Trump Threatens to 'Finish the Job' in Iran Amid Nuclear Negotiations

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the United States would either reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran or resort to military action, warning that Washington could destroy Iran's critical infrastructure within hours. Speaking to reporters, Trump said, 'We are going to win one way or the other. We're either going to make a deal, or we're going to finish the job.'

Trump emphasized a preference for a negotiated settlement, saying, 'I'd rather make a deal because I don't want to affect 91 million people. We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply, all of those big plants that they've built.' He claimed the US could eliminate Iran's electricity and power generation facilities 'in a small part of an afternoon.'

The remarks come days after Trump told Axios that Washington could eliminate Iran's surviving leadership in 'one shot,' referencing senior officials gathered for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli air strikes on February 28. Trump indicated the US kept diplomatic channels open despite military capabilities, saying, 'One shot, but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with.'

Iran condemned Trump's statements on Sunday. The Iranian Embassy in Armenia posted on X, criticizing the US for lacking 'civilisation, history, nor honour.' The embassy added, 'People can be killed, but ideals cannot. You killed Ayatollah Khamenei, but in reality, you broke a perfume bottle whose scent spread everywhere.'

Meanwhile, Khamenei's body arrived in Qom, transported by helicopter. Iranian state media aired footage of the helicopter over Jamkaran Mosque. The funeral procession is scheduled to continue in Qom on Tuesday before moving to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.