President Donald Trump said Friday he thinks Iran will make a deal with the United States to end what he described as a “military operation” during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland. For that to happen, however, Trump said he expects U.S. military action to continue.
“We’ll be hitting them very hard,” Trump said, adding, “At some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”
What You Need To Know
President Donald Trump said Friday he thinks Iran will make a deal with the United States to end what he described as a “military operation” during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland
For that to happen, however, Trump said he expects U.S. military action to continue
“We’ll be hitting them very hard,” Trump said, adding: “At some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore’”
Asked if Americans should be prepared for back-and-forth attacks to continue, Trump said: “They’ll get weaker. They’ll get stronger, maybe now, and then they peter out”
During a meeting where Trump was flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the president reiterated a claim he has often made since the war began that Iran’s navy, air force and other military capacities have been “obliterated” over the past five months.
On Friday, he said Iran retains “very little” capability.
Earlier this week, the United States partnered with Saudi Arabia to conduct coordinated strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The U.S. also hit Iranian facilities near the Strait of Hormuz while Jordan intercepted five incoming Iranian missiles and a strike in Kuwait killed one person.
The president said Friday he did not know how many strikes it would take to disrupt Iran’s ability to control the Strait of Hormuz, which remains effectively closed and is constricting the global oil supply.
“We just want to win,” the president said. “We’re doing very well, trying to be as nice as you can be in a situation like that.”
Asked if Americans should be prepared for back-and-forth attacks to continue, Trump said: “They’ll get weaker. They’ll get stronger, maybe now, and then they peter out.”
Asked about the status of peace talks, he said the Iranians “always want to talk, but they break their word so often.”
U.S. special envoys for peace Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are involved in negotiations, as are Vice President JD Vance and Rubio, he said.
“They’ll make a deal,” the president said of the Iranians, while acknowledging that Iran’s negotiators made him angry and were causing him to lose faith because “they do lie and they do misrepresent.”
Trump credited the Iran war with prompting the deal he announced Thursday on social media, in which the Palestinian group Hamas agreed to disarm in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and a transition to territorial oversight by a civilian body.
“That shows you how much success we’re having with Iran,” he said.
“It’s a big step for the Middle East, and people are really impressed by it, and they’re surprised by it,” Trump said of the disarmament deal, adding: “It’s a great breakthrough nobody’s ever thought would be possible.”