Trump: We do not want to talk to Iran and have not abandoned the military option

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he was changing the name of Lake Ontario, shared by the United States and Canada, to “Lake America.” Trump signed an executive order on the matter at the White House, telling reporters that the change was “effective immediately.” In remarks to the press, Trump said, “Canada is the worst country we deal with commercially, and we will impose large tariffs on their cars.” Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, he affirmed that it was “open and we have completely cleared it of mines,” adding, “We do not want to talk with Iran, nor are we seeking to hold a meeting with them.” He continued, “What we are doing regarding Iran does not mean we have abandoned the military dimension,” noting that Iran was “in big trouble and cannot pay its soldiers’ salaries.” Trump also touched on Russia, saying it had behaved very well regarding the Strait of Hormuz, adding that he had held “good talks” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and that he “would not attack NATO territory.” In a related development, the White House confirmed on Thursday that no negotiations were currently underway with Tehran and that the United States was now focusing on applying the harshest levels of economic pressure against Iran. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Washington “is not conducting any negotiations at this time, and this situation will continue until the President (Donald Trump) feels that (the Iranians) present themselves in a purposeful manner at the negotiating table, which is something we have not seen so far.” Leavitt added that the United States was focusing on the effectiveness of the “Economic Pariah” campaign launched by President Trump against Iran, while keeping all options on the table. She noted, “We carried out the (Epic Fury) operation to destroy their (Iranian) military capabilities, and now we have the (Economic Pariah) operation to destroy their economy.” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously stated that the “Economic Pariah” campaign launched by Washington last Monday aimed to cut off “every economic lifeline that feeds the Iranian regime,” targeting sectors such as digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and maritime shipping.