint in the Middle East. Meanwhile, global attention remains focused on efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump has frequently used public appearances to link foreign policy developments, market performance, and consumer prices, presenting them as benchmarks of his administration’s success while continuing sharp criticism of his predecessor.