President Donald Trump is threatening the “complete decimation” of Iran if peace talks in Pakistan fall apart.
Trump, 79, told the New York Post that he is readying the military to resume strikes on Iran, this time “at a higher level” than he unleashed in the past five weeks.
“We’re loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made—even better than what we did previously, and we blew them apart,” Trump told the Post.
He continued, “But we’re loading up the ships. We’re loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we use to do a complete decimation. And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively.”
The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional details on the administration’s intentions.
Trump’s interview came shortly after Vice President JD Vance boarded Air Force Two bound for Islamabad, Pakistan, where he is set to join special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner to negotiate a final peace deal with Iran before a two-week ceasefire lapses.
“We’re looking forward to the negotiation,” Vance said before entering the plane. “I think it’s gonna be positive. We’ll, of course, see... If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
The president says he expects a quick answer on whether peace can be achieved.
“We’re going to find out in about 24 hours,” he told the Post. “We’re going to know soon.”
That potentially sets Trump up for another round of weekend strikes on Iran should a peace deal not be agreed upon. His initial Feb. 28 strikes on Iran were carried out on a Saturday, and Trump has been accused of reserving his biggest military moves—including the early Saturday morning capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro—for when the markets are closed.
Gas prices, which spiked more in March than in any other month since 1967, have yet to decline significantly since a ceasefire was reached. The national average for a gallon of gas was $4.16 on Friday. The pre-war average in February was below $3.
Americans’ pain at the pump is due to the lack of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has largely shut down as a result of Trump’s strikes.
The opening of the vital waterway to commercial traffic, in addition to forcing Iran to hand over 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium, is expected to be central to peace discussions.
