US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he remains dissatisfied with the current state of peace talks aimed at concluding the war with Iran.
“They want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven’t gotten there," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “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 president suggested that Tehran had miscalculated by attempting to use American electoral timelines as leverage, believing the administration would compromise to avoid domestic political fallout in November.
“I don’t care about the midterms," Trump asserted. “Look, what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms. People understand it. They know that very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."
Despite expressing general dissatisfaction, Trump subsequently noted that the discussions were technically doing very well, adding that he believes the Iranian regime is starting to give us the things that they have to give us. However, he accompanied the observation with an explicit warning of ultimate military intervention if compliance stalls.
“If they won’t, then the man on my left is going to finish them off," Trump warned, pointing directly to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The comments come amid conflicting reports surrounding a potential diplomatic breakthrough between the US and Iran.
Trump announced on Saturday that the final details of an impending agreement with Iran would be announced "shortly."
On Sunday, US officials stated that the formal completion of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Iran could be delayed by several days.
According to a senior United States official quoted by CNN, the delay stems from a protracted and bureaucratic approval process required to obtain Tehran's official endorsement on the specific phrasing of the pact.
A day later, Trump clarified that any final agreement with Iran will require the supervised total destruction of the regime's enriched uranium.
Iranian state media claimed on Wednesday that the two nations had drafted a six-point framework under which the US Navy would lift its maritime blockade on vital Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.
Two internal sources in Tehran with direct knowledge of the negotiations corroborated the report to MS NOW, claiming both sides had accepted the baseline framework as a temporary measure to buy time for a permanent peace treaty.
However, the administration fiercely rejected these claims. The White House did not confirm the memorandum when questioned, and its official rapid response account on social media dismissed the rumors earlier in the day, labeling the reported framework a complete fabrication.
“Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out," the administration's post stated. “FACTS MATTER."
When questioned during the Cabinet meeting about the physical reopening of the strategic channel, Trump adopted a firm tone regarding international access.
“Is going to be open to everybody," the president stated, adding that nobody is going to control it, though the US will watch over it.