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President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is not ready to make a deal to end the war with Iran despite the country's willingness to negotiate, stating the "terms aren't good enough yet," but he declined to specify what those terms would be.
In a wide-ranging, nearly 30-minute telephone interview with NBC News, the president also said he is working with other countries on a plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid surging global oil prices, and dismissed Americans’ concerns about rising gas prices since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint military operation two weeks ago.
Trump also questioned whether Iran’s new supreme leader is "even alive."
He said he was "surprised" that Iran decided to attack other Middle Eastern countries in response to the U.S.-Israeli operation, and claimed that U.S. strikes on Kharg Island on Saturday "totally demolished" most of the island, adding, "we may hit it a few more times just for fun."
He also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he was "far more difficult to make a deal with" than Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump’s comments come amid criticism from global leaders after the U.S. eased sanctions on Russian oil to help mitigate rising global oil prices.
Trump Says He’s Not Ready to Make a Deal with Iran
During the call, Trump said he was unwilling to make a deal to end the war with Iran at this stage.
"Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet," he said, adding that any terms would have to be "very solid."
When asked what the terms of a potential deal would be, the president responded, "I don’t want to say that to you." However, he agreed that a commitment from Iran to completely abandon any nuclear ambitions would be part of it.
Trump’s remarks follow a Reuters report that the Trump administration had dismissed efforts to advance talks to end the war.
He also previewed what the rest of the U.S. military operation in Iran could look like. The conflict began last month with Israeli and U.S. forces launching joint strikes on Iran, which responded by attacking Israel and U.S. targets in nearby countries. Thirteen active U.S. service members have died since the conflict began, including six crew members who died Friday after their military refueling plane crashed in Iraq.
Trump administration officials have sent mixed messages over the past two weeks about U.S. military goals in Iran and the conflict’s duration, with Trump at times saying it could take a month or longer, and at other times stating "we are way ahead of the timetable" and that there’s "practically nothing left to target."
On Saturday, Trump said, "the only power they have, and it’s a power that can be closed off relatively quickly, is the power of dropping a mine or shooting a relatively short-range missile. But when we get finished with the shoreline, they’re not going to have that power either."
He added, "We’ve knocked out most of their missiles. We’ve knocked out most of their drones. We knocked out their manufacturing of missiles and drones, largely. Within two days, it’ll be totally decimated."
Securing the Strait of Hormuz
Trump said Saturday he is asking "numerous countries that are affected by the thuggery of Iran" to help secure the Strait of Hormuz — a key marine passageway for oil tankers — as global oil prices have surged amid the war.
Iran’s leaders have vowed to keep the strait closed and have called for even higher oil prices since the conflict began.
The president said several countries have committed to helping secure the strait but declined to name them.
"They’ve not only committed, but they think it’s a great idea," he said.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday morning, Trump wrote: "Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe," adding: "Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area."
On the call, Trump said it’s unclear whether Iran has dropped mines into the strait.
"We’re going to be sweeping the strait very strongly, and we believe we’ll be joined by other countries who are somewhat impeded, and in some cases impeded from getting the oil," he added.
The president declined to say whether the U.S. Navy would escort ships through the strait, saying, "I don’t want to tell you anything about that," but added that "it’s possible."
Trump also confirmed that U.S. forces carried out strikes on Kharg Island, a strategic island off Iran’s coast home to an oil terminal responsible for most of the nation’s oil exports.
U.S. Central Command said Saturday it had conducted "precision strikes" on 90 military targets while "preserving the oil infrastructure," but Trump later said, "we totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun."
"We’ve totally decimated it," the president added. "Except, as you know, I didn’t do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years."
Trump Questions Whether Iran’s New Supreme Leader Is ‘Even Alive’
Trump questioned whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive after Khamenei did not appear on camera to issue his first statement as Iran’s leader on Thursday.
In a written statement, Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz and attacking U.S. allies in the region.
"I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him," Trump said.
"I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender," Trump added, though he called news of his death "a rumor."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the younger Khamenei was wounded and likely disfigured and described his written statement as "weak."
"Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father: dead; he’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run, and he lacks legitimacy," Hegseth added.
Khamenei was named supreme leader earlier this week after the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes killed his father a week earlier.
Trump declined to say if there is a particular Iranian leader he would prefer to see take over, saying, "We have people that are living that would be great leaders for the future of the country." When asked if he is in touch with any potential leaders, Trump said, "I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to put them in jeopardy."
Trump ‘Surprised’ That Iran Targeted Other Middle Eastern Countries
The president said U.S. allies in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, "have been terrific" and "they got shot at unnecessarily."
"I was very surprised," Trump said about Iran targeting other Middle Eastern countries, calling it "the biggest surprise I had of this whole thing."
According to an NBC News analysis, Iran has been firing drones into Middle Eastern countries including those mentioned by Trump, plus Bahrain and Kuwait, targeting oil infrastructure, logistics hubs, and government centers.
The U.S. does not release data on the number of drones it faces or intercepts, but UAE data shows 1,475 unmanned aerial vehicles had been fired at the country as of March 10.
On Saturday morning, Iraqi officials reported an Iranian strike hit a helipad inside a U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. Also on Saturday, following U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, Iran threatened to destroy oil and gas infrastructure throughout the region if the U.S. targets oil facilities on the island.
Trump ‘Not Concerned’ About Rising Gas Prices
Trump, who in 2024 repeatedly attacked then-President Joe Biden over high gas prices, dismissed concerns on Saturday about whether rising gas prices in the U.S. could hurt Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.
"I think they’ll go lower than they were before, and I had them at record lows," Trump said about gas prices, promising they would drop soon after the war in Iran ends.
On March 1, the day after the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran, gas averaged $2.94 a gallon in the U.S., according to GasBuddy. On Saturday, the average price was $3.66.
"There’s so much oil, gas — there’s so much out there, but you know, it’s being clogged up a little bit. It’ll be unclogged very soon," the president added.
Asked directly whether gas prices could affect the midterms, Trump said, "I’m not concerned at all."
"The only thing I want to do is make sure that Iran can never be the bully of the Middle East again," he added.
Trump Says Russia Is ‘Perhaps’ Sharing Information with Iran
Asked about his decision to temporarily lift some sanctions on Russian oil amid surging global oil prices, Trump said, "I want to have oil for the world. I want to have oil."
He added that the sanctions, imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, will "go back as soon as the crisis is over."
On Saturday, when asked about criticism from some foreign leaders about lifting the sanctions, Trump did not directly answer but criticized Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, saying over the phone, "I’m surprised that Zelenskyy doesn’t want to make a deal. Tell Zelenskyy to make a deal because Putin’s willing to make a deal."
"Zelenskyy is far more difficult to make a deal with," the U.S. president added.
Zelenskyy earlier this month offered to help U.S. forces and their allies in the Middle East intercept Iranian drones, using Ukraine’s experience shooting down Russian drones.
But on Saturday, Trump said, "we don’t need help," adding that the "last person we need help from is Zelenskyy." He declined to comment on whether the U.S. has accepted Ukraine’s help with drone interception technology.
In a post on X on Friday, Zelenskyy wrote: "Countries in the Middle East have reached out to us, asking to share our expertise in intercepting Iranian ‘shahed’ drones during massive strikes. That is why we have already sent expert teams to three countries."
Earlier Saturday, an Iranian politician said Ukraine was a “legitimate and lawful target” for Iran because Ukraine offered help defending against Iranian drones.
Asked about reports that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. forces’ locations, Trump said, "Russia is perhaps giving information, perhaps they’re not." He added that the U.S. is "doing that against them," because "we’re giving a little information to Ukraine and we’re trying to make peace between the two nations."
