Trump Says Terms for Deal with Iran 'Aren't Good Enough Yet'

6 hours ago 2

March 15, 2026 | 03:36 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, March 14, 2026, that he was unwilling to make a deal with Iran because "the terms aren't good enough yet." He would not, however, elaborate on what satisfactory terms for such a deal would be.

"Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet," he said in a phone interview with NBC News. When asked what terms he sought, he said, "I don't want to say that to you," but agreed they would involve Iran committing to abandoning its nuclear ambitions.

The president confirmed US forces carried out strikes on Kharg Island, home to an oil terminal that supplies the majority of Iran's oil exports.

"We totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun," Trump told the US broadcaster.

The US president also questioned whether Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive, though he also described news of his death as a "rumor."

"I'm hearing he's not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender," Trump said.

Trump also downplayed the soaring oil prices since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered the war.

"There's so much oil, gas—there's so much out there, but you know, it's being clogged up a little bit. It'll be unclogged very soon," the president added.

Trump and his administration have offered varying—and sometimes contradictory—explanations for why the US started the war with Iran and no coherent plan on how it could end.

Iran Continues to Strike Gulf States

Meanwhile, several Gulf states have reported continued Iranian missile and drone attacks, as the US-Israeli war with Iran drags on for a third week.

Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said six ballistic missiles were shot down over the Al Kharj governorate, which hosts the Prince Sultan Air Base.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said late on Saturday they had launched missiles at US forces stationed at the base.

In the UAE, where Iranian attacks have been the fiercest, air defenses in the emirate of Fujairah intercepted a drone whose fallen debris sparked a fire. The port of Fujairah is a key storage and transshipment hub, particularly for oil.

Kuwait and Qatar also reported strikes late on Saturday.

Read: Iran Claims Missile Strikes on US-Israeli Headquarters

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