‘Gonna get this done properly’: Trump rules out early exit from Iran war day after ‘terminated’ claims
US President Donald Trump has made it clear that Washington will not walk away from the ongoing Iran conflict prematurely, even as negotiations remain stalled and global tensions continue to simmer.
Addressing an event in Florida, he said the US was determined to see the situation through. “We’re going to get this thing done properly. We’re not going to leave early and then have the problem arise in three more years,” he said.
Trump further went on to say that the US currently has the upper hand. He said Americans are “just winning”, adding, “If it were a fight, they’d stop it. If this were a fight, they’d stop it. You know that expression? It’s true.” Track US-Iran war live updates.
At the same time, the President pointed to the lack of progress on a peace deal with Tehran, saying, “They’re not coming through with the kind of deal that we have to have.”
Trump signals dissatisfaction
The statement came as earlier while speaking to reporters, Trump underlined that negotiations with Iran are not progressing as the US would like.
“They want to make a deal but I’m not satisfied with it,” he said, adding, “We just had a conversation with Iran. Let’s see what happens. But I would say that I am not happy.”
While acknowledging some movement, Trump said: “They’ve made strides, but I’m not sure if they ever get there,” he added, without detailing who participated in the latest round of talks or when they took place.
According to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, Tehran has reportedly sent a fresh proposal to Washington via Pakistan, which had mediated an earlier round of direct talks last month.
The contents of the proposal were not immediately clear, however, a report in the Wall Street Journal said that he proposal includes discussions on conditions for reopening the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz, while continuing to demand that the US halt its attacks and lift its blockade.
It remains unclear whether Trump’s remarks were in direct response to this proposal.
Trump administration claims war ‘terminated’
Even as Donald Trump insisted the US would not exit the Iran conflict prematurely, his administration said a day earlier that the war had effectively been “terminated” due to the ongoing ceasefire, even though there has been no shift in US military posture.
The move is being seen as an attempt to navigate around the War Powers Resolution, which mandates congressional approval for military action within 60 days.
The May 1 deadline under the resolution is now set to pass without action, after the Senate rejected a Democratic push to halt the war for the sixth time.
The war, launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 with surprise strikes, has largely been on hold since April 8 following a ceasefire, though only one round of direct talks has taken place and that too failed.
Iran continues to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, restricting key global supplies of oil, gas and fertilisers. In response, the US has enforced a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
While the ceasefire between the US and Iran has held, violence has continued elsewhere in the region.
On the Lebanese front, Israel has carried out continued strikes despite a separate ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah reached in mid-April.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 13 people were killed in southern strikes, including in Habboush, where evacuation warnings had been issued shortly before the attack.