Trump Plays the Long Game: No Rush for Iran Deal, Nuclear Weapons Off the Table

President Trump is taking his sweet time with Iran, stating he’s “in no hurry” to finalize a deal while making it crystal clear that stopping Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons is non-negotiable.

“Slowly but surely, we’re getting, I think, what we want,” Trump declared during an appearance on “My View with Lara Trump.”

He added, “I’d like to say I’m in a hurry, because you know what, gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you’re going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal.”

Trump emphasized that the only guarantee he needs is the absolute assurance that Iran will not possess nuclear weapons. “They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he noted.

If the Islamic regime fails to meet Washington’s demands during diplomatic talks, Trump warned, “we’re going to end in a different way.”

On Friday, he convened in the White House Situation Room to “make a final determination” regarding an agreement with Iran.

“Iran must agree that they will never have a nuclear weapon or bomb,” Trump insisted. He also demanded that the Hormuz Strait be opened immediately for unrestricted shipping traffic without tolls.

The Islamic Republic is required to eliminate all mines in the strait beyond those already cleared by the United States, which has deployed “great underwater mine sweepers,” according to Trump.

He elaborated on the “enriched material, sometimes referred to as ‘nuclear dust,’ which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains,” resulting from a powerful B2 bomber attack 11 months ago. The U.S. is expected to unearth this material, as it is “the only country, along with China, with the mechanical capability of doing so,” in collaboration with Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s sentiments over the weekend, asserting that the administration will only settle for a “great deal” with Iran. He cautioned that failure to secure such an agreement could trigger renewed military action.

“Only one president was willing to lay it out on the line and ensure after 47 years that Iran is not capable of having a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth told reporters.

He stated, “Those goalposts haven’t shifted at all, which is the expectation of the American people and what we’ve stated to Iran.”

“They can either do this now through a deal, and we think we’re in a good place to make that deal, or they can deal with the War Department.”

“And we are prepared — we’re postured even stronger today than we were on day one — to address it that way if we have to. But he [President Trump] would prefer not to,” Hegseth concluded.