‘One last chance’: The times Trump threatened Iran, said deal imminent

Just implicit 1 period into the warfare connected Iran, US President Donald Trump made an apocalyptic menace that raised the alarm successful Washington and Middle Eastern capitals alike, attached to a choky deadline.

If Iran didn’t instantly reopen the captious Strait of Hormuz, Trump warned connected April 7, “a full civilisation volition dice tonight, ne'er to beryllium brought backmost again”.

Tehran didn’t blink. And with 2 hours to the deadline, Trump walked backmost the menace and alternatively announced a two-week ceasefire, brokered by Islamabad.

Since then, the US president has repeated this signifier aggregate times. It goes similar this: Trump ups the ante, shaking up the markets, and past dials it backmost down astatine the 11th hour, seemingly hoping this strategy volition power negotiations.

On Monday, Trump again insisted that negotiations were adjacent to ending the warfare – and, yet again, gave “duplicitous” Iran “one past chance” to marque a woody oregon endure catastrophic strikes.

For its part, Tehran denies immoderate ongoing talks with the US, saying it is lone talking to Oman astir however to negociate the Hormuz strait, the closure of which has caused lipid prices to soar amid havoc successful vigor markets astir the world.

The warfare is present successful its 23rd week, with nary extremity to hostilities successful sight, and some Washington and Tehran are much entangled than before, with further variables successful the struggle that could find its direction.

So, however galore times has Trump fixed Iran “one past chance” to marque a woody oregon endure the consequences, earlier walking his menace back? And however galore times person we heard from the US president that a woody is conscionable astir the corner?

US President Donald Trump gestures aft stepping disconnected Air Force One upon accomplishment astatine Morristown municipal airdrome successful Morristown, New Jersey, connected July 31, 2026 [Aaron Schwartz/AFP]

The times Trump threatened dense attacks – earlier backing down

There person been respective times since February 28, erstwhile the US and Israel launched their archetypal associated attacks connected Iran, that Trump has threatened an onslaught but did not travel through.

March

Less than a period into the war, Trump threatened Tehran implicit its closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the US would onslaught Iran’s powerfulness plants if the captious waterway was not reopened. Two days later, helium postponed the strikes for 5 days, citing “progress” successful talks.

As the delayed deadline neared connected March 26, Trump delayed the strikes again, this clip for 10 days, claiming that Tehran requested it.

April

Then came the April 7 menace that a full “civilisation volition die”, earlier Trump called disconnected those strikes and announced a two-week ceasefire, to springiness Iran a accidental to scope a bid deal.

No woody emerged. And then, aft threatening to onslaught Iran “harder”, and successful the last hours of the ceasefire, connected April 21, Trump announced an indefinite ceasefire, saying Pakistani mediators had asked him to bash so.

May

With those talks making nary progress, Trump returned to his threats to onslaught Iran connected May 17, saying “nothing volition beryllium left” of Iran if Tehran did not marque a woody with the US.

But the adjacent day, Trump again told reporters that helium had decided to “put it disconnected for a small while, hopefully possibly forever, but perchance for a small while, due to the fact that we’ve had precise large discussions with Iran”.

By May 27, US strikes were backmost connected aft negotiations faltered, erstwhile again.

June

On June 11, aft 2 days of back-and-forth strikes, Trump threatened the US would instrumentality “total control” of Iran’s lipid and state industries. But then, a fewer hours later, helium posted connected societal media, claiming determination had been a breakthrough successful negotiations and called disconnected the attacks.

On June 17, the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), announcing a ceasefire and a 60-day play to implicit negotiations for a lasting peace. Within days, that had fallen isolated implicit the glaring gaps successful the 2 sides’ positions implicit the contents of the MoU, triggered chiefly by who had power of the Strait of Hormuz – and some sides returned to tit-for-tat, widening strikes.

July-August

On July 27, Trump halted the strikes, claiming the “perimeters of a deal” had been agreed to, but noting that Washington “is locked and loaded and acceptable to spell against the Islamic Republic of Iran, astatine levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II”.

On Monday this week, Trump told reporters again that negotiations were adjacent to ending the warfare and that this was Iran’s “last accidental earlier decapitation”. The US has not followed up connected this latest menace yet.

Iran denies it is talking to the US, though it whitethorn beryllium holding indirect talks via mediators, analysts say.

US President Donald Trump looks connected during an announcement astir Dulles International Airport renovations successful the Oval Office of the White House successful Washington, DC connected July 29, 2026 [AFP]

The times Trump said Iran bid woody was imminent

Trump has insisted that Iran is “desperate” to chopped a deal, oregon that a woody is imminent, aggregate times since the commencement of the war.

March

Two days aft launching the archetypal attacks connected Tehran connected February 28, which the US initially appeared to judge would beryllium a speedy operation, Trump seemingly conceded it mightiness instrumentality a spot longer erstwhile helium said astatine the White House: “We projected 4 to 5 weeks [to extremity Iran war], but we tin spell acold longer than that.”

The US president changed tack again connected March 9, erstwhile helium told CBS that “the warfare is precise complete, beauteous much”, and that the US subject cognition was “way up of schedule”.

Later the aforesaid day, helium shifted his stance again, saying the warfare is “both implicit and conscionable beginning”. And aboriginal that time again, helium said: “We’ve already won successful galore ways, but we haven’t won enough.”

On March 23, Trump told reporters extracurricular Air Force One that “major points of agreement, I would accidental – astir each points of agreement” had been reached with Iran. Tehran was denying that it was enactment to negotiations astatine this point.

Two days aft that, Trump repeated that Iran wanted to “make a woody truthful badly”. The adjacent day, helium besides told a furniture gathering that Iran was “begging to marque a deal”.

April

On April 7, Trump said, again, that Washington was “very adjacent to a deal” with Iran, earlier threatening to stroke up a “whole civilisation”, but past walked backmost connected that to denote a ceasefire the adjacent day.

Over the pursuing days, passim April, Trump reiterated that the warfare was, successful fact, beauteous overmuch over. But it continued.

Trump repeatedly claimed connected abstracted occasions that Iran had “agreed to everything”, that “I deliberation we volition get a woody successful the adjacent time oregon two”, and that “I don’t deliberation there’s excessively galore important differences” betwixt the US and Iranian positions.

May

On May 23, Trump said the medication was “getting a batch closer” to a deal, which was “largely negotiated, [and] taxable to finalisation”.

June

On June 8, Trump called for “total victory” successful the adjacent 2 weeks and claimed Iran was “willing to springiness america everything”. Still, nary bid woody has materialised and the struggle began again successful July.

August

On Monday this week, Trump again told reporters that Iran was “desperate” for a woody and warned Tehran it had “one past chance” earlier “decapitation” to marque an agreement. Iran denies it is adjacent holding talks with the US, saying that it is lone speaking with Oman astir absorption of the Strait of Hormuz.