President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that Iran is "begging" to make a deal.
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The president, speaking at the start of a Thursday Cabinet meeting, said he wanted to "set the record straight" that he isn't the one pushing for a deal.
WATCH: Iran rejects Trump's ceasefire terms and issues own demands as war continues
"They're begging to make a deal, not me," Trump said.
Iranian officials have denied that they're negotiating with the U.S. as the war continues in its fourth week. Trump insisted they are.
"Anybody would know they're talking," he said. "They're not fools, they're very smart actually in a certain way. And they're great negotiators. I say they're lousy fighters but they're great negotiators."
Trump says he'll announce actions on Friday to help U.S. farmers
The president told his cabinet he plans to roll out a "variety" of policies "to support American farmers," as the war with Iran has increased the cost of fertilizer during planting season.
Trump emphasized that he previously supported farmers by giving them $12 billion in aid when the agricultural sector faced blowback last year after his tariffs started a trade war.
Trump envoy confirms a 15-point ceasefire plan was presented to Iran, indicates a strong possibility a deal can happen
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said the U.S. has presented a 15-point "action list" to Iran, delivered through Pakistan as a framework for a possible peace deal.
It's the first time the Trump administration has confirmed the 15-point plan.
Witkoff made the comment Thursday during the Cabinet meeting. He added that Trump directed Witkoff to "maintain confidentiality" as the administration reached out, citing sensitive diplomatic discussions.
"If a deal happens, it will be great for the country of Iran, the entire region and the world at large," he said.
Vice President JD Vance says the destruction of the Iranian military gives the U.S. 'options'
Addressing the Cabinet, Vance asserted that the "conventional military" in Iran has been "effectively destroyed" during the war.
Echoing Trump, Vance said Iran no longer has a navy and "they don't have the ability to hit us like they could of even a few weeks ago."
"And what that does is that gives us options," Vance said.
He did not go into detail about those options.
Hegseth says Iran war is 'unlike Iraq'
The U.S. defense secretary said Thursday that the war in Iran is "unlike Iraq. This isn't a tie. This is not parity. This is not chaos. This is success. Pure American success."
Hegseth spoke as he sat next to Trump at a Cabinet meeting. Hegseth noted that the war's objectives "remain clear: No nukes, no navy, and complete dismantling of their missile program and defense industrial base."
Trump noted that the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil normally flows, remained effectively closed because of the war, although the president predicted the waterway will open up.
Hegseth says Iran conflict will be part of Trump's legacy
"This is stuff for the history books; This is stuff for legacy," the U.S. defense secretary said during a Cabinet meeting Thursday.
As part of his praise for the decision to engage in the conflict, Hegseth claimed that Iran had "a modern military" but that "never in recorded history has a nation's military been so quickly and so effectively neutralized."
Did Rubio do a Chuck D callback while talking about Iran?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a noted fan of 1990s rap.
During Thursday's Cabinet meeting, his remarks appeared to borrow a bit from Public Enemy's "Welcome to the Terrordome."
Chuck D raps in the track off of the eponymous album "Fear of a Black Planet," "I got so much trouble on my mind/ I refuse to lose/Here's your ticket/Hear the drummer get wicked/The crew to you to push the back to Black."
Rubio, Trump's chief diplomat, offered, "But every day the Department of War lets the drummer get wicked over every portion of Iran that has these military capabilities, and the results are going to bear fruit for the world," Rubio said.
Bessent says Strait of Hormuz not a 'choke point' and that tanker ship traffic will increase
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Iran, by restricting oil and natural gas shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, is "trying to take control of the global economy through a choke point that we believe does not exist."
Bessent's phrasing was misleading, as the Strait of Hormuz is critical for global shipments of oil and natural gas, especially for Asia, and energy prices have increased since the war with Iran began.
Still, Bessent said that more tankers are making it through the Strait of Hormuz.
"I am confident that shipping traffic will continue to increase on a daily basis, even before we secure" the strait, Bessent said.
Trump claims Iran allowing Pakistan-flagged tankers through strait in sign of good faith for talks
Trump earlier this week cryptically said that Iran "gave us a present." He revealed the gift during Thursday's Cabinet meeting.
Trump said that Iranian officials, with whom the U.S. is engaging in back-channel talks, are allowing "eight boats of oil" to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting it was an apparent act of good faith for negotiations.
"Well, I guess we're dealing with the right people," said Trump, who indicated the tankers are operating under Pakistani flags.
Trump calls the German president's condemnation of his actions in Iran 'inappropriate'
In a speech on Tuesday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Trump's aggression against Iran was a "dangerous mistake" in violation of international law.
Taking questions from reporters during Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Trump likened Steinmeier's statement to the U.S. assistance to Ukraine in its war with Russia, which he said was "not our war, we helped, but Ukraine's done well."
Trump, who as he campaigned for a second term said repeatedly he could swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine war, added, "if I can solve that, it will be a great honor to do it. I wish it could have gone faster."
Trump is not ready to seek suspension of federal gas tax to help ease prices at the pump
Asked by a reporter about that option during the Cabinet meeting, Trump said, "we've thought about it, I guess" and suggested that states suspend their taxes on fuel.
He segued into talking about the stock market and was asked again about the possibility of suspending the federal gas tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. That does not include state taxes, which often are higher.
Trump cannot suspend the federal tax on his own; Congress would have to approve.
But he indicated he wasn't ready to go that route at the federal level at this time.
"It's something we have in our pocket if we think it's necessary," Trump said.
Trump says U.S. 'doesn't need the Hormuz Strait'
Asked by a reporter how close he was to marshaling a coalition of partners to help protect tankers moving through the strait, Trump said the U.S. has "so much oil — our country is not affected by this."
The narrow waterway typically sees a fifth of the world's oil exit the Persian Gulf through it to reach customers worldwide, particularly in Asia, and blockages there have sent oil prices near $120 per barrel at times.
And although it's true that the United States doesn't get a massive percentage of its oil from resources moving through the strait, the price of oil is set on the global market.
Iran's stranglehold on the waterway has raised prices at the pump for drivers the world over. The nationwide average price of gas is up more than a dollar from just a month earlier.
Trump sidesteps question about his deadline for Iran to open Strait of Hormuz
Asked whether he's sticking to a five-day delay he announced on Monday, Trump said "I don't know."
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, the president said it depends on whether his team tells him talks with Iran are "going along" or not.
"We have a lot of time," Trump said. "It's a day. In Trump time, a day- you know what it is? That's an eternity."
Trump threatened to strike Iranian power plants starting Monday unless the strait was fully reopened. He said the deadline was pushed back to negotiate a deal.
Trump Cabinet meeting stays mainly focused on Iran war
Trump's first Cabinet meeting since the start of the Iran war ran an hour and 40 minutes. But unlike past meetings of this kind, the president kept it largely focused on the war.
Trump usually gives every Cabinet member time to speak, but on Thursday he limited speakers to himself, Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, Bessent, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Still, Trump weighed in on a few unrelated topics, such as his choice of writing implements, a construction project at the Federal Reserve that he thinks costs too much, and lawsuits pending to stop him from closing the Kennedy Center performing arts venue for a two-year renovation project.