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Intense negotiations between the US and Iran over ending the Middle East war are at a crunch point.
17:19, Wed, May 27, 2026 Updated: 17:51, Wed, May 27, 2026
Donald Trump has sent a chilling six word warning to Iran (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has issued a new chilling six word warning to Iran as a peace deal between Washington and Tehran teeters on the edge. The US President suggested military action could resume if Tehran failed to agree to Washington’s demands over its nuclear programme.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, the US President warned military action could resume if negotiations with Tehran fail to produce a breakthrough over Iran’s nuclear programme. Mr Trump said: “Iran very much wants to make a deal. So far they haven’t gotten there. We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be. Either that, or we’ll have to finish the job.” The stark warning came as senior US officials insisted diplomacy remained the preferred route, despite growing fears the conflict could spiral further if talks collapse. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Cabinet meeting the administration was still pushing for a negotiated settlement with Iran and claimed “some progress” had already been made.
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Trump meets with his Cabinet days after saying a peace deal with Iran was “largely negotiated” (Image: Getty Images)
Rubio said: “The policy is always that diplomacy is the first option, and we’ll continue to work on that through your envoys, Mr. Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and others - including the Vice President - who have been very involved.
“If there’s an agreement to be made, we want that agreement to happen.”
However, the Secretary of State also warned Mr Trump had “other options available” if negotiations failed.
Rubio added: “The bottom line is that we prefer the negotiated diplomatic route, and we’re going to give it every chance to succeed.”
He then delivered a blunt message on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying: “Iran, and the people in charge of Iran, can never have a nuclear weapon.
“They will never have a nuclear weapon - and they most certainly will not have one as long as you are President of the United States.”
Marco Rubio said President Trump had “other options available” if talks with Iran fail (Image: Getty Images)
The comments come amid ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire and broader agreement following months of escalating military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
According to reports, discussions have centred on Iran’s nuclear stockpile, sanctions relief and security guarantees, while mediators continue attempting to prevent a wider regional war.
However, hopes of a possible breakthrough were cast into doubt after the US dismissed claims of a draft agreement as a “complete fabrication”.
Iranian state TV had claimed a framework deal would see Iran restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade and withdrawing forces.
Iran expert Tara Kangarlou told Sky News the reports should be treated cautiously, saying: “This is just circulating on the internet by this one journalist, very close to the state force.”
During the cabinet meeting, Mr Trump also claimed Iran had been severely weakened during the conflict, saying: “The Navy has gone... The Air Force has gone. Everything’s gone, and they’re negotiating on fumes.”
He added: “Maybe we have to go back and finish it. Maybe we don’t.”
The President also claimed Iran’s economy was in “freefall”, adding: “Their money has no value, and their whole economic system is broken down.”
Mr Trump insisted Tehran “cannot have a nuclear weapon”, saying: “I’m doing that for the world. I’m not doing it just for us.”
He also suggested Iran believed it could politically outlast his administration, saying: “They thought they were going to outwait me.”
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