Trump says Iran peace talks are falling short and warns US could 'finish the job'
The US president said Tehran is “very much intent” on making a deal, but they “haven’t gotten there” yet
Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with Iran’s proposals to end the war, suggesting that talks were far from being concluded.
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“They’re negotiating on fumes,” Mr Trump said at a cabinet meeting in Washington, branding Tehran as “very much intent” on making a deal, but they “haven’t gotten there” yet.
He added: “We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be either that or we’ll have to just finish the job.”
The rejection repudiates beliefs that talks at the weekend appeared headed toward an agreement.
It comes after the US president on Wednesday dismissed a report that Iran and Oman would manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a deal to end the war.
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Mr Trump's comments followed Iranian state TV reports that it had obtained an unofficial draft of an agreement that would restore commercial shipping through the strategic waterway to prewar levels within a month, with Iran and Oman jointly managing traffic.
That framework also would have the United States lift its blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw military forces from Iran's vicinity.
Mr Trump said no single country would have control over the waterway, and appeared to threaten Oman, a country with which the United States has decades-long military and economic ties.
"Nobody's going to control (the strait)," Mr Trump said at a cabinet meeting attended by reporters.
"It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine."
Iran will not be pushed back by Trump’s rhetoric from its red lines: the right to enrich uranium, possession of enriched uranium, authority over the Strait of Hormuz, and the removal of sanctions.
— ابراهیم عزیزی (@Ebrahimazizi33) May 27, 2026
It is obvious Trump, seeking a way out of this strategic deadlock, alternates…
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, said Trump’s “rhetoric” would not force Iran to back away from its demands to enrich uranium, wield authority over the strait and see sanctions against it lifted.
"It is obvious Trump, seeking a way out of this strategic deadlock, alternates between issuing threats and appealing for an agreement," Azizi said in a post on X.
The dueling statements showed that the two countries remain far apart even after suggestions from the White House in recent days that an initial deal to end the war could be imminent.