Trump says Iran 'should wave the white flag of surrender' as US has completely destroyed its army
US President Donald Trump speaks during an event to sign a memorandum in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on May 5, 2026.
United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Iran’s military capability and said Tehran “should wave the white flag of surrender,” saying the United States had destroyed its army.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran's military had been reduced to firing "peashooters" and that Tehran privately wanted to make a deal despite its public sabre-rattling.
"They play games, but let me just tell you, they want to make a deal. And who wouldn't, when your military is totally gone?" he said.
Trump heaped praise on the US blockade of Iranian ports in the region. "It's like a piece of steel. Nobody's going to challenge the blockade. And I think it's working out very well," he said.
BREAKING: Trump: We have completely destroyed Iran's army, Iran's government is full of 'sick people' whom the US will never allow to have nuclear weapons
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/lJa1iSocDR pic.twitter.com/8z4257sGndWhen asked what Iran would need to do to violate the ceasefire, Trump said: "Well, you'll find out, because I'll let you know ... They know what not to do." Trump said Iran "should save the white flag of surrender." "If this were a fight, they'd stop it," said Trump.
Trump said that the Iranian army had been destroyed.
Read More: US says it redirected 51 vessels from Iranian ports
“We beat them very badly, now they’re reduced to little boats with machine guns on the front of them”, he said of Iran, adding that the Iranian navy had completely destroyed.
“Every single ship they had is resting underwater at the bottom of the sea”, he added.
Nuclear program
On Iran’s nuclear programme, he said: “These are sick people, and we’re not going to let lunatics have a nuclear weapon.”
He also said the US engaged in a small military skirmish, without providing details.
Yesterday, the US Centcom claimed it sank six small Iranian boats in the Hormuz waters during the US-launched “Operation Freedom.” An initiative designed to escort cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz, bypassing the Iranian blockade.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia urges restraint, support for Pakistani mediation toward US-Iran settlement
Hegseth says 'ceasefire is not over'
Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that a US operation to protect commercial ships from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz was temporary, Washington was not looking for a fight, and the ceasefire with Iran was still in effect.
"The ceasefire is not over," Hegseth told reporters.
"We said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have. Iran knows that, and ultimately, the president can make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire," he said.
A fragile truce in the Middle East was under strain on Tuesday after the US and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump launched a new operation, called Project Freedom, on Monday as he sought to wrest control of the critical waterway from Iran, which effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the US and Israel started the conflict on February 28.
Hegseth said that Iran does not control the strait.
"Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission, protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression. American forces won't need to enter Iranian waters or airspace. It's not necessary. We're not looking for a fight," Hegseth said.