Trump calls Iran talks last chance to avoid US escalation
Trump said the outcome of the Iran negotiations would likely become clear today or tomorrow, signaling a crucial diplomatic moment.
- Trump has called the current negotiations Iran’s “last chance” to avoid escalated US strikes.
- He outlined a two-phase plan: first, reopen the Strait of Hormuz; second, pursue denuclearisation.
- A planned “biggest attack since World War II” was scrapped after Gulf allies and unnamed Iranian officials urged more time for diplomacy.
- Trump expressed frustration over Iran saying talks with Oman were only about safe navigation, not broader negotiations.
- Critics describe his approach as erratic, noting repeated threats followed by de-escalation.
- The war began with US–Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2026, and has since become a protracted conflict.
- Iran appears to be betting on US war fatigue and political pressure ahead of November’s midterms.
- US officials say technical talks continue in Doha, even as military exchanges intensify.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has played this hand before during the five-month-old Iran war, but this time, he insists it is different.
Trump, speaking at the Oval Office, said he expects negotiations will focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and creating a pathway for Iran to address the United States’ concerns about its nuclear programme.
“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearisation,” the Republican president said.
While Trump has revelled in the US military decimating layers of Tehran’s leadership and devastating its air force and navy, Iran is betting it can outlast Trump as he faces diminished stockpiles of munitions and the difficulty of executing a war that is unpopular with the American electorate ahead of November’s midterm election.
But he decided to scrap the plan and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders—including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—and at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.
But Trump reiterated that he is running out of patience with Iran.
“This is the last chance for them to sign a good document,” Trump said.
Earlier on Monday, Trump had criticised Iran on social media as being “unbelievably duplicitous.”
Trump said, “Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking” about preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump has threatened to escalate attacks on Iran only to edge away from his threats several times since the start of US and Israel strikes on February 28.
“I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” Trump said.
Trump may still conclude that a massive escalation in the conflict with Iran is necessary.
But critics say his hesitation also might reflect an unspoken understanding inside the administration that the US military’s might alone may not be enough to compel Iran to back down and bring an end to a now monthslong war that Trump had earlier downplayed as a weeklong excursion.
“I think what we are seeing here is a president who has an approach that is just rather erratic,” said Sen. “At this point, he is trying to get us back to February. And I think if he could—if he had a big reset button he could hit—he would certainly take that option.”
There have been several moments over the course of the conflict when Trump has demonstrated his proclivity for the bellicose only to back off at the last minute while declaring his threats spurred progress: