President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iran wants to end the conflict but that he is refusing to make a deal because “the terms aren’t good enough yet,” while signaling the United States could strike Kharg Island again and questioning whether the regime’s newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is even alive.
Speaking to NBC News on Saturday as Operation Epic Fury entered its 15th day and headed into day 16, Trump made clear he is not prepared to ease military pressure unless Tehran agrees to terms he considers “very solid.”
“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump said.
Asked what such an agreement would require, Trump declined to spell it out publicly, though he indicated that a full Iranian abandonment of nuclear ambitions would be central to any acceptable arrangement.
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The comments aligned with a Reuters report earlier in the day indicating the Trump administration had rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to launch ceasefire talks, while Iran likewise rejected any truce unless U.S. and Israeli strikes stop and its own conditions are met.
A senior White House official cited by Reuters said Trump is “not interested” in ceasefire talks “right now” and intends to continue the mission “unabated,” suggesting both Washington and Tehran are digging in as the conflict moves deeper into its third week.
Trump also made clear Kharg Island — Iran’s primary oil export hub and the regime’s economic “crown jewel” — remains firmly in the U.S. crosshairs.
After announcing Friday that U.S. forces carried out what he described as “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East” and “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on the island while intentionally sparing its oil infrastructure, Trump told NBC News on Saturday that “we totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun.”
He added that the United States deliberately avoided taking out the island’s energy lines, reinforcing the message he delivered Friday night that restraint toward Iran’s oil infrastructure will remain conditional so long as Tehran does not interfere with the free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also told the outlet he is asking “numerous countries that are affected by the thuggery of Iran” to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.
“They’ve not only committed, but they think it’s a great idea,” Trump said, while declining to identify the countries.
Earlier Saturday, Trump reiterated on Truth Social that “many countries” would be sending warships alongside the United States to keep the strait “open and safe,” specifically naming China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom among those affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the route.
At the same time, Trump indicated that U.S. forces would continue operations aimed at preventing Iran from threatening freedom of navigation through the waterway.
He said Iran’s remaining leverage amounts largely to the ability to drop mines or fire relatively short-range missiles from its coastline, adding that once U.S. operations against Iran’s shoreline are complete, Tehran will lose that capability as well.
Trump also pointed to the broader degradation of Iran’s arsenal, saying the United States has knocked out most of the regime’s missiles and drones along with much of its manufacturing capacity.
“We’ve knocked out most of their missiles. We’ve knocked out most of their drones. We knocked out their manufacturing of missiles and drones, largely. Within two days, it’ll be totally decimated,” Trump said.
The president added that it remains unclear whether Iran has already seeded the Strait of Hormuz with naval mines, but said the United States will be “sweeping the strait very strongly,” suggesting other nations may join the effort as their own access to global energy shipments is threatened.
Asked whether the U.S. Navy could begin escorting ships through the strait, Trump declined to discuss operational details, saying only that such a move is “possible.”
Iran, meanwhile, has continued threatening to keep the strategic waterway closed as Washington rallies international partners to counter Tehran’s attempt to weaponize the world’s energy supply and choke off a critical global shipping lane.
Trump also cast fresh doubt on whether Iran’s new supreme leader is in any position to lead the regime.
“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump said of Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, after the elder ruler was killed in the opening phase of the operation.
“I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender,” Trump added, while also calling reports of his death “a rumor.”
Questions about Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition have intensified since he issued what was described as his first statement as supreme leader without appearing on camera, fueling speculation that he may have been seriously wounded and may not be fully in control of the regime.
Trump, however, brushed aside concerns about the economic fallout from the crisis, projecting confidence that the United States and its partners will secure the Strait of Hormuz while continuing to tighten pressure on Tehran militarily and economically.
Taken together, Trump’s remarks reinforced the message he delivered after Friday’s Kharg strike: Iran may be seeking a deal, but this conflict will end on terms dictated by American strength rather than Tehran’s demands.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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