Trump Says U.S. in ‘Very Deep Talks’ With Iran, Warns of Strong Military Action if Diplomacy Fails

President Donald Trump told Axios on Monday that the United States is engaged in “very deep talks” with Iran. He immediately added a warning: “If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action.”

Trump said he agreed to pause expanded military operations after mediators urged him to give diplomacy another chance. “All of the people that deal with Iran asked me: ‘Don’t fire,’” he explained. He believes Tehran is now serious, yet he has little patience for delay. “Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.”

Speaking later aboard Air Force One, Trump argued that Iran only came to the table because of the damage inflicted by recent U.S. strikes. “Without what we did, they wouldn’t even be talking to us,” he said. Iranian officials, he claimed, had pleaded “Please don’t drop, don’t shoot.”

He rejected reports of depleted American munitions stockpiles and said plants are being built rapidly, particularly for Patriot systems. He also floated the idea of using Iranian assets under U.S. control to pay for damage caused by Tehran’s attacks. The remarks came one day before a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Iran was expected to dominate the agenda.

Whether the talks produce a deal—or how quickly the pause ends if they fail—remains unresolved.