\n
![](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit_1500w\/rockcms\/2026-03\/260314-trump-ch-1313-53d2d1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he\u2019s not ready to make a deal to end the war with Iran despite the country\u2019s willingness to do so \u201cbecause the terms aren\u2019t good enough yet,\u201d but declined to say what those terms would be.<\/p>\n
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 surges in global oil prices, and he dismissed Americans\u2019 concerns about rising gas prices since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint military operation two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The president also questioned whether Iran\u2019s new supreme leader is \u201ceven alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump said he was \u201csurprised\u201d that Iran decided to attack other Middle Eastern countries in response to the U.S.-Israeli operation, and that U.S. strikes on Kharg Island on Saturday \u201ctotally demolished\u201d most of the island but that \u201cwe may hit it a few more times just for fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he was \u201cfar more difficult to make a deal with\u201d than Russian President Vladimir Putin over efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump\u2019s comments follow criticism from global leaders after the U.S. eased sanctions on Russian oil<\/a> in an effort to mitigate surging global oil prices.<\/p>\n On the phone call, Trump said he was unwilling to make a deal to end the war with Iran at this stage.<\/p>\n \u201cIran wants to make a deal, and I don\u2019t want to make it because the terms aren\u2019t good enough yet,\u201d he said, adding that any terms will have to be \u201cvery solid.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked what the terms of a potential deal to end the war would be, the president responded: \u201cI don\u2019t want to say that to you.\u201d But he agreed that a commitment from Iran to completely abandon any nuclear ambitions would be part of it.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s comments come after Reuters reported<\/a> that the Trump administration had brushed aside efforts to advance talks to end the war.<\/p>\n He also previewed what the rest of the U.S. military operation in Iran could look like. It began last month with Israeli and U.S. forces launching joint strikes on the nation and Iran responding by launching strikes on Israel and U.S. targets in nearby countries. Thirteen active U.S. service personnel have died since the conflict began, including six U.S. crew members who died Friday after their military refueling plane crashed<\/a> in Iraq.<\/p>\n Trump administration officials have sent mixed messages<\/a> in the last two weeks about what the U.S. military goals are in Iran and how long the conflict could last, with Trump at times saying it could take a month or longer<\/a> and at other times times saying<\/a> \u201cwe are way ahead of the timetable\u201d and there\u2019s \u201cpractically nothing left to target.\u201d<\/p>\n On Saturday, the president said that \u201cthe only power they have, and it\u2019s 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\u2019re not going to have that power either.\u201d<\/p>\n He added later: \u201cWe\u2019ve knocked out most of their missiles. We\u2019ve knocked out most of their drones. We knocked out their manufacturing of missiles and drones, largely. Within two days, it\u2019ll be totally decimated.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump on Saturday said he is asking \u201cnumerous countries that are affected by the thuggery of Iran\u201d to help secure the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 a key marine passageway for oil tankers \u2014 as global oil prices have surged<\/a> amid the war.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to keep the strait closed<\/a> and have called for even higher oil prices since the conflict began.<\/p>\n The president said several countries have committed to helping secure the strait, but declined to name any of them.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve not only committed, but they think it\u2019s a great idea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In a Truth Social post<\/a> on Saturday morning, Trump wrote: \u201cMany Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran\u2019s 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,\u201d adding: \u201cHopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area.\u201d<\/p>\n On the phone call, Trump said it\u2019s not clear whether Iran has dropped mines into the strait.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be sweeping the strait very strongly, and we believe we\u2019ll be joined by other countries who are somewhat impeded, and in some cases impeded from getting the oil,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The president demurred when asked whether the U.S. Navy would start escorting ships through the strait, saying, \u201cI don\u2019t want to tell you anything about that,\u201d but adding that \u201cit\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The president also confirmed that U.S. forces carried out strikes on Kharg Island<\/a>, a strategic island off the coast of Iran that is home to an oil terminal responsible for the majority of the nation\u2019s oil exports.<\/p>\n U.S. Central Command said Saturday morning it had conducted \u201cprecision strikes\u201d on 90 military targets while \u201cpreserving the oil infrastructure,\u201d but Trump said later Saturday that \u201cwe totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve totally decimated it,\u201d the president added. \u201cExcept, as you know, I didn\u2019t do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years.\u201d<\/p>\n The president on Saturday questioned whether Iran\u2019s new supreme leader<\/a>, Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive after Khamenei did not appear on camera to issue his first statement as Iran\u2019s leader on Thursday.<\/p>\n In a written statement<\/a>, Khamenei, the son of slain predecessor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz and attacking U.S. allies in the region.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if he\u2019s even alive. So far, nobody\u2019s been able to show him,\u201d Trump said on the phone Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hearing he\u2019s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that\u2019s surrender,\u201d Trump added, but called the news of his death \u201ca rumor.\u201d<\/p>\n Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday said that the younger Khamenei was \u201cwounded and likely disfigured<\/a>\u201d and called his written statement a \u201cweak one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father: dead; he\u2019s scared, he\u2019s injured, he\u2019s on the run, and he lacks legitimacy,\u201d Hegseth added.<\/p>\n Khamenei was named the new supreme leader earlier this week after the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran killed his father<\/a> a week earlier.<\/p>\n Trump declined to say whether there was one particular Iranian leader whom he would like to see take over as supreme leader, saying instead, \u201cWe have people that are living that would be great leaders for the future of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked whether he\u2019s in touch with any of the potential leaders, the president said: \u201cI don\u2019t want to say that. I don\u2019t want to put them in jeopardy.\u201d<\/p>\n The president said Saturday that U.S. allies in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, \u201chave been terrific\u201d and \u201cthey got shot at unnecessarily.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was very surprised,\u201d Trump said about Iran targeting other Middle Eastern countries, adding it was \u201cthe biggest surprise I had of this whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n According to an NBC News analysis<\/a>, Iran has been firing drones into Middle Eastern countries including those Trump mentioned, plus Bahrain and Kuwait, and targeting oil infrastructure, logistics hubs and government centers.<\/p>\n The U.S. does not release data on the number of drones it faces or intercepts, but data from the UAE says that 1,475 unmanned aerial vehicles had been fired at the country as of March 10.<\/p>\n On Saturday morning, Iraqi officials said an Iranian strike hit a helipad<\/a> inside a U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. Also on Saturday, in the wake of the U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, Iran threatened to destroy oil and gas infrastructure<\/a> throughout the region if the U.S. struck oil infrastructure on the island.<\/p>\n Trump, who in 2024 repeatedly attacked<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019ll go lower than they were before, and I had them at record lows,\u201d Trump said about gas prices, promising that they would drop soon after the war in Iran ends.<\/p>\n On March 1, the day after the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran, gas was averaging $2.94 a gallon in the U.S., per GasBuddy<\/a>. On Saturday, the average price was $3.66.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so much oil, gas \u2014 there\u2019s so much out there, but you know, it\u2019s being clogged up a little bit. It\u2019ll be unclogged very soon,\u201d the president added.<\/p>\n Asked directly about whether gas prices could affect the midterms, Trump said, \u201cI\u2019m not concerned at all.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing I want to do is make sure that Iran can never be the bully of the Middle East again,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Asked about his decision to temporarily lift some sanctions<\/a> on Russian oil amid surging global oil prices, the president said: \u201cI want to have oil for the world. I want to have oil,\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the sanctions, which were imposed when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, <\/strong>will \u201cgo back as soon as the crisis is over.\u201d<\/p>\n On Saturday, when asked about criticism from some foreign leaders<\/a> about lifting the sanctions, Trump didn\u2019t directly answer but trained his ire on the Ukrainian president, saying over the phone, \u201cI\u2019m surprised that Zelenskyy doesn\u2019t want to make a deal. Tell Zelenskyy to make a deal because Putin\u2019s willing to make a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZelenskyy is far more difficult to make a deal with,\u201d the U.S. president added.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy earlier this month offered to help U.S. forces and their allies<\/a> in the Middle East with intercepting Iranian drones, using the Ukrainian military\u2019s experience with shooting down Russian drones.<\/p>\n But on Saturday, Trump said that \u201cwe don\u2019t need help,\u201d adding that the \u201clast person we need help from is Zelenskyy.\u201d<\/p>\n The president declined to comment on whether the U.S. has accepted Ukraine\u2019s help with drone interception technology.<\/p>\n In a post on X<\/a> on Friday, Zelenskyy wrote: \u201cCountries in the Middle East have reached out to us, asking to share our expertise in intercepting Iranian \u2018shahed\u2019 drones during massive strikes. That is why we have already sent expert teams to three countries.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier Saturday, an Iranian politician said Ukraine was a \u201clegitimate and lawful target\u201d<\/a> for Iran because Ukraine offered help defending against Iranian drones.<\/p>\n Asked to respond to reports that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran about the location of U.S. forces<\/a>, Trump said, \u201cRussia is perhaps giving information, perhaps they\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the U.S. is \u201cdoing that against them,\u201d because \u201cwe\u2019re giving a little information to Ukraine and we\u2019re trying to make peace between the two nations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTrump says he’s not ready to make a deal with Iran<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Securing the Strait of Hormuz<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Trump questions whether Iran\u2019s new supreme leader is \u2018even alive\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Trump \u2018surprised\u2019 that Iran targeted other Middle Eastern countries<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Trump \u2018not concerned\u2019 about rising gas prices<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Trump says Russia is \u2018perhaps\u2019 sharing information with Iran<\/strong><\/h2>\n