WASHINGTON — Talks are not surrender — and President Donald J. Trump just drew the line again. In Sunday comments to Axios, Trump said he expects more discussions with Iran this week, while making clear Tehran still does not get to write the terms.
“They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make,” the President said. “They overplayed their hand.” That is America First diplomacy in one sentence: engagement from strength, not from desperation to announce a photo-op ceasefire.
Trump also signaled that military pressure is not a closed chapter. He said he is always thinking about resuming strikes. As of Monday, the war is about seven months old — long enough for Tehran to feel Economic Fury and naval pressure, and long enough for Patriots to see who is negotiating from weakness.
This story sits beside — not inside — U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz’s Sunday report that Iran wanted “everything up front,” including sanctions relief before ending its nuclear program. Waltz described Iran’s ransom pitch. Trump described the deal he will actually accept.
Operation Epic Fury’s posture has not changed: no Iranian nuke, no blank checks, and no midterm soft-pedaling. Talks can happen this week. They happen on American terms — or they do not happen as a win for Tehran.
Golden Age foreign policy is simple. When the other side overplays its hand, you do not reward the bluff. You keep the leverage, keep the option of force, and keep the American people first.
