President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office on Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from Iran within two to three weeks, once it is certain the regime cannot build a nuclear weapon “for years.” In the same breath, Trump claimed Iran is “begging to make a deal” — but insisted that whether a deal happens or not is “irrelevant” to America’s
timeline.
Speaking at an executive order signing ceremony on March 31, Trump said, “We’re hitting them very hard. Last night we knocked out tremendous amounts of missile-making facilities.” He added, “We may make a deal before that. If they come to the table, that’ll be good. But it doesn’t matter whether they come or not — we’ve set them back.” The remarks signal a dual-track approach: maintaining relentless military pressure while keeping the door open to a diplomatic resolution.
From Tehran, a significant signal came in the other direction. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that if Iran’s enemies guaranteed the war would not flare up again, Tehran had the “necessary will” to end the conflict. It is the most direct public acknowledgement yet from Iran’s leadership that some form of negotiated end to the war is possible. However, Iran has not clarified what specific conditions it would require before agreeing to enter formal talks.
On the ground, the strikes have not let up. Joint US-Israeli attacks on Isfahan have destroyed multiple missile manufacturing facilities, with American officials saying Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded and that the campaign has already largely achieved its core objectives. Trump’s comments about the previous night’s strikes on missile-making facilities appeared to reference the ongoing assault on Isfahan, where Iran’s largest missile assembly complex and significant uranium stockpiles are located.
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes continued with deadly consequences. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed that at least seven people were killed in Israeli attacks. The Israel Defence Forces said they struck a Hezbollah commander and another senior figure in two separate operations across Beirut.
Trump also turned his fire on Washington’s allies over the Strait of Hormuz, lashing out at the United Kingdom and other countries in blunt terms. “Go get your own oil from the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “The USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.” The remarks have raised fresh alarm about the state of relations between the United States and its NATO partners, who depend on the strategic waterway for a substantial share of their energy supplies.
The overall picture as of Tuesday is this: Trump wants out quickly, Iran is conditionally open to negotiations, but no formal diplomatic framework has been announced, and no outline of a potential agreement has been made public. The White House has not confirmed any specific talks are underway. Whether Trump’s stated two-to-three-week timeline reflects a genuine military conclusion, a diplomatic breakthrough in the making, or simply the president’s characteristic impatience with prolonged commitments remains entirely unclear.
