Trump says US has ‘no interest’ in Iran talks as airstrikes intensify

The U.S. and Iran are back to bombing every day in a bid to control the Strait of Hormuz. Neither side is backing down, showing the limitations of President Donald Trump’s reliance on escalating airstrikes to bend Tehran to his will.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump gave a dim view on possible talks with Iran to end the war. “I will tell you, they want to desperately meet. And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest in meeting,” Trump told reporters.

He said that in dialogue behind the scenes, Iranian officials have said: “they want to meet desperately to try and end it, because they’re getting decimated.”

Meanwhile, Iran has refused to loosen its grip over the crucial oil shipping corridor in the Persian Gulf. It is raising questions about the strategy for the next phase of the conflict as intensifying attacks have collapsed an interim ceasefire deal.

The U.S. military said Sunday that another American service member was killed as part of the war with Iran, bringing the total number of deaths to 17, and U.S. gas prices jumped back to $4 a gallon on average Monday – posing new problems for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.