US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that a deal with Iran had been close to completion before negotiations collapsed, accusing Tehran of derailing the process by launching an attack first.
“We had a deal two days ago. It was done. And then all of a sudden they couldn’t do it. They didn’t like something about the deal… They shot first. And that was a big mistake,” Trump said.
He further claimed that the United States had significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities.
“I think what we’ve done to Iran is we’ve taken away almost all of their military capability,” he said, describing Iran as “very difficult people.”
#WATCH | On Iran, US President Donald Trump says, “We had a deal two days ago. It was done. And then all of a sudden they couldn’t do it. They didn’t like something about the deal. They couldn’t do it. And they shot first. And that was a big mistake that they shot first because… pic.twitter.com/B7BUnYAn2I
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2026
Trump Teases ‘Very Big’ Announcement
Trump also hinted at a major announcement scheduled for Thursday night, describing it as “really, really big news.”
“It’s really big news. It’s really, really big news. And our country has to shape up. But that’s what we’re going to be talking about Thursday… it doesn’t get bigger, because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country,” he said.
However, he did not disclose further details about the planned announcement.
Trump On Lindsey Graham’s Death
Commenting on the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump said he believed the fatal medical emergency was linked to a rare hereditary condition rather than foul play.
“This is something that is very, almost undetectable and if it happens, there’s not much you can do about it… His father died of the same thing at about the same age,” Trump said.
Rejecting conspiracy theories surrounding the senator’s death, he added, “I don’t see a lot of evil there… I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing that.”
Trump On Strait Of Hormuz Policy
Trump also addressed US policy on the Strait of Hormuz, saying he had abandoned a proposal to impose a fee related to the strategic waterway after Gulf leaders instead offered major investments in the United States.
“It was never fair to me that we would be guarding the strait when we basically don’t take anything,” he said.
According to Trump, Gulf leaders suggested investing “billions and billions of dollars” in the US instead of supporting the proposed fee.
“They said, ‘We’d love to do it a different way. We’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars,” he said.
Trump added that Gulf states would invest “a tremendous amount of money” in the US and reiterated his opposition to charging fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I don’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the Strait… I think it’s actually much better,” he said.
