U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the swearing-in ceremony for the new Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Wayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House on March 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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US President Donald Trump has called on Iran to “get serious now” about a peace deal with Washington or face the consequences.
“You better get serious now before it’s too late, because once it happens, there’s no going back and it’s not very good!” he posted on Truth Social early Thursday morning.
The president described Iranian negotiators as “very foreign” and “bizarre” and said they were “begging” the United States for a deal to end the nearly four-week war.
President Trump’s comments follow contradictory statements from Washington and Tehran on the status of peace negotiations. The United States has said talks are underway over a peace plan, but Iran denies direct interaction with the United States.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragushi told state media on Wednesday that authorities were considering US proposals to end the war, but reportedly said Iran had no intention of holding talks with the US.
He added that the exchange of messages between the two countries through an intermediary “does not imply negotiations with the United States,” according to Reuters.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump hit back at Iran’s comments on the issue, saying the country has been “militarily annihilated and has zero chance of coming back.”
“Yet they are publicly saying they are just “considering our proposal.” Wrong!!!,” the president said.
The US is reportedly preparing to send thousands more soldiers to the region who could be quickly deployed for possible additional military action. Analysts told CNBC that if negotiations fail, the U.S. could try to seize the Kharg Island oil port or reopen the strait.
Asked Thursday about a possible troop deployment, White House press secretary Anna Kelly told CNBC in an emailed statement: “All announcements regarding troop deployment come from the Department of the Army. As I have said, President Trump always has a full range of military options at his disposal.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X on Wednesday that intelligence suggests that “enemies of Iran” are planning to seize “one of Iran’s islands” with the support of an unnamed country in the region.
Military experts outlined three possible attack scenarios to CNBC, adding that the U.S. troop buildup indicates the possibility of a timed operation rather than a sustained ground operation.
There are signs that Iran’s Gulf neighbors are also losing patience with the Islamic Republic following attacks on their energy infrastructure.
Early Thursday morning, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and several other Gulf states issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s “criminal” attack and suggesting they were prepared to take “self-defense” action in the future.
—CNBC’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report.
