Trump says Iran diplomacy space is shrinking

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States could launch fresh military strikes against Iran within days if negotiations fail, even as Washington and Tehran continued indirect efforts to reach a deal aimed at preventing a renewed escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump revealed he had been “an hour away” from authorising a new attack before postponing the move following requests from Gulf Arab states seeking more time for diplomacy.
“Well, I mean, I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time, because we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon,” Trump said, while insisting Iran’s leadership was “begging for a deal”.
The remarks came amid a fragile ceasefire that has remained intact since April 8, following weeks of US-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks across the region. The war, launched in late February, triggered widespread instability, disrupted energy markets, and intensified fears of a broader regional confrontation.
Vice President JD Vance struck a more cautious tone, saying that “a lot of progress” had been made in negotiations and that neither side wanted a return to open hostilities. However, he acknowledged that Iran’s negotiating position remained difficult to interpret because of divisions within the country’s leadership.
“The Iranians aren’t themselves quite clear in what direction they want to go,” Vance said during a White House briefing. “It’s sometimes hard to figure out exactly what it is that the Iranians want to accomplish out of the negotiation.”
Vance stressed that the core US objective remained preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “We want to keep the number of countries that have nuclear weapons small, and that’s why Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The vice president also rejected reports suggesting Russia could take possession of Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a settlement, saying such an arrangement was “not currently” under consideration by Washington and had not been proposed by Tehran.
Iran, meanwhile, warned that any renewed American military campaign would trigger a wider response. The Iranian army spokesman said Tehran would “open new fronts” against the United States if attacks resumed, adding that the ceasefire period had been used to strengthen military capabilities.
Iranian officials also accused Washington of attempting to frame military threats as diplomacy. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi criticised Trump’s remarks, saying the US president was presenting “a threat as a chance for peace”.
According to Iranian state media, Tehran’s latest proposal calls for an end to hostilities across the region, the withdrawal of US forces from areas close to Iran, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and reparations for damage caused during the conflict.
Iranian media reports also suggested the United States had demanded that Tehran maintain only one operational nuclear site and transfer highly enriched uranium stockpiles abroad. However, Tehran reportedly rejected aspects of the proposal as “excessive” and lacking meaningful concessions.
Despite tensions, both sides continued to rely on intermediaries, including Pakistan and Gulf states, to exchange messages and proposals. Qatar also acknowledged ongoing Pakistani-mediated efforts to sustain negotiations, with officials saying additional time was needed for diplomacy to produce results.
The continuing standoff has heightened concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors. Iran has maintained tight control over the waterway, while the United States has enforced its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The war has also continued to generate political pressure within the United States. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed Trump’s approval rating slipping to 35%, close to the lowest level of his current presidency, amid rising fuel prices and growing public concern over the Iran conflict.
At the same time, questions persisted over civilian casualties linked to the conflict. During a congressional hearing, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, again avoided directly accepting responsibility for an attack on a school in MInab that killed 155 people, including dozens of children.
Cooper said the school was located near an active Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missile base and that investigations into the strike remained ongoing. Democratic lawmakewrs criticised the administration for failing to acknowledge responsibility.