Iran's ‘last chance’ in peace talks?
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President Trump on Monday warned that it was Iran’s “last chance” to make a peace deal with the U.S. or face “decapitation” as he touted the most recent talks with Tehran.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the discussions with Iran are “not very complex” and “going to go quickly” this time around, claiming that the Strait of Hormuz could open fully “literally by tomorrow,” in what he claimed was “phase one” of an agreement.
That would be followed by a “second phase” of talks on Iran’s denuclearization, which the president acknowledged would “take a little while.”
Trump is seeking negotiations with Tehran after calling off airstrikes against Iran in favor of diplomacy, the fifth time he’s done so since April. He said Sunday the U.S. had “an attack planned that would have been the biggest attack since World War II” before Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar reached out to the U.S.
“Many, many countries called … and they all wanted to give this a last chance. This is a last chance,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Monday. “This is a last chance for them to sign a good document.”
Asked later what is different this time around, Trump replied, “I want to give them every last chance before decapitation.”
The president’s assurances come as Iran earlier on Monday pushed back on the claim it was negotiating on the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, saying it was only talking with Oman to set up a “temporary” route for vessels to pass safely through the vital shipping corridor.
Trump lashed out at that response, calling Iranian leadership “unbelievably duplicitous!” in a post to Truth Social.
The president’s frequent vacillation between threats to lay waste to Iran and a push for talks has cast doubt on the U.S. ability to strike a meaningful deal to end the conflict anytime soon.
Read the full report at thehill.com.
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future:
President Trump signed an executive order on Monday to form a new commission focused on improving the lives of military spouses and families and addressing the challenges they encounter. The new commission, called the President’s Military Spouse Commission, will be chaired by Jennifer Rauchet, the wife of the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It will advise the commander in chief on challenges faced by military …
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to win any notable converts in the Trump administration’s push for tens of billions of dollars to quickly inject into the Iran war, which has rapidly exhausted U.S. stockpiles and Pentagon coffers. The effort is further complicated by Republican senators losing confidence in Hegseth’s leadership of the U.S. military as the war with Iran drags into its sixth month …
President Trump late Saturday said he was halting an attack plan against Iran and pointed to the outline of a deal being reached as the reason why. “The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that …
GOP Sen. James Lankford (Okla.) argued Sunday that President Trump “has no desire” to bomb Iran, hours after the president halted planned strikes on the Middle Eastern country. “The president’s still focused on trying to be able to get a deal,” Lankford told host Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” The Oklahoma Republican later said, “We have the capability to be able to bomb them back to the Stone Age, but there’s no desire …
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You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
President Trump is pursuing renewed negotiations with Iran and framed the current talks as a final opportunity for Iran to reach agreement. He described the initial phase as addressing the Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor, with denuclearization to be addressed subsequently. Iran publicly clarified that its discussions are limited to establishing a temporary maritime transit arrangement with Oman, not broader negotiations. Trump has suspended planned military operations on multiple occasions since April in order to pursue talks. Disagreement over the scope and substance of negotiations remains apparent.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Defense and National Security newsletter
President Trump on Monday warned that it was Iran’s “last chance” to make a peace deal with the U.S. or face “decapitation” as he touted the most recent talks with Tehran.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the discussions with Iran are “not very complex” and “going to go quickly” this time around, claiming that the Strait of Hormuz could open fully “literally by tomorrow,” in what he claimed was “phase one” of an agreement.
That would be followed by a “second phase” of talks on Iran’s denuclearization, which the president acknowledged would “take a little while.”
Trump is seeking negotiations with Tehran after calling off airstrikes against Iran in favor of diplomacy, the fifth time he’s done so since April. He said Sunday the U.S. had “an attack planned that would have been the biggest attack since World War II” before Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar reached out to the U.S.
“Many, many countries called … and they all wanted to give this a last chance. This is a last chance,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Monday. “This is a last chance for them to sign a good document.”
Asked later what is different this time around, Trump replied, “I want to give them every last chance before decapitation.”
The president’s assurances come as Iran earlier on Monday pushed back on the claim it was negotiating on the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, saying it was only talking with Oman to set up a “temporary” route for vessels to pass safely through the vital shipping corridor.
Trump lashed out at that response, calling Iranian leadership “unbelievably duplicitous!” in a post to Truth Social.
The president’s frequent vacillation between threats to lay waste to Iran and a push for talks has cast doubt on the U.S. ability to strike a meaningful deal to end the conflict anytime soon.
Read the full report at thehill.com.
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future:
President Trump signed an executive order on Monday to form a new commission focused on improving the lives of military spouses and families and addressing the challenges they encounter. The new commission, called the President’s Military Spouse Commission, will be chaired by Jennifer Rauchet, the wife of the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It will advise the commander in chief on challenges faced by military …
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to win any notable converts in the Trump administration’s push for tens of billions of dollars to quickly inject into the Iran war, which has rapidly exhausted U.S. stockpiles and Pentagon coffers. The effort is further complicated by Republican senators losing confidence in Hegseth’s leadership of the U.S. military as the war with Iran drags into its sixth month …
President Trump late Saturday said he was halting an attack plan against Iran and pointed to the outline of a deal being reached as the reason why. “The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that …
GOP Sen. James Lankford (Okla.) argued Sunday that President Trump “has no desire” to bomb Iran, hours after the president halted planned strikes on the Middle Eastern country. “The president’s still focused on trying to be able to get a deal,” Lankford told host Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” The Oklahoma Republican later said, “We have the capability to be able to bomb them back to the Stone Age, but there’s no desire …
Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
ICE chief divests detention giant stocks, recuses himself from contracts: Warren
David Venturella, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sent a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) saying he has divested of his Geo Group stocks and “fully recused himself from all contracts and obligations related to detention.” The letter to Warren, …
Two key stories on The Hill right now:
President Trump said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro “choked” in her decision to drop charges against U.S. Olympian David Hearn in the Reflecting Pool … Read more
Senate Republicans say they see President Trump as a growing political liability as they try to hang on to control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm … Read more
You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
Trump stated Monday that Iran has a 'last chance' to reach a peace deal with the U.S. Trump said initial talks would address opening the Strait of Hormuz, potentially 'literally by tomorrow,' followed by a second phase on denuclearization. Trump claimed the U.S. had prepared "the biggest attack since World War II" before Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar requested diplomatic attempts. Iran stated it was only negotiating with Oman for a temporary shipping corridor, not broader peace terms. Trump called Iranian leadership 'unbelievably duplicitous' in response to Iran's clarification. Trump has called off planned military strikes against Iran five times since April. The president's alternating pattern of military threats and diplomatic offers has cast doubt on U.S. negotiating credibility.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
- Trump characterized ongoing Iran negotiations as Iran's 'last chance' for a peace deal, warning of military action as an alternative.
- Trump stated initial talks would focus on opening the Strait of Hormuz, with denuclearization discussions in a second phase.
- Iran disputed Trump's account, clarifying it was only negotiating with Oman for temporary shipping corridor access, not broader normalization.
- Trump has repeatedly halted planned military strikes against Iran in favor of diplomatic attempts since April 2025.
- The pattern of escalation rhetoric followed by diplomatic reversals has raised questions about negotiating credibility.