'I don't care about midterms': Trump vows Iran deal; says 'nobody controls Hormuz'

President Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to securing a ceasefire deal with Iran, insisting Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons while declaring that “nobody’s going to control” the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said he remains committed to securing a favourable ceasefire deal with Iran, asserting that he “won’t be outlasted” as he “doesn’t care about the midterm” elections.

Speaking during a cabinet meeting, Trump brushed aside concerns of war affecting the Republicans' performance at home and reiterated his resolve to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, arguing that the objective serves the higher purpose that will benefit the world.

"They thought they were going to outwait me, you know? We'll outwait him; he's got the midterms, I don't care about the midterms," he said.
"Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. I'm doing that for the world, not just for us," he added.

Also Read | ‘Iran will leave no act aggression unanswered’: Tehran vows response to US attacks

Referring to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the crucial waterway would remain “open to everybody”, adding that the issue continues to be a key part of the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

"It's international waters. Nobody's going to control it. We're going to watch over it. We'll watch over it, but nobody's going to control it," Trump said. "That's part of the negotiation that we have."

He further warned Oman against interfering in the Strait of Hormuz negotiations and dismissed the idea of a short-term deal that would hand Iran and Oman control over the strategically vital passage crucial to global oil and gas supplies.

"Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we'll have to blow 'em up," he said.

The US president reiterated that he believes Iranian leaders "want very much to make a deal".

While acknowledging that a diplomatic breakthrough has yet to be achieved, Trump expressed confidence that negotiations would eventually succeed, despite current progress falling short of expectations. "So far, they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be," Trump said.

However, he coupled his diplomatic optimism with a firm and uncompromising warning of possible unilateral action if negotiations were to completely fail, saying, “Either that or we'll have to finish the job.”

Meanwhile, the White House strongly rejected Iranian state television reports claiming that Tehran and Washington had agreed on a preliminary framework to end the ongoing hostilities in West Asia, calling the assertions a “complete fabrication”.

The Iranian state-backed broadcast had outlined an alleged Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), claiming the proposed framework required the United States to lift its naval blockade on Iran and scale back military deployments in Gulf waters in order to pave the way for a broader regional ceasefire.

The White House said in a post on X, "This report from Iranian-controlled media is not true and the MOU they 'released' is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what the Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER."

According to the unverified reports broadcast by Iranian state media, commercial shipping traffic through the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz was expected to return to pre-conflict levels within 30 days.

The reported arrangement was said to depend on several conditions, including the complete withdrawal of US military forces from areas surrounding Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, facilitating the movement of a significant share of global crude oil exports from the Persian Gulf to international markets.

Also Read | US military hits Iranian boats, missile launch sites in 'self-defence' strikes

With agency inputs...