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President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States could intensify its military campaign against Iran, cautioning that further escalation could leave the nation’s infrastructure damaged for decades.
Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump dismissed the prospect of fresh ceasefire negotiations following recent attacks on U.S. bases and regional allies.
“They want to desperately meet, and until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest,” Trump said. “If we left today, it would take them decades to rebuild, and I don’t believe they’d ever rebuild. And honestly, they haven’t seen anything yet — we’ve been nice.”
Trump stated that American forces would likely target Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility, where Tehran is suspected of relocating centrifuges used to enrich uranium to weapons-grade purity. However, he downplayed the overall impact of the facility, emphasizing that U.S. intelligence focuses on tracking nuclear material rather than enrichment machinery.
“It doesn’t mean anything unless they have the material,” Trump said. “They don’t have. We follow the material. That’s where the action is, and we’ll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon. And there’s not a thing they can do about it.”
During the appearance, Trump also offered to engage directly with Hezbollah if requested by the Lebanese leader. “If the president wanted me to speak to Hezbollah, you know he’s lived with Hezbollah for a long time, and if the president wanted me to speak to Hezbollah, I would,” he said.
The president’s statements come ten days into the renewed U.S. bombing campaign against Iran. According to intelligence briefings provided to the administration, airstrikes are unlikely to force Iranian leaders to alter their course or ease negotiating demands, leaving both nations in a standoff without immediate signs of de-escalation.
When questioned by a reporter about his strategy to end the conflict, Trump disputed the line of questioning, referring to the reporter’s network as “fake” and reiterating that the U.S. air campaign has severely weakened Iran’s position.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released a statement Monday pledging to fight “until the very last day.” The group stated the war could extend “for several years” and promised that “missiles and drones” would continue targeting American targets.
The rise in rhetoric follows weekend strikes by Iran that resulted in the deaths of multiple American service members, marking the first U.S. military fatalities since the outbreak of hostilities in March. Writing on Truth Social following the casualties, Trump stated that Tehran would “pay … many times over” for each American killed.
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Trump Warns Of Escalated Strikes On Iran, Saying U.S. Has Been ‘Nice’ So Far
