Donald Trump: either I finish off the Islamic Republic or they make a deal

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, 24 October 2026, after taking part in early voting for the congressional midterm elections in Florida, that only two paths remain with the Islamic Republic: either he will have to "finish the job" or the regime in Tehran will agree to a deal. He added that he is not yet sure which path it will be, but that in either case America will win.

Trump said the United States may act soon, and that a "big, beautiful" deal may also be reached. He also spoke of considering a strike option against the Islamic Republic that could begin as early as this Sunday. The US president also raised the question of whether the Islamic Republic would keep to any agreement it signed.

Why Trump is continuing the war

Trump said he could have closed the file after the B-2 bomber strikes on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities in June 2025, but that Tehran could then have reached a nuclear weapon within one to two years, and that this is the only reason for keeping up the pressure. He called the Islamic Republic's leaders "very bad" and the regime the biggest state sponsor of terrorism, and referred to the killing of protesters in Iran; according to him, the Islamic Republic has killed 75,000 protesters. The figure was given by Trump himself and DIAR could not confirm it independently.

The Hormuz proposal and Washington's answer

Trump's remarks came after Reza Amiri Moghadam, the Islamic Republic's ambassador to Pakistan, said Tehran had proposed through Islamabad to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in return for lifting the naval blockade of its ports, and that Trump had rejected the proposal and insisted on continuing the blockade. DIAR earlier reported the details of this proposal. Meanwhile an IRGC-affiliated outlet, citing an unnamed source, denied the report of a Hormuz-for-blockade deal; a contradiction that shows once again that the voices within the regime on negotiations are not the same.

Masoud Pezeshkian, head of the Islamic Republic's government, also blamed America for the failure of the interim agreement and said he still wants talks to continue.

These remarks follow reports of Trump's inclination to resume military operations and the build-up of the US fleet in the region; on Friday, at a rally in Florida, he had also said another operation was possible.

Donald Trump says the final decision between ending the Islamic Republic and a deal has not yet been made.