Trump warns Iran: close Strait, get destroyed

Trump threatens – President Donald Trump reportedly delivered a blunt warning to Iranian negotiators during ongoing talks to end the U.S.-Iran conflict, saying any Iranian effort to close the Strait of Hormuz would lead to Iran’s destruction and even that he may take over the w

President Donald Trump’s message to the Iranian delegation landed with a brutality rarely seen in the language of diplomacy. During talks aimed at ending the war between the United States and Iran. Trump reportedly called Iranian negotiators over the weekend and warned that any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s critical shipping passage—would mean Iran’s destruction.

As reported. Trump told the negotiators: “You close it. and you won’t have a country. ” adding. “You won’t even make it back to your f**king country.” In the same remarks described in the account. he said. “We may take over the Strait. if we have to. ” and threatened that if Iran did not make a deal. the United States would “collect…”—a suggestion of coercion backed by military power.

The language did not come out of nowhere. The Trump administration is pressing for concessions. and one of the central sticking points is Iran’s refusal to stop enriching uranium. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that he has no intention to halt Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. a key demand for the administration. In the telling shared by Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, Pezeshkian’s hardline stance prompted Trump’s own tougher talk.

The weekend calls unfolded while the broader diplomatic track is underway. The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this week, and Vice President JD Vance is currently in Switzerland, working to hammer out a long-term peace deal with Iranian officials.

Even as Washington says it is seeking a settlement. the rhetoric coming from the president and from his political allies has emphasized control through force. The reported warning included a direct threat tied to Lebanon’s fighting as well: the account says Trump told Iran’s leaders. “He better watch his mouth or we’ll take over the rest of the country. ” and warned of further escalation in response to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

That escalation theme didn’t stay contained to the president. Speaking to CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham echoed Trump’s approach—describing a scenario in which negotiations fail and the United States takes control of the Strait of Hormuz. Graham speculated that the U.S. would “take the Strait of Hormuz over by force” and, if Iran contests control, he said, “we’ll obliterate them.”.

Graham also said the United States would attack Iran directly in response to any future Hezbollah attacks on Israel.

By the time the weekend warnings were described, the diplomatic groundwork already existed on paper. But the new. harsher language—direct threats tied to a shipping chokepoint and to retaliation over regional conflict—has turned negotiations into something closer to a test of endurance. with the Strait of Hormuz sitting at the center of both leverage and risk.

For now. the situation rests on whether talks can produce the kind of concessions the Trump administration wants. against a background where Pezeshkian has already signaled he will not halt nuclear enrichment. and where Trump’s reported message makes clear how he intends to pressure a deal: control. or destruction.

United States politics Trump Iran negotiations Strait of Hormuz JD Vance Masoud Pezeshkian nuclear enrichment Israel Hezbollah Lindsey Graham Switzerland talks memorandum of understanding