President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the United States will either reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job," reiterating a threat of military action as Tehran has shown defiance following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations concluded last week with no apparent progress toward a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to facilitate diplomacy after U.S. and Israeli strikes initiated the conflict.
"We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job. OK. And it won't be tough to finish the job. I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump informed reporters in the Oval Office.
He added, "We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply.... They don't have any money now. We haven't given them any money."
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, dismissed Trump's threat as "delusional." "Iranians are unfamiliar with the language of threats. So speak to the Iranian people with respect, otherwise we will respond in another language," Zolqadr stated, as reported by state media.
Trump's remarks followed Khamenei's funeral over the weekend, an event where Iranians appeared defiant and united, demonstrating a determination to shape future developments rather than appearing weakened by the war that commenced with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28. The 60-day ceasefire was initiated by Washington with the aim of reviving diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's development of a nuclear arsenal.
