WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President says he believes the is over. He says he鈥檚 not sure he wants a deal anymore and says the U.S. should 鈥渇inish the job.鈥� But he also insists that do not mean a return to war or long-term action.
The confusion and uncertainty in Trump鈥檚 and his leave major questions about what comes next in the conflict, just weeks after difficult diplomacy to reach even an initial deal between the longtime adversaries.
The whipsawing rhetoric could be a strategy to increase the pressure on Tehran to stop attacking ships transporting oil and natural gas in the and bend to U.S. demands on its 鈥攕omething Trump has tried before.
Whether it is a negotiation tactic or a signal of an escalation in fighting, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal and the actions risk further inflaming tensions 鈥� which could spell problems for Republicans in November鈥檚 if gas prices stay high.
Trump warned Wednesday that a new round of U.S. attacks was coming, even as he attempted to shrug off suggestions of a return to full-scale war. Hours later, the military announced it was carrying out new attacks on Iran that were meant to 鈥渇urther degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.鈥�
鈥淎nything that happens is going to happen very fast,鈥� Trump said earlier. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not looking for a long time.鈥�
Officials rush to save the ceasefire
A regional intelligence official involved in the mediation efforts said the conflict had reached a critical stage as mutual mistrust rises. But high-level communications are ongoing around-the-clock to salvage the ceasefire, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate behind-the-scenes negotiations.
The foreign ministers of Pakistan and Qatar, as well as Egypt鈥檚 intelligence chief, are leading the efforts, while Turkish President 鈥� whose country hosted the NATO summit that wrapped Wednesday 鈥� and leaders from Saudi Arabia are also involved, the official said.
The U.S. is upset about ships being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and accuses Iran of slow-playing discussions on curtailing its , the official said. Nuclear talks were a major next step to try to turn the interim deal announced last month into a lasting end to the war.
Tehran, meanwhile, says Washington is the one violating the agreement regarding the strait and failing to ensure that a ceasefire in Lebanon, including an Israeli withdrawal, is being implemented, the official said.
Michael Eisenstadt, a former U.S. military analyst who now directs the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that 鈥渨e鈥檙e still in negotiating mode, no matter what the president says.”
“This is part of negotiating, and declaring that the MOU is over is part of the negotiation as well,鈥� Eisenstadt said, referring to the memorandum of understanding that the ceasefire was built on.
Trump, though, has been explicit in public comments, saying he’s lost interest in preserving the ceasefire: 鈥淚 think it’s over.鈥�
鈥淲e can play games, but I鈥檓 not sure I want to make a deal,鈥� he said during the in Ankara, Turkey, adding that the U.S. military might 鈥渏ust finish the job.鈥�
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran鈥檚 lead negotiator, said the Trump administration had repeatedly violated the terms of the initial pact, forcing the country to respond appropriately.
鈥淭he era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don鈥檛 fold,鈥� Qalibaf posted on X.
Trump says 鈥榳e鈥檒l probably hit them hard again’
Pakistan, which helped broker the ceasefire, said renewed conflict is in “no one鈥檚 interest鈥� and urged both sides to uphold their commitments.
鈥淭here is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy to achieve shared goal of peace in the region,鈥� its foreign ministry said in a statement.
Trump, nonetheless, dismissed Tehran’s leaders, calling them 鈥渟cum” and 鈥渟ick people.” Just last month, Trump said Iran鈥檚 leadership was 鈥渧ery rational鈥� and “nice to deal with,鈥� while also calling the country’s leaders 鈥渟mart people.鈥�
Speaking at an event in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance, who led U.S. efforts to reach the initial deal with Tehran, said Iran was 鈥渨ell behaved for about a week.鈥� He added that lately the country had begun attacking the strait and said, 鈥淚f they shoot at ships, we鈥檙e going to knock the hell out of them.鈥�
Could this be another negotiating tactic?
Before the U.S. and Iran reached their first, two-week ceasefire in April, Trump intensified his threats, pledging that American forces would bomb Iranian bridges, roads and power plants. He even , 鈥淎 whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”
He repeated dire threats before the tentative, 60-day deal to end the war was reached last month.
Trump likes to seek ways to negotiate from a position of strength, and he could be looking for more leverage with new strikes. But being unequivocal about the end of the ceasefire also could free up Iran militarily 鈥� which could again roil oil prices and financial markets.
Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group, argued that escalating threats may be a riskier maneuver this time around, given the domestic and international stakes for the U.S.
鈥淚t certainly looks like an effort to turn up the military heat without yet closing the diplomatic door. But coercive bargaining is a dangerous game: at some point, a pressure campaign can acquire a momentum of its own and become the war it was ostensibly meant to avoid,鈥� Vaez said.
He added, however, that Iran still has every reason to return to the table because it desperately needs the economic relief that was promised under the interim deal.
Trump also has sent mixed signals about the fallout.
He long insisted that rising gas prices for Americans didn’t factor into his calculations on Iran 鈥� only to say that part of the reason he agreed to the interim deal was to avoid an 鈥� .” He has since touted the falling price of oil after the deal was reached.
Upcoming elections could scramble Trump’s political calculus
The president again resumed to strike Iran鈥檚 civilian infrastructure, possibly including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the .
鈥淲e may take over Kharg Island,” he said. “There鈥檚 not a thing they could do about it.鈥�
Still, the 鈥� when Republicans hope to retain control of the House and Senate 鈥� are now less than four months away. Oil prices rising again amid greater uncertain about the war means Americans will likely continue to see higher prices at the pump.
The president tried to downplay such concerns, saying, 鈥淎ny time we hit them, it goes up a little bit 鈥� $2.鈥� In fact, U.S. oil futures jumped far higher and may keep climbing 鈥� even as Trump acknowledged, “As oil goes, so goes everything else.鈥�
“f we hit Iran, oil goes up a little bit,” he said, arguing that it was worth it to bar Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. 鈥淚t’s all right.鈥�
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Amiri reported from New York and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
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