US President Donald Trump has said Iran was making "very big concessions" in negotiations with the United States, expressing confidence that talks were progressing while warning that Washington remained prepared to use military force if necessary.
Speaking to reporters before and after meetings at the Capitol and later during talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday (local time), Trump struck an optimistic tone about diplomacy with Tehran but repeatedly stressed that the military option remained available.
"The war is going very well. As you know, we're winning by a lot," Trump said before a lunch meeting with Republican lawmakers. "Iran is making very big concessions. We'll see what happens, but it's been very, very, very powerful and it's going very, very well."
After the Capitol meeting, Trump said Tehran was continuing to accommodate US demands. "Iran is being very nice. They're agreeing to everything that I want, and they have to. Otherwise, we just go back and do what we have to do." During his Oval Office meeting with Rutte, Trump again projected confidence about the negotiations.
"We're doing great in our negotiations with Iran," he said. Asked whether Congress' vote on an Iran war resolution could affect the diplomatic process, Trump argued that it sent an unnecessary signal to Tehran. "So Iran sees that, and they go, what's that all about? Now, you know, it's meaningless, right?" he said.
Trump also ruled out any future agreement that would permit Iran to impose charges on international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. "It would be unacceptable to me," he said. "I wouldn't allow it there either." The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, carrying a significant share of globally traded crude oil.
Rutte strongly backed Trump's Iran policy, saying the central objective remained preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. "I really want to make clear how important it is, what you are doing on Iran," the NATO Secretary General said. He described Iran as "a country which is exporting chaos" and "exporting terrorism", adding that it "was very near to getting its hands on the nuclear capability."
"Iran having its hands on the nuclear capability... would be a danger to the whole world, particularly the region, Israel, and to Europe, but also the rest of the world," Rutte said. He added that the issue extended beyond regional security. "This is about security, about safety."
The President was also asked about an investigation into a strike on a school in Minab. "I don't know that they're ever going to solve that problem, in terms of whose fault was it, because there were missiles flying all over the place," Trump said. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was taking the inquiry "very seriously" and that its findings would be released at the "appropriate time."