President Donald Trump warned Monday that Iran does not have long to make a deal, saying he is ready to order “strong military action” if negotiations collapse.
The warning came as Trump said the U.S. is locked in “very deep talks” with Tehran after a three-night pause in American strikes.
“We are in very deep talks with Iran: If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” Trump told Axios on Monday.
Asked how long he would give the negotiations, Trump made clear the clock is running.
“Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.”
The message was classic Trump pressure politics.
Talk if there is a deal to be made. Strike if Iran tries to stall.
Trump said mediating countries had urged him not to resume attacks during the pause.
“All of the people that deal with Iran asked me: ‘Don’t fire,’” he said, adding that he believes Tehran wants an agreement.
Trump said the pause did not cost the U.S. anything.
“Nothing gained, nothing lost,” Trump said of the pause, noting that oil prices fell and stocks rose after the attacks stopped.
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The comments landed as Washington tries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane that carries a major share of the world’s oil.
Trump is also trying to force Iran back into negotiations over its nuclear program, a fight that has defined years of U.S. policy toward the regime.
Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday as the two leaders discuss the next phase of pressure on Tehran..
The stakes are enormous.
Iran has used the Strait of Hormuz as a global pressure point, threatening commercial shipping, oil markets and America’s allies in the region.
Trump’s warning makes clear he is not offering Tehran an open-ended diplomatic runway.
That is exactly what conservatives have wanted after years of Washington treating Iran like a regime that can be talked into good behavior while it funds terror proxies, threatens Israel and menaces oil routes.
Trump is giving diplomacy a narrow window.
But he is also making sure Iran understands what happens if it tries to drag out the talks.
The regime can choose a deal.
Or it can watch the U.S. military go back to work.
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