President Donald Trump (R-FL) said any agreement with Iran is conditional on the United States securing a "good deal" for Washington.
The statement signals a hardline approach to ongoing negotiations with Tehran, suggesting the administration will not compromise on its core interests despite the potential for a diplomatic resolution.
Speaking in a Fox News interview on Thursday evening, Trump said the U.S. possesses all the leverage in current talks. He said that the United States has already defeated Iran militarily [1, 2]. According to Trump, the Iranian naval fleet has completely disappeared, and its air force is out of service [3].
Trump linked the current strategic advantage to specific military engagements. He said that if Iran had not bombed U.S. B-2 bombers nine months ago [4], the country would possess a nuclear weapon today [4].
The president emphasized that the military superiority of the U.S. allows Washington to dictate the terms of any future accord. He said that any agreement is contingent on a good deal for Washington [1].
While some reports suggest the president expects a quick end to the conflict, the condition of a favorable deal remains a central point of his public rhetoric [1, 5]. The interview highlighted a strategy of using military dominance to force concessions during diplomatic negotiations.
“"We've defeated Iran militarily, and any agreement is contingent on a good deal for Washington."”
The administration is leveraging perceived military degradation of Iran's conventional forces to maximize diplomatic gains. By framing the conflict as a decisive victory, the U.S. aims to secure a deal that strictly limits Iran's nuclear and regional capabilities without offering significant concessions in return.
