Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'American land,' says Iran eager for deal

US President Donald Trump has reiterated that his country "will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon," declaring that he considers the Strait of Hormuz to be "American land" and predicting that energy prices will fall once the standoff with Tehran ends.

Trump said: "We cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon... We went and stopped them," adding, "They will never have a nuclear weapon. They want a deal so badly that we don't even know if we want it ourselves," and continued, "Because I now consider the Strait of Hormuz American land. It's American land."

'Oil prices will drop'

Trump predicted that energy prices would decrease once the conflict is over, saying: "As soon as we are done with the Islamic Republic of Iran, oil will drop to a level even lower than it was just recently."

'I don't know who I'm negotiating with'

Referring to the deadlock in negotiations, Trump questioned whether there was any Iranian party capable of making a deal, saying he does not know who he is negotiating with in Iran, and that "no one wants to be president" there. He stated that Tehran wants an agreement but has not yet presented acceptable terms.

The remarks come as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bisent announced Washington's readiness to impose "the toughest sanctions in history" on Iran, while Iranian Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi warned that his forces would respond to "any new threats from enemies with an overwhelming and destructive revolutionary response."