President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is engaged in what he described as “very friendly negotiations” with Iran, while making clear that his administration remains prepared to use military force to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Michigan, Trump said Iran had spent decades threatening both its neighbors and the United States, but indicated that relations have recently shifted toward renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran.

Trump on Iran:

You can't bribe them. You gotta beat them.

And we are beating the hell out of them. pic.twitter.com/Bbf8QHjd6L

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 27, 2026

Trump also revisited his criticism of the Obama administration, accusing it of rewarding Iran by sending the regime $1.7 billion in cash under the 2015 nuclear agreement.

“You can’t bribe them. You gotta beat them. And we are beating the hell out of them. We’ll see how it turns out,” Trump added.

Referring to recent developments in the conflict, Trump suggested Iran’s behavior had fluctuated in response to American actions.

“The fuel came down for a little while. Then [Iran] didn’t behave, and I had to go back. Now they are behaving again,” he continued.

Trump reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains the central objective of his administration’s policy.

“When somebody comes up and says, ‘Why are we doing this?’ just say, ‘Because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.’ It’s very simple. It’s all you have to say. There is nothing else you have to say,” Trump stated.

Earlier Monday, while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iran had sought renewed negotiations after suffering significant damage from recent U.S. military operations.

“They want to meet, and we’re meeting. We’ll see what happens. There’s a chance we can make a deal,” said the President, adding that Tehran’s willingness to negotiate was the direct result of American pressure.

“Without what we did, they wouldn’t even be talking to us,” he said. “They requested a meeting through their surrogates and directly and we’re meeting.”

Asked how long he was willing to continue negotiations, Trump indicated he was in no rush to make a decision.

“I have plenty of time. The whole shoreline is wiped out. The Strait is in very good shape. And we’re talking right now.”

Trump expressed optimism that diplomacy could still produce an agreement but warned that military operations could quickly resume if talks fail.

“We’re having good talks, so we’ll see what happens. I think there’s a good chance something could happen. And if it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.”

Over the weekend, reports indicated that Trump delayed a significant expansion of the military campaign against Iran while diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz continued and administration officials assessed the impact such an operation could have on U.S. weapons stockpiles.

Trump dismissed reports that concerns over dwindling munitions influenced his decision, telling The Wall Street Journal that “we have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need.”