Trump Discusses Iran Negotiations

During a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Donald Trump stated that Iran is currently “negotiating on the smoke issue” and expressed confidence that his administration believes Iran might be able to surpass him in securing a deal to end the ongoing conflict.

About three months into Operation Epic Fury, Trump remarked that Iran is showing a “strong interest” in reaching an agreement. However, he noted, “So far, they haven’t gotten there. We’re not happy about it, but we will be, we will be. Either that or just finish the job,” warning of the potential for escalation.

“But like I’ve said many times before, their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, too. Everything’s gone and they’re negotiating haze. But we’ll see what happens. Maybe we’ll have to go back and finish it. Maybe we won’t,” he continued.

Additionally, the president commented on Iran’s ailing economy, which he described as being in “freefall” owing to high inflation and a “worthless” currency. He referenced reports of partial internet restoration in Iran following a significant power outage, saying, “They’re just going back to the internet because the internet is broken.”

Trump added, “They thought they were going to outdo me. ‘We’re going to outdo him, he’s got midterms.’ I don’t care about midterms. Look what happened last night. It was a prelude to the midterm elections.”

He emphasized, “Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. I’m doing it for the world. I’m not just doing it for us. By the way, we have a lot of help from other countries. We don’t need nuclear weapons at all.” Trump noted that the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism must never obtain nuclear weapons, asserting, “Our warriors are ensuring that they never do.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also echoed the sentiment that diplomacy should be the primary avenue for resolving the conflict with Iran.

Rubio expressed optimism, stating, “We need a deal. We want a deal. I think there’s been some progress, there’s some interest, and we’ll see in the next hours and days whether we see progress.”

Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth reinforced this message, saying, “Whether our negotiators’ efforts ensure that they never have nuclear weapons, or whether we have to go back to the Department of the Army to finish the job that way, we are prepared to do that.”