President Donald Trump said it might be best not to make a deal with Iran‘s leadership, and pledged not to abandon the war without completing the mission.
Speaking at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump boasted of U.S. progress in the war and voiced his commitment to continuing the conflict until the job is done.
“We had to get this done, and we’re really doing well. We’re just winning,” Trump said.
“But they’re not coming through with the kind of deal that we have to have. And we’re going to get this thing done properly. We’re not going to leave early and then have the problem arise in three more years,” he added, prompting cheers.
Trump said that Iranian leadership was trying to strike a favorable deal for themselves, and that the United States may be better off not making a deal at all if it was unable to secure a favorable one.
“They’ve got to make a bad deal, but if they make a deal at all, because, frankly, maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all. Do you want to know the truth? Because we can’t let this thing go on. Been going on too long,” he added.
Trump’s comments came the same day he told Congress in a letter that hostilities with Iran had been “terminated.”
“There has been no exchange of fire between the United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Trump wrote. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026 have terminated.”
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 gives the president a 60-day grace period to conclude any war started without congressional approval. Friday was the 60-day mark since Trump first notified Congress of hostilities with Iran on March 2.
TRUMP TELLS CONGRESS ON 60TH DAY OF IRAN CONFLICT: ‘HOSTILITIES’ HAVE ‘TERMINATED’
Some have speculated that Trump’s letter was intended as a way to reset the clock, as his words haven’t reflected the posturing in the Middle East. U.S. and Iranian negotiators ended their direct talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, last week. The U.S. has continued its massive airlift of military supplies to the Middle East, which led up to the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.
In the meantime, the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has wrought havoc on Iran’s economy, sending the Iranian rial tumbling by 15% over just two days this week. Over 2 million Iranians are estimated by Iranian officials to have been put out of work.