Iran is facing total military destruction if Tehran does not agree to a deal, according to President Donald Trump.
The United States offered to end its blockade of Iranian ports and allow Iran to sell oil again if the Strait of Hormuz were reopened and cleared of seabed mines.
“They want very much to make a deal,” Trump said on May 27. “So far, they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be either that [satisfied], or we'll have to just finish the job.”
It was the Trump administration's 12th cabinet meeting and the press was in attendance.
"We're doing something that no administration's ever done," the president said. "We're always letting the press join us, because we're very open and transparent. We're more transparent than any administration in history."
If secured, a deal would restore commerce throughout the international waterway and impose a time limit on negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program as part of a new military operation called Project Freedom.
Project Freedom is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury, which stems from Trump pre-emptively striking Iran on Feb. 28, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli Defense Forces.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump reiterated. “I'm doing that for the world. I'm not doing it just for us and we've had great support from other nations, by the way. We don't need it at all, but we've had great support from other nations.”
The goals of Project Freedom include providing 24-hour protection with a red, white, and blue dome over the Strait of Hormuz, enforcing the U.S. blockade, ending Iran’s tolling system, and preventing potential shortages of energy worldwide.
The Strait is bordered by Iran, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“With Operation Epic Fury, our warriors are ensuring that the world's number one state sponsor of terror never obtains a nuclear weapon, and they won't,” Trump added.
Pakistan is mediating and facilitating communication between U.S. and Iranian officials.
“Their navy is gone,” Trump said. “Their air force is gone, everything's gone, and they're negotiating on fumes, but we'll see what happens.”
Trump was flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“This team has achieved more than most other administrations achieve in eight years,” Trump added.