Donald Trump said the United States will probably hit Iran hard again tonight and still kept the door open for Persian talks. He said he gave them a little warning before the planned strikes, then added that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could still talk even after he said the effort was wasting time.
Trump's Iran warning
Trump said, “I gave them a little warning. We're going to hit them hard again tonight,” and also said, “will probably hit them harder again tonight.” He said of the Iranian leaders, “they're scum,” and added, “And if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it. As far as I'm concerned, it's over.”
He then shifted again. When asked if talks were over, Trump said, “I don't care, they can talk. But I think they're wasting their time.” He also said, “I don't want to deal with them anymore,” and described the Iranian regime as “a bunch of lying guys.”
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were identified as Trump's chief negotiators, and they were still said to be able to talk. The talks had been on hold during the days of funeral obsequies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by Israel and the US on 28 February, the first day of the war.
A source among the mediators said what had happened was “a setback for sure,” and said the atmosphere around the talks was very tense. The US has not been able to break the will of the Iranian regime to drop its fundamental demands, including control of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Strait of Hormuz dispute
That demand keeps the military threat and the negotiation track tied together. Trump said the United States can still strike while the talks remain technically open, but the unresolved issue over the Strait of Hormuz shows why neither side has treated the diplomatic channel as settled.
The immediate question is whether the US strikes tonight change the Iranian position on the Strait of Hormuz, because Trump has already signaled both pressure and continued conversation. For readers tracking the standoff, the next move appears to be another possible strike, with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner still left to keep talking under that pressure.
