Trump says Iran wants to ‘make a deal’ as it continues to strike Israel and gulf nations
WASHINGTON— Iran wants to “make a deal” with the United States to end the war in the Middle East, President Trump said Tuesday, with talks on the conflict continuing into their fourth week.
Iran has publicly denied that the talks took place. But Trump told reporters during the Oval Office event that negotiations are ongoing and being led by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“I’d like to think we’re in a good bargaining position,” Trump said.
Trump said he was skeptical of Tehran’s intentions and “didn’t trust them” but said he was encouraged to continue talks after receiving what he described as a “tremendous gift worth a tremendous amount of money” from Iran.
“I’m not going to tell you what this moment is,” Trump told reporters. But he said it was a “significant award” related to “oil and gas” that signaled to him that he was “dealing with the right people”.
The conflicting messages about diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran come as Pakistan has offered to host peace talks in Islamabad aimed at ending hostilities that have killed more than 2,400 people, further destabilized the Middle East and disrupted global oil markets.
“Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to continue dialogue to end WAR in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said. He wrote to X.
Any potential negotiations between the United States and Iran would face significant challenges. Although Trump claims that he has already agreed to concessions regarding Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons, key US demands, especially regarding Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, remain difficult to resolve.
It is also unclear who in the Iranian leadership would be willing to negotiate, given that Israel has promised to continue killing Iranian leaders.
Trump has not publicly responded to Pakistan’s offer to mediate between the United States and Iran. He also skipped a question about a New York Times report that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said: forcing him to continue the war against Iran.
The president instead expressed confidence in his senior advisers who are handling negotiations with Iran. He did not specify who US officials spoke to, but insisted they spoke to “the right people”.
Asked by a reporter why he agreed to a ceasefire with the Iranians, Trump said, “They’re talking to us and they’re talking sense.”
As the talks continued, Trump said the United States was “way ahead of schedule” in its war with Iran, saying Iran was so battered that it had no choice but to sit at the negotiating table. But Iran showed it still has the firepower on Tuesday by firing a new wave of missiles at Israel, Iraq and other Gulf countries.
Iran fired at least 10 waves of missiles at Israel. In Tel Aviv, a missile with a 220-pound warhead hit a city center street, blowing out the windows of an apartment building and sending smoke rising. Four people suffered minor injuries, rescue worker Yoel Moshe said.
In Kuwait, power lines were hit by air defense shrapnel, causing partial power outages for several hours. Bahrain said it was attacked with missiles and drones and an Emirati soldier serving with its forces was killed. The United Arab Emirates announced that its air defense systems responded to similar attacks, while Saudi Arabia destroyed Iranian drones targeting the oil-rich Eastern Province.
Israel struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, saying it was targeting infrastructure used by the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group, and carried out a sweeping series of attacks on Iranian “production sites” without providing further information.
On Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel intends to seize southern Lebanon to create a “security zone”.
Speaking at a review meeting with the Israeli army’s chief of staff, Katz said the army would control the Litani River, which runs through southern Lebanon and meets the Mediterranean about 20 miles north of the Israeli border.
“Hundreds of thousands of people living in Southern Lebanon who were evacuated northwards will not return south of the Litani River until the safety of those living in the north is ensured. [of Israel] “It is secured,” he said.
His remarks were the clearest statement yet of Israel’s plans in Lebanon, which go far beyond the “limited and targeted ground operations” the Israeli military announced earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Lebanon has taken steps to undermine Tehran’s influence in the country and its support for Hezbollah. The government has deported Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani and declared him persona non grata, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said in a statement published on X on Tuesday. He gave Shibani until Sunday to leave the country.
Hezbollah condemned the move, calling it a “serious national and strategic mistake”. Political figures affiliated with the group also issued public statements urging the Iranian ambassador to ignore the decision.
In Washington, Trump said he wanted to find a solution that would prevent further loss of life and damage to critical infrastructure in the region.
“If we can end this without further loss of life, without disabling the $10 billion new power plants that are the apple of our eye, I would like to be able to do that,” he said. “But some things they can’t have.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, told reporters he would rather “negotiate with bombs.”
“The President has made it clear that you will not have nuclear weapons. The War Department agrees,” Hegseth said. “Our mission is to ensure that, and that’s why we’re going to keep stepping on that gas for as long and as long as it takes to ensure that the interests of the United States are achieved in this theater of war.”
His comments came as thousands of US Marines departed for the region, fueling speculation that the US might try to seize Kharg Island, which is vital to Iran’s oil network. The United States bombed the Persian Gulf island more than a week ago, striking its defenses but leaving its oil infrastructure intact, he said.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the deployment.
Ceballos and Quinton reported from Washington. Times writer Nabih Bulos in Beirut contributed to this report.
