President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran must agree to U.S. conditions to end the war and address its nuclear ambitions, warning that failure to do so could lead to severe consequences, as signs grow that diplomacy may be faltering.
Speaking to reporters before departing for a trip to China, Trump delivered a stark message to Tehran. “They’ll either do the right thing, or we’ll finish the job,” Trump said, dismissing claims that economic pressures at home were influencing his approach to the conflict.
Trump:
Iran’s leaders will either do the right thing, or we will finish the job. pic.twitter.com/jiFeTCPqUP
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 12, 2026
The president emphasized that his focus remains fixed on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, regardless of domestic concerns. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all,” the President clarified.
Trump argued that Americans broadly understand the priority of stopping Iran’s nuclear program, even if markets fluctuate. “The most important thing by far is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Every American understands it. If the stock market goes up or down a little bit, the American people understand it.”
He insisted the United States would prevail regardless of how the conflict is resolved. Trump stressed that the US will “win it one way or the other. We’ll win it peacefully or otherwise. No matter how you cut it, we win.”
Addressing Tehran’s reaction to a U.S. proposal that he rejected over the weekend, Trump accused Iran of inconsistency. Commenting on the Iranian response to the US proposal, which he rejected as unacceptable on Sunday, Trump said that Iran agreed that they will never have nuclear weapons “and then that’s not what they sent to me. We don’t play games.”
He reiterated that the United States holds the upper hand and warned of devastating consequences if a deal is not reached. “We have Iran very much under control. We are either gonna make a deal or they will be decimated,” he stressed.
Behind the scenes, frustration appears to be mounting within the administration. Sources indicated that Trump has grown increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of progress in negotiations, raising the possibility that Washington could shift back toward military action.
Officials familiar with internal discussions said the president’s patience is wearing thin as Iran has yet to offer concessions that the U.S. views as meaningful.
At the same time, Iran signaled it is holding firm to its own terms. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a public message that Tehran sees only one viable path forward.
“There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal. Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another,” he wrote.
He also warned that prolonging the standoff would come at a cost to Americans. “The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it,” stated Ghalibaf.