WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump warned Friday that the US will retrieve Iran’s nuclear dust by force if a deal is not reached, while ruling out any tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. “We’ll go in with Iran, and we will take it together, and we will bring it back to the US,” Trump told reporters on the way back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “If we don’t do that, we will get it in a different form—a much more unfriendly form.”
Asked whether he would extend the ceasefire or restart attacks if no deal is reached by Wednesday, when the two-week truce mediated by Pakistan expires, Trump left the door open to renewed strikes. “Maybe, I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain. But maybe I won’t extend it, so you have a blockade, and unfortunately, we have to start dropping bombs again,” he said.
On Iranian Claims
On claims by Iran that differences remain, Trump said: “They have to say something different because they have people they have to cater to. I’m just saying it like it is.”
No Tolls on the Strait
About potential tolls on the strait, Trump said: “Nope. No way.” “The restrictions are you can’t do the tolls. There are not going to be tolls,” he added.
Context of the Warning
Trump’s warning comes as US and Iranian technical teams are expected to meet in Islamabad on Monday for a second round of talks aimed at finalizing a negotiated settlement. The two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan is set to expire on Wednesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” for all commercial vessels, a major concession. However, differences reportedly remain on the nuclear issue and the status of the strait.
High-Stakes Brinkmanship
Trump’s warning that the US will retrieve Iran’s nuclear dust “in a much more unfriendly form” if a deal fails is classic brinkmanship. By threatening force, Trump is attempting to pressure Iran into accepting US terms.
His refusal to extend the ceasefire — “maybe I won’t extend it” — adds to the pressure. The two-week truce mediated by Pakistan expires on Wednesday. If no deal is reached by then, Trump is signalling that the US may resume military operations.
Trump’s flat rejection of any tolls on the Strait of Hormuz — “Nope. No way” — closes the door on one potential compromise. Iran had sought to impose tolls on vessels transiting the strait; Trump is ruling that out categorically.
As technical teams prepare to meet in Islamabad, the clock is ticking. Trump has set a hard deadline. Whether the parties can reach a deal by Wednesday — and whether Trump will accept it — remains to be seen.
