U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (March 26) urged Iran to make a deal to end U.S. and Israeli bombing or face more strikes on their country.

"They now have the chance, that is Iran, to permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions and to join a new path forward," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. "We'll see if they want to do it. If they don't, we're their worst nightmare. In the meantime, we'll just keep blowing them away."

Trump spoke after a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday that Washington's proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting is "one-sided and unfair" but that diplomacy continues.

Trump said Iranians were talking with the U.S. and described them as desperate to make a deal, characterizations Tehran has denied. He also cast Iranian officials as "great negotiators" and said he was seeking an agreement that opens the Strait of Hormuz and shuts down Tehran's military ambitions.

Trump suggested that a deal might not ultimately come together.

"I don't know if we'll be able to do that," he said of the prospects for a deal. I don't know if we're willing to do that."

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Trump urges Iran to make a deal or US will 'keep blowing them away'

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DURING CABINET MEETING REGARDING THE WAR WITH IRAN

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES (MARCH 26, 2026) (UNRESTRICTED POOL - Access all)

1. GENERAL VIEW OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IN CABINET MEETING

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"And just so we set the record straight because I've been watching the Wall Street Journal's fake news and all these stories that get printed, like 'oh, I want to make a deal.' They [referring to Iran] are begging to make a deal, not me. They're begging to make a deal. And anybody that saw what was happening over there would understand why they want to make a deal. But they say, 'oh, we're not talking to them", but anybody would know - only a total fool, and they're not fools, they're very smart actually in a certain way, and they're great negotiators. I say they're lousy fighters, but they're great negotiators. And they are begging to work out a deal, I don't know if we'll be able to do that, I don't know if we're willing to do that. They should have done that four weeks ago, they should have done it two years ago."

3. GENERAL VIEW OF CABINET MEETING

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"That's why they're talking to us. They wouldn't talk otherwise. But they're talking to us because they've got a disaster on their hands. They're defeated. They can't make a comeback. We're free to roam over there, cities and towns and destroy all of their crazy nuclear weapons and missiles and drones that they're building. We're doing that. They now have a chance to make a deal, but that's up to them. And they'll tell you 'we're not negotiating, we will not negotiate.' Of course they're negotiating. They've been obliterated. Who. wouldn't negotiate? They are begging to make a deal. We'll see if we can make the right deal. And they make the right deal, and the Strait will open up, Hormuz Strait will open up."

5. ATTENDEES AT MEETING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"But they [referring to Iran] now have the chance, that is Iran, to permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions and to chart a new path forward. We'll see if they want to do it. If they don't, we're their worst nightmare. In the meantime, we'll just keep blowing them away, unimpeded, unstopped. There's not a thing they can do about it. They can't do anything about it. If they could - if they could, you'd be hearing about it. You don't hear anything about it. "

7. GENERAL VIEW OF MEETING

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"Again, we had to take a little detour, it won't be long, It will end soon. We had to take a little detour, go to Iran and we had to put out a fire."

9. GENERAL VIEW OF MEETING