Trump says Iran wants a deal as strikes escalate across Gulf region

Donald Trump said Iran had called him and wanted “to make a deal so badly” as the U.S. and Iran exchanged fresh strikes across the Gulf after negotiations collapsed. The president cast doubt on Tehran’s intentions, said he did not know whether Iran was “worthy” of a deal, and warned that the U.S. would win any renewed war “very quickly.”

A day after Trump said the interim ceasefire was “over,” U.S. Central Command said it launched a second night of strikes against Iranian targets. The second round hit about 90 sites inside Iran, including missile and drone storage facilities and air defense systems. Iran responded by targeting U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, widening the confrontation beyond the initial exchange and pressing Gulf defenses on multiple fronts.

Trump made the remarks while attending a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where he also said he was not sure whether the war was back on. The comments showed how the messaging from Washington remained split between coercion and negotiation, even as the battlefield reality moved in the opposite direction. The ceasefire or interim deal had been signed about three weeks earlier, but it was already under strain as the White House said the U.S. was prepared to keep up military pressure if Tehran did not comply.

The risk now reaches beyond the airstrikes themselves. The Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly one-fifth of global oil traffic, has again become a central concern as attacks spread across the region. The U.S. strikes were aimed in part at keeping the waterway open to shipping after attacks on commercial vessels, underscoring how quickly a failed diplomatic channel can turn into a test of energy security and maritime access. Trump also warned of “much worse” strikes if Iran attacks ships again, keeping the pressure on Tehran even as he insisted it still wanted a deal.