Trump Says Decision Nearing on Iran: Deal or Military Action

US President Donald Trump indicated that a decision is approaching on whether to pursue a negotiated agreement with Iran or resume military attacks. Speaking at a campaign rally in Georgia on October 25, Trump said he needs to "stop killing Iranian leaders" to identify negotiation partners, while reiterating that Iran must never develop nuclear weapons.

Trump claimed that US military operations in 2025 and early 2026—which he named Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury—had severely degraded Iran's military capabilities and leadership structure. He stated that Iran's top leaders had been eliminated and that the country had lost its air force and navy. Trump defended his 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and said the US had "defeated them militarily, financially, and otherwise."

When asked by reporters about the possibility of another attack, Trump left both options open. "There's a possibility I will [attack]. There's also a possibility we'll have a nice, big, beautiful agreement," he said, adding that Iran wanted to make a deal but questioned whether Tehran would honor any agreement.

In response, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on October 27 that the responsibility for resolving the confrontation rested with the United States. He rejected military threats and media pressure as means to force Iran's surrender, saying "today's Iran is not the Iran of the humiliating Pahlavi era, but rather a strong fortress of self-confidence" that would not compromise on its rights. Ghalibaf said Iran would deliver "a response beyond their imagination" to any violation of Iranian territorial integrity, and that diplomatic statements from Washington would carry little weight without concrete policy changes and amends on past commitments.