U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington may strike Iran again if no agreement is reached, even as his administration claimed progress in talks aimed at ending the U.S.-Israeli war against Tehran.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said he had been close to ordering a new attack before delaying the decision.
“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters, adding that Iran’s leaders were “begging for a deal.”
His remarks came a day after he said he had paused a planned resumption of hostilities following a new proposal from Tehran. Trump said another U.S. strike could take place in the coming days if no agreement is reached.
The United States and Israel launched the war nearly three months ago, saying the campaign was aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme, missile capabilities and support for regional armed groups.
But the conflict has placed Trump under growing political pressure at home, with fuel prices remaining high and congressional elections approaching in November.
Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that Washington and Tehran had made “a lot of progress” in talks and that neither side wanted the conflict to resume.
“We’re in a pretty good spot here,” Vance told reporters at the White House.
He said Washington was trying to make its red lines clear, while acknowledging that negotiations were complicated by divisions within Iran’s leadership.
“It’s not sometimes totally clear what the negotiating position of the team is,” Vance said.
Iran warns of response
Iranian officials warned that any new U.S. attack would trigger a military response.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee, said on X that Trump had delayed the strike because he understood that any attack on Iran would be met with a “decisive military response.”
Iranian state media said Tehran’s latest proposal calls for an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas near Iran, and reparations for damage caused by U.S.-Israeli attacks.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi was cited by Iran’s IRNA news agency as saying Tehran also wants sanctions lifted, frozen funds released and the U.S. maritime blockade ended.
The reported terms appeared similar to an earlier Iranian offer that Trump rejected last week.
A Pakistani source told Reuters that Islamabad, which has passed messages between the sides since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, had conveyed Iran’s proposal to Washington.
The source said both sides were “changing their goalposts,” adding: “We don’t have much time.”
Ceasefire largely holding
The ceasefire with Iran has mostly held since early April, although drones have recently been launched from Iraq toward Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reportedly by Iran and allied groups.
The war has killed thousands in Iran, while Israel’s campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah has killed thousands more and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Iranian attacks on Israel and Gulf states have killed dozens.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the U.S. had seized an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, citing three U.S. officials. The tanker, known as the Skywave, was sanctioned by Washington in March over its alleged role in transporting Iranian oil.
Despite the U.S.-Israeli campaign, Iran has not been stripped of its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium or its ability to threaten regional states with missiles, drones and allied militias.
The Islamic Republic’s leadership has also remained in power despite the military pressure and earlier domestic unrest.