President Donald Trump said Iran is “negotiating on fumes” as he and senior officials used a White House Cabinet meeting to outline the administration’s position on nuclear talks, the Strait of Hormuz and continued military pressure.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran remains under severe military and economic pressure as his administration continues negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump made the comments during a White House Cabinet meeting where he spoke with reporters and officials, with the proceedings carried live in a broadcast. The meeting had been moved from Camp David to the White House after weather concerns affected travel plans.
The president said Tehran wants an agreement but has not yet met U.S. demands. He also warned that the United States is prepared to act further if diplomacy fails.
“Iran is very much intent. They want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven’t gotten there,” Trump said. “We’re not satisfied with it. But we will be. Either that or we’ll have to just finish the job.”
Trump rejected the idea that Iran is negotiating from a position of strength, pointing to damage he said the country’s military has sustained during the conflict.
“Their Navy is gone, as I’ve said a thousand times. Their air force is gone. Everything’s gone, and they’re negotiating on fumes,” he said. “Maybe we have to go back and finish it.”
The remarks came after Iranian state media reported details of a possible framework involving the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. forces and commercial shipping. The White House disputed that account before the Cabinet meeting, calling the reported memorandum “not true” and “a complete fabrication.”
Under the proposal described by Iranian state TV, Iran would restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to prewar levels within one month. The United States would withdraw forces from Iran’s vicinity and lift its naval blockade. The report said the arrangement would exclude military vessels and that Iran and Oman would jointly manage commercial ship traffic through the strategic waterway.
Tehran also reportedly demanded “tangible verification” of U.S. compliance before acting and claimed that any agreement finalized within 60 days could be formalized through a binding U.N. Security Council resolution.
Trump addressed the Strait of Hormuz directly during the Cabinet meeting, saying no country would be permitted to control the international waterway. His comments came during a question-and-answer session linked to coverage of Wednesday’s monthly Cabinet meeting.
“International waters – nobody’s going to control it,” Trump said. “We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it. But nobody’s going to control it.”
Trump said the future of the Strait is part of the negotiations and suggested Iran wants a role in managing the passage. The president also referenced Oman, which Iranian state TV had claimed could help manage ship traffic through the Strait.
“This part of the negotiation that we have, they would like to control it. Nobody’s going to control its international waters,” Trump said.
“And Oman will behave just like everybody else,” he added. “So we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said during the meeting that the U.S. military remains prepared to return to operations if negotiations do not produce an agreement. Hegseth said Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and said Trump’s military strategy had brought Tehran under pressure.
“So whether it is through the efforts of your negotiators that they ensure that they never have a nuclear weapon, or we have to go back to the War Department to finish the job that way, we’re prepared to do that,” Hegseth said at Wednesday’s monthly Cabinet meeting.
Hegseth also discussed the U.S. blockade, saying it had restricted Iran’s ports and damaged the country’s economy.
“And in the during that time we put in a world-class blockade and they haven’t been able to bring anything in or anything out from Iranian ports – and we know from the Intel, that they are their economy is hurting big time because that is their lifeblood,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth credited Trump’s decisions under Operation Epic Fury, saying the president chose overwhelming force.
“You said, we’re going to do this smart; we’re going to do it overwhelming; we’re going to use maximum lethality, and we’re going to bring them to their knees,” Hegseth said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration still prefers diplomacy but warned that the next stage of negotiations will be decisive. Rubio said Trump’s envoys, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, remain involved in efforts to reach an agreement.
“The president’s preference, Mr. President, your preference is, he told us repeatedly, as always, to negotiate these things and to figure out if you can have agreements,” Rubio said at the Cabinet meeting. “Diplomacy is always the first option, and we continue to work on that through your envoys, Mr. [Steve] Witkoff and [Jared] Kushner and others.
“There’s an agreement to be made. We want that to be made. I think there’s been some progress and some interest.
“And we’ll see over the next few hours and days whether progress could be made.”
Rubio said Trump retains “other options available” if talks collapse, but said the administration’s position on Iran’s nuclear program will not change.
“Iran and these people in charge of Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and they will never have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said.
Trump also addressed whether Iran could receive sanctions relief in exchange for giving up highly enriched uranium. In a phone call with PBS News, Trump said no such trade was on the table, according to the live coverage.
“No, no, not at all. Not sanctions relief, no,” Trump said when asked whether a current deal would exchange sanctions relief for Iran surrendering highly enriched uranium.
“They’re gonna give up their highly enriched uranium not for sanctions, relief. No, no, not at all,” Trump added.
Trump had posted Monday on Truth Social that talks with Iran were “proceeding nicely,” but his Wednesday remarks made clear that the administration remains skeptical of Tehran’s position and prepared to continue applying pressure.
The Cabinet meeting placed Iran, nuclear negotiations and control of the Strait of Hormuz at the center of the administration’s foreign policy agenda. Trump and his senior officials framed the talks as an opportunity for diplomacy, but repeatedly warned that military options remain available if Iran does not accept terms the administration considers sufficient.
Original article
Comments