U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington retains overwhelming leverage in negotiations with Iran and warned that military action remains an option if talks fail to produce a favorable outcome.

In an interview aired Thursday (May 28) on Fox News’ My View with Lara Trump, the president said the threshold for renewed force would be a deal “that wasn’t going to be good for us,” indicating the administration is prepared to escalate if diplomacy falls short.

“I negotiate. They negotiate. They’re very good negotiators, they’re crafty,” Trump said. “But in the end we have all the cards because we’ve defeated them militarily.”

He also pointed to earlier U.S. strikes, including the use of B-2 bombers, saying they had set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “If we didn’t hit them … they would have a nuclear weapon right now,” Trump said.

The remarks come as Washington continues to apply economic pressure alongside diplomatic engagement. Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Treasury announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s military-linked oil trade, including several vessels accused of transporting crude and petroleum products.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures aim to prevent Tehran from boosting revenue that could be used to rebuild its armed forces.

The sanctions were imposed even as the United States and Iran reached a tentative agreement to extend a ceasefire and ease restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.

About one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows through the waterway, and disruptions linked to the conflict launched on Feb. 28 by the United States and Israel have rattled global markets.

Trump has yet to formally approve any broader deal tied to the ceasefire, leaving uncertainty over whether negotiations will yield a durable agreement.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Trump says US holds “all the cards” in Iran talks, signals force if needed

VIDEO SHOWS: INTERVIEW WITH U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP/ SOUNDBITES BY TRUMP

RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT

SHOWS: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, UNITED STATES (AIRED MAY 28, 2026) (FOX NEWS CHANNEL - MY VIEW WITH LARA TRUMP - Mandatory on-air and on-screen credit to “Fox News Channel - My View with Lara Trump”. No obstruction of Fox bug. No more than two minutes use allowed. No archive. No reuse. No resale)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP, IN EXCHANGE INTERVIEWER LARA TRUMP, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER DIFFERENT SHOTS OF INTERVIEW)

LARA TRUMP: “Is there a line that they would cross for you to go on the offensive again militarily?”

TRUMP: “Well, a deal that wasn't going to be good for us is the line ultimately, because, you know, I'm playing it out and we're going to see. And that's what I do, I negotiate. They negotiate. They're very good negotiators, they're crafty. But in the end we have all the cards because we've defeated them militarily. Look, they have no Navy. Every ship, they have 159 ships. Every one of them are at the bottom of the sea. Every single one. We take pictures of them. We have people going down, taking pictures of hundreds of ships. And their navy is totally gone, 100%. Their air force is totally gone, 100%. Their military, we sort of left it alone because we think that their military is somewhat moderate. They have other people that aren't moderate. We've taken them out. We've taken different forms of leadership out. We've actually left their military alone. People would be surprised to hear that, because mistakes have been made in wars where you wipe out everybody and then you have a country that's, you know, for 40 years, you can never rebuild. You look at what happened with Iraq. We did so bad. That was such a foolish thing, what we did. We shouldn't have been there in the first place, by the way. And shouldn't have been in Iran, but Iran has the capability. If we didn't hit them with the B-2 bombers nine months ago, they would have a nuclear weapon right now, and it would be a whole different story.”