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Donald Trump said on Friday night he was “not satisfied” by the deals offered by Tehran thus far and suggested that “maybe we’re better off not making a deal”.
“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” the US president told reporters.
Later in the night, during an event at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, Trump questioned whether or not he even wanted to reach a deal.
“I’m so busy with the Iranians calling trying to make a good deal and we’re not going to let that happen. They’ve got to make a bad deal. Maybe we’re better off not making a deal at all,” he said.
Despite all the talk of deals and ongoing negotiations, Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday declaring that the “hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated”.
The message effectively skirted a 60-day deadline the president faced on Friday, which required him to gain congressional approval to continue the conflict with Iran.
“Despite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a lasting peace, the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our Armed Forces remains significant,” he added.
This came after the president told reporters earlier in the day that he was “not happy” with the latest proposal for peace from Iran, outlining options to either “blast them away or make a deal”.
Trump: ‘You cannot give Iran a nuclear weapon’
On Friday, President Donald Trump told a crowd in Florida that “you cannot give Iran a nuclear weapon,” insisting that Tehran would immediately use it against Israel and others.
“They would use it on a place called Israel very quickly, and they would use it in the Middle East, and they’d use it in Europe. And I guess we’d be next.”
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 05:34
Watch: Trump says he thinks it’s ‘treasonous’ to say US is not winning war in IranTrump says he thinks it’s ‘treasonous’ to say US is not winning war in Iran
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 05:25
What are Trump’s options for Iran after ‘final blow’ briefing?
Sources with knowledge of the discussions told Axios that US Central Command has drawn up a plan for a “short and powerful” wave of strikes on Iran, likely including infrastructure targets.
Other options reportedly under consideration were taking over part of the Strait of Hormuz in an operation that could see the deployment of ground forces.
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 05:15
New report claims majority of US bases in the Middle East were damaged by Iran
A source speaking to CNN said that they’d “never seen anything like this before.”
“These are rapid, targeted strikes with [advanced] technology,” the source reportedly told the network.
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 05:10
US Treasury warns shippers not to pay Hormuz tolls, even in form of charity
Any shippers paying tolls to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organisations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, are at risk of punitive sanctions, the US Treasury warned on Friday.
Tehran has proposed fees or tolls on vessels passing through the Strait, as part of proposals to end the war with Israel and the United States.
The advisory, from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, said the US is aware of Iranian threats to shipping and demands for payments to receive safe passage through the Strait.
The warning came as Iran sent its latest proposal for negotiations with the US to Pakistani mediators, a move that could improve prospects for breaking an impasse in efforts to end the Iran war.
OFAC said demands may include several payment options, including fiat currency, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments, such as nominally charitable donations made to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Bonyad Mostazafan, or Iranian embassy accounts.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage,” it said.
“These risks exist regardless of payment method.”
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 05:05
At least 14 Revolutionary Guard members killed after leftover bombs explode – report
An explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the US-Israeli war against Iran killed 14 members of the Revolutionary Guard, Iranian media reported Friday.
A report by the Nournews website, believed to be close to Iran’s security apparatus, said the explosion happened near the northern city of Zanjan, northwest of Tehran.
It was the largest number of Revolutionary Guard members reported to be killed since the ceasefire began on 7 April. The report said the ammunition included cluster bombs and air mines dropped during the fighting.
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 05:04
Trump rejects Iran’s new proposal for negotiations
On Friday, Iranian state news agency IRNA said Tehran had sent its latest proposal for negotiations with the US to Pakistani mediators. Trump swiftly rejected it.
The president formally notified Congress of the conflict 48 hours after the first airstrikes two months ago, starting the 60-day clock that ends 1 May.
As the date approached, congressional aides and analysts said they expected the Republican president to sidestep the deadline.
A senior Trump administration official had said on Thursday the administration’s view was that the war powers law deadline did not apply.
Trump said he considered the war powers law unconstitutional. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have contended the measure violated the Constitution because it sets limits on the president’s powers as commander-in-chief.
Legal experts say the matter has not been decided by the courts.
“We had a ceasefire, so that gives you additional time,” Trump said before leaving Washington for Florida.
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 04:56
Trump claims US has destroyed ’85 percent’ of Iran’s missile manufacturing power
President Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters in Florida that the US military has destroyed “85 percent” of Iran’s missile manufacturing capacity, and “most” of the nation’s drone capacity.
“But again, their military – they have some missiles left. They have some missile making capacity left. We’ve knocked out about 85 percent of their manufacturing capacity for new missiles,” he said.
“We knocked out most of their drone making factories, but they have some drone capacity left.”
(Reuters)
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 04:48
Trump says US could leave Iran ‘today’ but he wants to ‘do it totally right’
President Donald Trump told a crowd in Florida that the US could leave Iran “today” but he wants to stay to “do it totally right.”
“We could leave [Iran] right now, right now. If we left right now, it would take them 20 years, 25 years, to rebuild the place. But we’re not doing it because we have to do it totally right,” he said.
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 04:45
Trump says he ‘didn’t know’ he’d be using the military in his second term, but said ‘certain things’ must be done
President Donald Trump took credit for rebuilding the military and said he did not know he’d be using it as much during his second term.
“I rebuilt the military in my first term, and I didn’t know I’d be using it as much my second term, but we have certain things have to be done,” he said.
Arpan Rai2 May 2026 04:41