Trump Rules Out Iran Deal as War Rages: ‘Terms Aren’t Good Enough Yet’

President Donald Trump made clear on Saturday that he had no interest in a near-term negotiated settlement with Iran, saying publicly that the terms were not good enough and refusing to give any timeline for ending the military campaign. The comment came as US warplanes continued to bomb Iran, including further strikes on Kharg Island, and as Iran launched ballistic missiles at the UAE and rockets at Israel. The war, which began on February 28, showed no signs of any diplomatic pathway emerging.
Trump’s remarks contrasted with growing alarm among economists and foreign policy analysts about the conflict’s widening economic and humanitarian impact. Oil prices were approaching $120 per barrel due to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and analysts warned they could reach $150 if Kharg Island’s export capacity were fully eliminated. The Strait of Hormuz, closed by Iran since the outset of the conflict, carries roughly 20 percent of global oil and gas daily. Trump had called on allied nations — China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK — to send warships to help force it open.
Iran struck back with determination on Saturday. Ballistic missiles hit the UAE, disrupting oil operations at Fujairah — a critical global ship-refuelling hub — and prompting warnings for civilians near ports and US facilities to evacuate. Iranian military commanders threatened strikes on any energy or economic facility in the region with American ties. The foreign minister called on Arab neighbours to remove US forces from their soil, framing the conflict as a war of foreign aggression. Iran’s strategy, analysts said, was to survive the bombing, maintain military capacity, and drag the war out for a better deal.
Israeli warplanes conducted dozens of raids across Iran on Saturday, killing at least 15 people in an airstrike on a factory in Isfahan. Israel said it was systematically dismantling Iran’s missile launch capability. Iran fired rockets at Israel in return. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth painted a picture of a weakened Iranian leadership hiding underground, claiming Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been wounded and possibly disfigured. Iranian officials confirmed the injury but said it was minor. The International Crisis Group warned the regime remained structurally intact.
The human cost of the conflict continued to grow. Between 1,400 and 1,800 people had been killed in Iran. Thirteen Israelis and about 20 Gulf residents had died. Lebanon’s crisis deepened, with 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. The US embassy in Baghdad was hit by missiles overnight, and all Americans in Iraq were ordered to evacuate immediately. Six US troops died in a military aircraft crash in western Iraq. Trump’s refusal to negotiate or set an end date left governments and markets worldwide bracing for further escalation.