President Donald Trump, during his Cabinet meeting Thursday, said Iran has been "begging" for a deal following weeks of U.S.-Israel strikes under Operation Epic Fury.
Trump told reporters he wanted to "set the record straight" about ongoing negotiations.
"They are begging to make a deal—not me," Trump said. "And anybody that saw what was happening over there would understand why they want to make a deal."
He also described Iranian officials as "great negotiators" and said he was seeking an agreement that opens the Strait of Hormuz and shuts down Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Trump said Iran now has a chance to permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions and to join a new path forward, but suggested that a deal might not ultimately come together.
"I don't know if we'll be able to do that," he said about the prospects for a deal. "I don't know if we're willing to do that."
Trump said that Iran is in talks with the United States because they have realized they can't possibly make a comeback.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said during the Cabinet meeting that Iran was looking for an offramp because they don't have any other options. The U.S. has sent Iran a "15-point action list" as a basis for negotiations to end the current conflict, Witkoff said, adding that there are strong signs that Tehran was interested in making a deal.
"We will see where things lead, and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them other than more death and destruction," Witkoff told reporters.
He also confirmed that Pakistan was serving as a mediator in U.S.-Iran talks.
Trump urged Iran to make a deal to end U.S. and Israeli bombing or face more strikes on their country.
The United States welcomes a deal and Trump is the "ultimate dealmaker," War Secretary Pete Hegseth said during the Cabinet meeting. But until an agreement is reached, the military campaign will resume, and the United States will "continue negotiating with bombs," he said.
Hegseth noted that the United States has already heavily degraded Iran's military capability and Trump pointed out that the initial estimate to achieve that mission in Iran was three to four weeks.
"26 days in, we're extremely—really, a lot—ahead of schedule. The Iranian regime is now admitting to itself that they have been decisively defeated," Trump told reporters.