WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States must decide “very soon” whether to “blow up” Iran or strike a deal, as Tehran said it had received Washington’s formal response to its latest proposal to end the seven-month war, Politico and other outlets reported.
“We have to make that decision: We blow them up or make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Asked how he would negotiate with Iranian officials he has called “crazy,” he replied, “Maybe you blow them up,” and added the conflict will end “very soon, one way or the other.”
Iran’s UNGA-week plan sought a rapid reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and renewed nuclear talks in exchange for lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, waiving sanctions on Iranian oil sales, releasing frozen assets, and a broader ceasefire. Trump publicly rejected those terms Saturday, saying Iran wanted a deal because it was “losing so badly” and that such a package would not be acceptable.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at Quantico, claimed U.S. forces have “destroyed” Iran’s navy, air force, defense systems, leadership nodes and much of its military-industrial base while crippling nuclear ambitions. Iran has continued intermittent drone and missile attacks and retains the ability to threaten shipping in Hormuz, according to Associated Press coverage of Hegseth’s address.
Qatari mediators are still shuttling compromise ideas even after Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran’s UNGA delegation, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to leave New York when talks stalled Monday, Axios reported. Araghchi’s group flew to Doha early Tuesday.
Markets and allies are watching whether Trump’s binary framing foreshadows a major escalation or a harder bargaining line. For now, diplomacy looks frozen, Hormuz remains contested, and the White House says a decision point is near.
The seven-month war has already scrambled global energy markets, forced heavy U.S. interceptor use, and drawn in regional mediators from Qatar and beyond. Hegseth’s battlefield claims sit beside an unresolved Hormuz stalemate in which commercial and military shipping remain at risk. Trump also highlighted the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in related remarks this week, framing a broader Middle East force posture reset even as Iran combat continues.
European and Gulf capitals are parsing whether “blow them up” is negotiating theater or operational warning. Iran says it wants Hormuz reopened within a week under its rejected plan; Washington wants terms that reflect what it calls Iranian military losses. Until mediators produce a bridge both sides will accept, Trump’s binary choice keeps markets, allies and adversaries on edge.