Trump claims Iran agreed to give up nukes as his war chief Pete Hegseth fumes: ‘He didn’t want it to be settled’
President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that Iran has abandoned its nuclear ambitions, saying both Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are leading peace talks.
He also revealed that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is not keen on finding a diplomatic solution as the war enters its fourth week.
“Pete didn’t want this issue resolved,” Trump said.
On Monday, Trump announced a five-day halt to U.S. attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure, while holding backroom talks with Tehran through intermediaries and signaling that he might seek a way out.
But despite the dialogue with Tehran, the United States is considering deploying about 3,000 troops to support a possible ground attack, joining thousands of Marines already deployed to the Middle East.
Trump updated former Sen. Markwayne Mullin on Iran as he vowed to take over the Department of Homeland Security from ousted Kristi Noem.
He was asked in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon what prompted him to pursue a ceasefire when he had previously talked about wanting to continue bombing Iran.
‘They’re talking to us and they’re talking sense,’ the President replied.
He explained that the priority of the conflict was to ensure that Iran did not build nuclear weapons.
“I don’t want to preface it, but they agreed that they would never have nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump gave an update on the Iran war during the inauguration of Senator Markwayne Mullin, now Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles gave Trump advice on the war
When the President was asked if he planned to send Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as envoys to conduct direct negotiations with Iran, Trump said the United States had already done so.
‘We are currently in negotiations. They do this together with Marco, JD. We have a lot of people doing this. I can tell you that the other side also wants to make a deal,” Trump said.
Both Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considered top candidates for the 2028 GOP nomination.
While a group of Islamic Regime leaders were killed in joint attacks by Israel and the United States, Trump was cautious about who the United States spoke to in Iran.
‘We killed all their leaders, then they gathered to elect new leaders and we killed them all. “We have a new group now and we can do this easily, but let’s see how it turns out,” Trump said.
The president continued to refuse to name names but said Iranian leaders with whom the US has dealt have given the country a “gift.”
‘They did something incredible yesterday. “They actually gave us a gift, and it arrived today, and it was a huge gift, worth a tremendous amount of money,” Trump said. ‘And I won’t tell you what that gift was, but it was a very important reward and they gave it to us.’
Trump said this move signaled something to him.
First aid teams arrived at the site of an Israeli airstrike targeting the coastal city of Tire in southern Lebanon on March 24, 2026. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war when Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel on March 2.
Smoke rises after the explosion in Tehran, Iran
While Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave an update on the Iran war from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump announced that Hegseth did not want the war to end
‘We are dealing with the right people,’ he said.
When a reporter guessed it was nuclear-related, Trump backed down.
‘This was about oil and gas, and it was a very good thing they did,’ the president said.
Another reporter asked if the ‘present’ was related to the Strait of Hormuz, the main shipping lane through which Iran launches its attacks.
“Yes, it was about the current and the Bosphorus, yes,” Trump replied.
Trump has previously criticized NATO members, some of the United States’ most important allies, for not volunteering to help patrol the Bosphorus during Iranian attacks.
The President also had Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who attended the inauguration, briefly brief him about the ‘military operation’ in Iran.
“People don’t like when I use the word war,” Trump joked. ‘Then I won’t, but the Democrats call it a war.’
After Hegseth’s update, the President explained that the Pentagon chief did not want the war to end.
“You know, there are two people who are pretty disappointed, I don’t want to say it, but I have to say it: Pete and General “Chaizin” Caine,” Trump said, referring to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
