Despite heightened tensions and Iran's rejection of a US-backed ceasefire, President Trump claims Iran is now 'begging' for a deal.
Key Points
- Donald Trump claims Iran is 'begging' to make a deal with the US, despite recent tensions.
- Iran rejected a US-backed 15-point ceasefire proposal, calling it unacceptable and asserting its sovereignty.
- Trump stated that Iran once offered to make him a new Ayatollah, which he refused.
- The US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the bombing will continue even as he welcomed the propect of a deal
- The White House remains committed to pursuing all avenues to halt the conflict, but military pressure will continue.
A day after Iran dismissed United States President Donald Trump's 15-point ceasefire plan, the American leader claimed that Iran was "begging to make a deal," and that he wasn't the one pushing for negotiations.
"26 days in, we're extremely, really, a lot, ahead of schedule. The Iranian regime is now admitting to itself that they have been decisively defeated. They are begging to make a deal. We'll see if we can make the right deal," Trump said on Thursday at a meeting of his cabinet.
Trump also posted on social media that Tehran needs to "get serious soon" on negotiating an end to the war "before it is too late, because once that happens there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty!"
Trump Claims Iran Proposes To Make Him Supreme Leader
Earlier, in a highly unconventional claim that has drawn intense global scrutiny, US President Donald Trump said Iran once offered to make him a new Ayatollah, a senior religious authority, an offer he said he "refused" outright.
Speaking at the Nation Republican Congressional Committee Trump said, "Iran proposed making me Supreme Leader. I said No. Thank you. They were so insisting. They want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people. They're also afraid they'll be killed by United States. There's never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran. And I tell you. We are winning so big," he had said.
US Bombing Will Continue
Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the bombing will continue even as he welcomed the prospect of a deal.
"We welcome a deal, and we have the ultimate dealmaker to make it happen -- but in the meantime, as I said yesterday, the Department of War will continue negotiating with bombs," Hegseth said.
On Wednesday, Iran publicly rejected a US-backed peace plan that reportedly included a 15-point proposal seeking a temporary ceasefire and other terms for de-escalation.
Tehran's leadership described the proposal as unacceptable, calling instead for its own conditions for ending hostilities and asserting it would not negotiate terms that compromise Iranian sovereignty.
At the Cabinet meeting, Trump reiterated his belief that diplomacy remains possible but warned that military pressure would continue unless Iran changes course.
The White House said the administration was "committed to pursuing all avenues" to halt the conflict, even as the region braces for further instability.
The war shows no signs of abating, with international efforts to broker a ceasefire complicated by deep mistrust and competing strategic interests on all sides.
