President Donald Trump went all over the news media today to declare that a breakthrough to peace would be announced by Sunday afternoon, but if that doesn’t happen, the U.S. would blow Iran to kingdom come. [He told CBS News](tps://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-iran-war-negotiations-draft-agreement-strait-of-hormuz/) that negotiators for the United States and Iran are “getting a lot closer” to finalizing an agreement between the two countries. Trump said that if the U.S. and Iran do not come to an agreement, “we’re going to have a situation where no country will ever be hit as hard as they’re about to be hit.”
In a separate interview with Axios’ Barak Ravid, Trump said it was a “solid 50/50” as to whether he would be able to make a “good” deal or else “blow them to kingdom come.”
In neither interview would Trump get into the details about the potential agreement other than to say he believed it would prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Both the CBS and Axios reports indicate that Trump had not yet made a decision and he was still consulting with advisors and foreign leaders.
Earlier in the day, Trump held a conference call with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan on Iran. “The call was very positive. Good progress is being made,” a regional diplomat told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. “Regional leaders were supportive of the progress and of the breakthrough President Trump achieved with the talks,” the diplomat added.
Press accounts late Friday were pointing in the opposite direction. Trump convened a meeting with his senior national security team on the war with Iran on Friday morning, reported Barak Ravid of Axios. “Trump is seriously considering launching new strikes against Iran barring a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations, sources who have spoken directly with the president say,” Ravid wrote. Present at the meeting were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and other officials attended the meeting along with Trump. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Dan Caine were both out of town.
Several hours after the meeting, the White House announced a change to Trump’s schedule for the weekend: Trump canceled plans to spend the weekend at his Bedminster, NJ golf club and is staying in Washington instead. He also canceled plans to attend his son Don, Jr’s wedding. due to “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America.”
“I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time,” he wrote on Truth Social.