Trump Threatened Iran With ‘Annihilation’ If It Doesn’t Reach a Deal. Tehran Doubled Down.

Iran said President Donald Trump's most recent threats against the country if a deal to end the war is not reached soon are a sign of "strategic desperation."

Iran's General Staff said that "such words demonstrate America's strategic dead end in its aggression against the Iranian nation, and the repetition of baseless claims and threats, given the exhaustion of the U.S. military, is not a sign of power but a sign of their strategic desperation."

In a statement published in the country's semi-official news agency Merh, the force added that the threats are also a tool for domestic propaganda rather than something based on realities on the ground.

Paraphrasing the statement, the outlet also noted that Iranian forces believe Trump's threat do not "change power calculations and will never compensate for America's diminished position in the new global order or its humiliating defeats in the war against Iran and the Resistance Front."

Trump said on Tuesday that U.S. and Iran officials met for three hours to discuss whether it is possible to end hostilities. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner represented the Trump administration, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Tehran delegation.

"Steve and Jared had a very productive meeting today with mediators of Iran," Trump said after the meeting and before seeing Arab Leaders. "I think there's a lot of momentum for them to make a deal. That's what we are hearing from everybody," he added.

Trump has also said he he would probably be open to meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Iranian official said the delegation flying to New York has full authority to conduct diplomatic talks, but Pezeshkian is not expected to meet with Trump at the moment.

At the same time, Trump also said he is in a "deciding mode" and "very big things" about the war will take place soon. "My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave," Trump said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also threatened to "shut down" Iranian airlines and sanction countries receiving the planes as of Wednesday.

The Iranian military also said its intelligence shows the U.S. preparing a new, large-scale strike against the country and warned of "painful retaliation" across the region. Countries deemed to be backing the strike would be considered as involved in the conflict, forces added.

Tehran also said it can reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a matter of seven days if it reaches a deal with the U.S. to ease military pressure and lift the blockade of its ports.