Donald Trump said something about the Iran deal that no one expected to be satisfying. The president offered a fresh update on negotiations with Tehran even as U.S. retaliatory strikes unfolded Tuesday evening.
Donald Trump gives update on Iran deal
President Donald Trump still believes a peace deal with Iran remains within reach. He maintains this position even as the United States launched retaliatory strikes on Iran Tuesday evening. A senior White House official told Politico that “nothing changes where the deal stands right now,” adding the agreement was “still close.”
The U.S. strikes followed an Iranian attack over the weekend that downed an American military helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. The president and U.S. Central Command stressed the response was “proportional.” This marked a notable departure from Trump’s previous threats to end Iranian civilization.
Trump told reporters early Tuesday that “we are close to a strong and powerful deal.” He added the Strait of Hormuz could reopen after a signing “in two or three days.” Vice President JD Vance offered a more cautious timeline in a CBS interview. He said a deal could come “in the next week” or “months from now.”
The senior White House official framed the military action and negotiations as “two different buckets.” The official explained that “a helicopter was downed yesterday” and the U.S. had to “respond in kind.” However, the official maintained that “there’s still a deal trying to be negotiated.”
Iranian leaders struck a more aggressive tone on Tuesday. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, wrote on X that Iran prefers “the language of diplomacy.” He then warned that Iran speaks “other languages far more fluently.”
Some White House allies have questioned the current strategy. One person close to the White House expressed surprise at Trump avoiding another full-scale attack. The individual raised concerns about “military capabilities” and whether the U.S. was “running through a lot of our munitions.” The senior official countered that the administration achieved its “key objectives” and “the military part” of the operation “is done.”
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
