Trump losing patience with Iran deadlock, wants ‘a deal or action’ – report

Senior US official says President Trump is increasingly frustrated by the stalemate with Iran, will “bomb the hell out of them” if progress isn’t made on a deal.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump is increasingly frustrated by the stalled talks with Iran and is mulling the resumption of military operations against the regime if progress is not made in the near future, a senior American official said.

On Monday, Axios published a report citing an anonymous US official who said that the president is losing patience with the situation in Iran and may impose an ultimatum on Iran, giving the Islamic Republic a deadline for reaching a deal – or face renewed strikes.

“The president wants action. He doesn’t want to sit still. He wants pressure. He wants a deal,” the senior US official said.

On Sunday, Trump ordered the US military to help commercial ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, launching a mission that US officials say is aimed at breaking a stalemate with Iran and increasing pressure on Tehran to reach a deal.

Starting Monday, the US Navy will advise US-flagged and other commercial vessels on how to avoid mines while crossing the strait. US warships and military aircraft will remain nearby and prepared to intervene if Iran attacks the ships.

The mission, known as “Project Freedom,” will involve guided-missile destroyers, drones, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft and 15,000 troops, according to CENTCOM.

A source close to the president described the move as the “beginning of a process that could lead to a confrontation with the Iranians.”

The source said the mission to free ships stranded in the strait gives Washington a stronger position if Iran attacks.

“If the Iranians do something, they will be the bad guys and we will have the legitimacy to act,” the source said.

Iran has attacked vessels trying to pass through the strait almost daily over the past week.

Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, warned against US involvement.

“WARNING. Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire,” Azizi wrote on X. “The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf would not be managed by Trump’s delusional posts!”

Iran’s armed forces said Monday that “US aggressive actions will only complicate the current situation” and endanger shipping in the Gulf. Tehran called on commercial ships and tankers not to pass through the strait without coordination with the Iranian military.

Several US Navy ships began moving from the Arabian Sea toward the strait on Monday afternoon local time. Iran’s Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, claimed two Iranian missiles struck a US Navy ship.

CENTCOM denied the claim, saying US forces were supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The military moves come as US-Iran talks continue, though officials described the negotiations as difficult.

Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are still exchanging drafts with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

“There are talks. There are offers. We don’t like theirs. They don’t like ours,” a senior US official said. “We still don’t know the status of the [supreme leader]. And they’re carrying messages by hand to caves or wherever he or whoever is hiding. It slows the process down.”

Witkoff has urged Trump to keep negotiating and has offered an optimistic view of the chances for a deal, but other senior officials are more pessimistic.

A senior US official said the coming days could determine whether the standoff moves toward diplomacy or renewed war.

“It’s either we’re looking at the real contours of an achievable deal soon, or he’s going to bomb the hell out of them,” the official told Axios.