MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Once again, President Trump claims the U.S. is on the cusp of a deal with Iran, assuring the public the Iranians are desperate for a deal.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We're doing very well in Iran. It's going very smoothly, and we'll see what happens. They want to make a deal. They want to negotiate.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
But once again, Iran has yet to sign on to what Trump is selling. There have been days of public declarations about who controls the Strait of Hormuz and who can sail through and what the U.S. is and isn't doing about it. All the while, gas prices in the U.S. remain high at a national average of more than $4.56 a gallon for regular gas, according to AAA. A year ago, it was $3.15. Some lawmakers are saying, enough. Coming up, we'll speak with Representative Chris Deluzio about a new bill to cut funding for the war. First?
MARTIN: Here to walk us through this is NPR's national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Mara, good morning.
MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: You know, I feel like we've been stuck in this moment for quite some time. Like, what's the latest?
LIASSON: You're right. It's like Groundhog Day. Trump keeps on saying we've won the war, but the war never seems to end. He's been consistent. He says over and over again that Iran wants to make a deal and that the operation has been a big success. Here's what he said yesterday.
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TRUMP: Now we're doing well. Now we have to get what we have to get. If we don't do that, we'll have to go a big step further. But with that being said, they want to make a deal. We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it's very possible that we'll make a deal. Yeah. Please.
LIASSON: He doesn't sound completely convinced. He also said, quote, "we'll see whether or not they can make a deal that's satisfactory to us." So that's where things stand. That's where they've stood for quite a while.
MARTIN: But have we seen anything from the other side, from the Iranians, that backs up what President Trump is saying?
LIASSON: Not yet. We haven't seen the details of an Iranian proposal. Iran did issue a statement yesterday saying they were reviewing the latest proposal from the United States. And yesterday, when asked by a reporter about why Iran has refused to submit, even though the U.S. has done so much damage to its military, Trump got angry. And here's what he said.
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TRUMP: You don't know that. You don't know what's going on behind.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They were firing on U.S. ships a few days ago.
TRUMP: Yeah. No, a few days ago is a long time ago. You know, in the world of war, a few days ago - no, they want to make a deal badly. And we'll see if we get there. If we get there, they can't have nuclear weapons.
LIASSON: He also said, quote, "it would take them 20 years to rebuild" if the U.S. left now.
MARTIN: OK. So why not leave now?
LIASSON: One reason could be that not all of the U.S. objectives have been met. Iran has not agreed yet to open the Strait of Hormuz. They have not agreed to stop enriching uranium or give up their stockpile of enriched uranium, and they haven't agreed with Trump's demand to never have a nuclear weapon.
MARTIN: So given what we've heard - these threats, these declarations that seem to come and go, that don't seem to come to fruition - is the president in danger of getting tuned out?
LIASSON: Well, that's another good question. And that could be the conclusion that many of our allies and enemies may be drawing - that Trump is making it up as he goes along. We've heard public comments to that effect from leaders in Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz infuriated Trump when he said last week that the U.S. has no strategy in Iran.
And of course, at home, the Iran war is a big political problem for the president and his party. Gas prices, as you said, are still over $4 a gallon. The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that President Trump is less popular than he's ever been. He's at 37% approval. But Trump said yesterday that paying more for gas at the pump was worth it to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. But of course, Trump himself is not up for election in November. Republicans are, and many of them would like this war to end quickly.
MARTIN: That is NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Mara, thank you.
LIASSON: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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