Trump Threatens to Resume 'Bombing the Hell Out of' Iran While Claiming Deal Is Near

President Trump issued contradictory statements about ongoing U.S.-Iran war negotiations, expressing optimism that a deal was 'very possible' while simultaneously threatening to resume bombing 'at a much higher level and intensity' if Iran does not accept his terms. In a phone interview with PBS News, Trump stated: 'I think it's got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn't end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them.' He also demanded Iran 'export' its highly enriched uranium to the U.S., a condition experts say Iran cannot accept. The threats came as U.S. military forces fired on an Iranian-flagged oil tanker the same day, escalating tensions while Trump publicly claimed to be pursuing peace. This represents a continuation of Trump's pattern of coercive diplomacy combining public military threats with claims of pursuing peaceful resolution.

"I think it's got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn't end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them." — Phone interview with PBS NewsHour discussing U.S.-Iran war negotiations, made on the same day U.S. forces fired on an Iranian oil tanker