Trump Rejects Deal With Iran on Current Terms as War Rages On

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(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump said Iran is ready to make a deal to end the war but the US wants better terms, signaling no let up in a conflict that’s brought shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill and upended energy markets.

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Trump also called on other countries to send warships to keep open the waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil exports flow. He said he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK would take part.

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“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump told NBC in an interview Saturday, adding that a “very solid” agreement would have to include a commitment by Tehran to abandon nuclear ambitions.

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The Islamic Republic’s retaliatory attacks on Israel and Arab states in the Persian Gulf continued overnight into Sunday, after the US struck military sites on Kharg Island, home to key export facilities for Iranian oil.

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The United Arab Emirates said Sunday it was intercepting missiles and drones from Iran, telling residents that blasts heard in parts of Dubai were the projectiles being shot down. The UAE said it has engaged 1,600 drones and more than 300 missiles launched by Iran since the conflict began.

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told MS NOW that “it is clear” the missiles that hit Kharg Island came from the UAE.

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Anwar Gargash, a senior foreign policy advisor to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, said the country “has the right to self-defense in the face of this terrorist aggression imposed upon it, yet it continues to prioritize reason.”

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Oil-loading operations at Fujairah — a key UAE port — resumed on Sunday after a drone strike and fire forced a halt to exports the day before, according to people familiar with the situation. They asked not to be identified as they aren’t authorized to comment. 

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Fujairah, which lies just outside the Strait of Hormuz, is a major hub for both crude and fuel products, and has taken on increased significance for both the UAE and global markets because it is one of the few Gulf export outlets that bypasses the waterway. Loading had been halted as a precaution while damage was being assessed. 

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Abu Dhabi authorities also said they contained a fire that broke out at the Ruwais Industrial Complex following a drone strike on March 10.

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Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reported intercepting at least 10 drones near the capital, Riyadh, and in the kingdom’s eastern region. Bahrain sounded sirens and urged residents to remain in safe areas.

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Iran said it launched a new wave of missile attacks on Israel, where Foreign Minister Israel Katz has described the war as entering its “victory phase.” He also said the war, now in its third week, would last “as long as required.”