“Iran is dying to make a deal,” says Trump, claims Tehran significantly weakened

US President Donald Trump stated that Iran has been significantly weakened by US military action and is now eager to negotiate a deal while tensions remain high over Tehranrsquos nuclear programmeldquoIran is dying to make a dealrdquo Trump said while reiterating that Tehran ldquocannot be nuclearrdquoHe claimed that the US strikes had sharply degraded Iranrsquos military capabilitiesldquoTheir Navy is gone Their Air Force is gonehellip their drone factories are about 82 percent downrdquo he said Trump added that missile production had also been hit ldquoTheir missile factories are almost 90 percent downrdquoDescribing the US operation as decisive Trump said ldquoWe obliterated that nuclear capacity of theirsrdquo He also suggested leadership instability in Iran ldquoWe have a problem because nobody knows for sure who the leaders arerdquoDespite the conflict Trump highlighted positive US economic indicators ldquoWe just hit a new high today on the stock marketrdquo He noted that only a limited group was aware of ongoing talks ldquoNobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other peoplerdquoTrump emphasised continued economic pressure ldquoTheyre not getting any money from oilhellip the blockade is incrediblerdquo He framed the conflict as essential to prevent nuclear proliferation ldquoYou cant let Iran have a nuclear weaponrdquo and added that Iranrsquos economy was deteriorating ldquoTheir economy is crashingrdquoThe developments have major implications for global energy markets with oil prices highly sensitive to Middle East events India a historical importer of Iranian oil is closely monitoring the situation for its energy securityCENTCOM briefs Trump on new strike plans ReportUS President Donald Trump received a briefing from CENTCOM on new possible strikes against Iran according to AxiosThe briefing by CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper and the Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs lasted around 45 minutesThe plans include a ldquoshort and powerfulrdquo wave of strikes on infrastructure targets options to take over the Strait of Hormuz to reopen it for commercial shipping and a special forces operation to secure Iranrsquos stockpile of highly enriched uraniumTrump has previously told Axios that the naval blockade remains a key pressure tool ldquoThe blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing They are choking like a stuffed pig And it is going to be worse for them They cant have a nuclear weaponrdquoTrump weighs troop cuts in Italy and SpainPresident Donald Trump has hinted at withdrawing US troops from Italy and Spain amid ongoing differences over the Iran conflictWhen asked about possible reductions Trump said ldquoYeah probably I probably will Why shouldnt Irdquo He criticised both nations ldquoItaly has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible absolutely horriblerdquoThe remarks highlight growing tensions with NATO allies many of whom have not joined the USled operations against Iran or efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz Trump is also reviewing a possible reduction of US troops in GermanyDefence Secretary defends USD 15 trillion budget amid Iran warUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended President Trumprsquos proposed USD 15 trillion military budget calling it essential given the current global security environmentTestifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee Hegseth said the budget would ldquoposition our forces for the current and future fightsrdquo and reverse years of underinvestment ldquoThe USD 15 trillion budget will ensure that the United States continues to maintain the worldrsquos most powerful and capable militaryrdquo he saidHe highlighted a 7 per cent pay increase for junior enlisted personnel plans to eliminate poor barracks and over USD 50 billion in privatesector investments creating 70000 new jobsSenate hearing Clashes over Iran war and budgetA Senate Armed Services Committee hearing turned heated as Secretary Pete Hegseth faced sharp criticism from Democratic and independent senators over the Iran conflict and the USD 15 trillion defence budgetRanking Member Jack Reed accused the administration of entering an ldquounwiserdquo conflict without a clear strategy and warned that claims of victory were ldquodangerously exaggeratedrdquoHegseth pushed back ldquoOur military objectives have been stunningly effectiverdquo citing significant degradation of Iranrsquos capabilities Senator Kirsten Gillibrand noted that Americans were ldquofuriousrdquo about rising fuel and food prices caused by the warTrump criticises German Chancellor over Iran stancePresident Donald Trump told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to ldquofix your country firstrdquo criticising his handling of domestic issues amid differences on IranAt an Oval Office event Trump said ldquoThe German chancellor is doing a terrible job Hes got immigration and energy problems and a problem with UkrainerdquoHe recounted asking Merz if he wanted Iran to have a nuclear weapon to which the German Chancellor reportedly said noOn Truth Social Trump wrote that the Chancellor should focus on ending the RussiaUkraine war and fixing Germanyrsquos issues with immigration and energy rather than interfering with efforts against Iranrsquos nuclear programme He also confirmed his administration is reviewing a possible reduction of US troops in GermanyIran condemns US naval blockade CENTCOM reports 44 vessels turned awayIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticised the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as ldquoan extension of military operationsrdquoIn a post on X Pezeshkian said ldquoThe world has witnessed Irans tolerance and conciliation What is being done under the guise of a naval blockade is an extension of military operations against a nation paying the price for its resistance and independencerdquo He added that ldquoContinuation of this oppressive approach is intolerablerdquoMeanwhile US CENTCOM reported that 44 commercial vessels have been directed to turn around or return to port due to the blockade Iranrsquos Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf vowed that Tehran would secure the Persian Gulf and end US ldquopresence and interferencerdquo in the Strait of HormuzWith AFP IANS and ANI inputs