United States (US) President Donald Trump has said that the United States (US) could stop attacking Iran within “two to three weeks”, adding that a deal with Tehran was not necessary for the conflict to end.
“Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no,” Trump told reporters at the White House, stating that the US would be “leaving very soon… maybe two weeks, maybe three”.
“When we feel that they are, for a long period of time, put into the Stone Ages and they won’t be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we’ll leave,” he added.
His remarks signaled a shift from earlier statements wherein he had claimed Iran was engaged in negotiations, as Tehran continues to deny any such talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister (FM) Abbas Araghchi said that while messages had been exchanged with Washington DC, no negotiations were underway. “I receive messages from [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations,” he told an international media outlet.
The comments come as the conflict continues to disrupt global energy supplies, with petrol prices in the US rising above $4 per gallon following Iranian strikes on Gulf oil facilities and continued pressure on shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
Amid the escalation, Trump has also criticised allied countries for refusing to support US action in the region, particularly around securing the strait.
In a post on Truth Social, he said countries “like the United Kingdom” had “refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran” and added, “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”
“Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” he wrote.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also pointed to the UK’s position, stating that “there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well”.
British Defence Secretary John Healey responded by saying that the UK remained a key ally of the US whereas Trump also criticised France, writing in a separate post that it had been “VERY UNHELPFUL”, particularly over not allowing flights carrying military supplies to Israel to pass through its airspace.
The office of Emmanuel Macron said its position had “not changed since day one”.
With growing friction extending to the NATO alliance, Trump has also said he is considering pulling the US out of the treaty. In an interview with an international media outlet, he described NATO as a “paper tiger” and said the issue of US withdrawal is “beyond reconsideration”.
The White House has also signalled a tougher stance, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing NATO as a “one-way street” and saying Washington DC may “re-examine” its membership after the war, a position Trump said he was “glad” to see.
