Nicolai Haugsted
Trump’s warning to Iran grows darker as peace talks struggle.
Donald Trump is keeping the prospect of significantly expanding U.S. action against Iran firmly on the table while negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stuck on some of their most contentious issues.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president declined to spell out his next move but made clear that Washington still possesses options for escalating the conflict.
His remarks come as efforts to reach a lasting agreement continue without a breakthrough, while a new dispute over reparations has added another obstacle to an already difficult negotiating process.
Trump refuses to reveal his next move
Questions at the Oval Office turned to Trump’s earlier warning that Iran could face severe consequences if negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
Asked what would happen next, Trump offered only a brief response.
“You’ll find out,” he said.
Pressed specifically on whether the “massive escalation” he had previously raised remained possible, Trump left little room for doubt about Washington’s capabilities.
“We have that ability if we want to do it,” Trump said. “You’ll find out.”
Trump has repeatedly argued that Tehran has limited opportunities remaining to reach a lasting peace agreement with the United States.
Talks remain far from a breakthrough
Months of negotiations have so far failed to resolve the major disagreements separating the two governments.
Control and security surrounding the Strait of Hormuz remain among the most difficult subjects under discussion. The strategically important waterway has become a key sticking point as both sides attempt to negotiate terms they can accept.
Trump recently offered a notably restrained description of the diplomatic effort, telling Axios that Washington was “only semi-negotiating” and “low-keying it” with Tehran.
Despite the continuing disagreements, the president maintained that a solution could eventually emerge.
“It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game,” Trump said.
No concrete agreement has followed that optimism, however, leaving the possibility of further military escalation hanging over the talks.
Reparations add another dispute
Money has now joined the list of issues separating Washington and Tehran.
Iran has demanded that the United States pay reparations stemming from the war, a proposal Trump rejected Monday.
Rather than accepting Tehran’s demand, the president said Washington would make a counterclaim and seek reparations from Iran for “all the people they have killed.”
Neither side has indicated that the competing demands are close to being reconciled.
Trump’s latest remarks consequently leave Washington pursuing two tracks at once: negotiations remain active at a reduced level, while the president continues publicly reminding Tehran that a much more aggressive American response remains available.
