President Trump said on Sunday that the US was “low-keying it” with Iran and only “semi-negotiating” with the country, comments that come after a senior Iranian official laid out multiple conditions for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. “We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” Trump told Axios reporter Barak Ravid, comments that were taken as a signal that the US will continue the blockade and economic pressure against Iran but won’t launch a major military escalation. Trump in the Oval Office on August 6, 2026 (White House photo)Zolghadr also laid out economic conditions, including the lifting of all sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, and compensation for the war damages. Zolghadr’s demands are similar to the conditions Iran has laid out throughout the war for a broader deal with the US.