Trump: Deal with Iran still possible, 'we had a deal 2 days ago'
US President sees path to Iran deal despite fresh US-Iran escalation
President Donald Trump said late on Monday he still believes a negotiated agreement with Iran is possible, even as the United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iranian targets and tightened pressure on Tehran by reinstating a blockade on Iranian ports.
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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed optimism that diplomacy could still prevail despite the renewed fighting.
"Yeah, I think a deal is possible. Sure, I do," Trump said. "We had a deal with them two days ago and then they said, 'Oh we can't make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.'"
Trump told Fox News that US negotiators believed they had reached a long-term peace deal with Iran following an 11-hour meeting on July 12, but Iranian leaders later introduced new demands.
“What nobody knows, we had a deal. It was a done deal, and then they broke it. They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people, and so we’re just going to hit them very hard,” Trump said.
Trump's remarks came hours after US Central Command announced another series of strikes targeting Iranian air defense systems, missile and drone facilities, naval infrastructure and other military assets.
The Pentagon also shared videos showing the use of naval drones for the first time against Iranian targets.
The US military said the operation was intended to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping and US partners in the Gulf following renewed Iranian attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The US leader also reiterated his position in posts on X, where he argued that military pressure and diplomacy could proceed simultaneously as Washington seeks to force Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Shift in Trump's tone
His latest comments marked a notable shift in tone from last week, when he declared that the US-Iran ceasefire was "over" while still agreeing to continue negotiations with Tehran.
The latest escalation follows the unraveling of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a 14-point framework signed in June that sought to end weeks of fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
The agreement has steadily deteriorated amid disputes over maritime access, sanctions, oil exports and competing interpretations of each side's obligations.
Washington accuses Iran of violating the accord through attacks on commercial vessels and regional targets, while Tehran says the United States undermined the agreement by revoking oil waivers, expanding military operations and reimposing restrictions on Iranian shipping.
The renewed hostilities have rattled global energy markets. Oil prices climbed sharply Monday as investors weighed the possibility that further fighting could disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of the world's oil consumption.
Despite the intensifying military campaign, Trump's latest comments suggest the White House has not abandoned diplomacy.
US officials have continued to indicate that negotiations remain an option if Iran agrees to terms Washington considers acceptable, although no date for a new round of formal talks has been announced.
