Trump warns Iran to reach a deal or risk further action

US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday to reach an agreement with Washington or face renewed military action, saying the United States would “finish the job” if negotiations failed.

Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said he remained dissatisfied with Tehran’s latest proposals and stressed that the US was under no pressure to finalize a deal quickly, despite earlier remarks suggesting an agreement could be close.

“Iran very much wants to make a deal,” Trump said. “So far they haven’t gotten there. We’re not satisfied with it, but eventually we will be.”

The remarks came after Iranian state television published what it claimed were details of a draft memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. According to the report, the proposed framework included lifting the naval blockade on Iran, restoring unrestricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and withdrawing US military forces from the Gulf region.

The White House swiftly rejected the report, calling it a “complete fabrication.”

Tensions have remained high since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iranian targets on 28 February before pausing the campaign in April. In response to renewed threats of military action, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any future aggression would turn the country’s coastline into a “graveyard for the aggressors.”

Despite the escalating rhetoric, Trump insisted that Iran was negotiating from a position of weakness, saying Tehran was “negotiating on fumes.”

The US president also dismissed speculation that Iran or Oman could gain authority over a toll or control system in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important oil transit routes.

“Nobody is going to control the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said, adding that any attempt to disrupt freedom of navigation would be met with force.

In one of his most controversial remarks during the meeting, Trump appeared to threaten Oman while discussing regional security, saying: “Oman will behave just like everybody else or we will have to blow them up.” Observers later suggested the comment may have been directed more broadly at Iran rather than Muscat itself.

Trump also linked the potential Iran agreement to his wider Middle East diplomatic agenda, particularly efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states.

“I’m not sure we should make the deal if they don’t sign,” Trump said, referring to Saudi Arabia and other regional countries potentially joining the accords.

Throughout his presidency, Trump has repeatedly argued that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains the central objective of US policy toward Tehran.

He indicated that negotiations over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile could be deferred to later stages of the talks if immediate agreements were reached on issues such as maritime security and regional de-escalation.

Asked whether he would accept a temporary agreement that postponed a final resolution on uranium enrichment, Trump replied: “Well, I would for some of it, because it’s a memorandum of understanding for speed.”

Trump also rejected suggestions that Russia or China could take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium under a future arrangement, saying he would not be comfortable with either country handling the material.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who attended the cabinet meeting alongside Trump, said negotiations had shown “some progress and some interest.”

“We’ll see over the next few hours and days whether progress can be made,” Rubio said.

Additional reporting by AFP.

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