US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran as the diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran has reached a critical deadlock over the terms of a durable peace agreement.
"I hope we don't have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit... I'm not sure yet. You'll know very soon," Trump said.
The Republican leader said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon because they would use it, as they are "extremely radicalised".
.@POTUS on Iran: "I hope we don't have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit... I'm not sure yet. You'll know very soon." pic.twitter.com/flrdqFP2ly
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 19, 2026
"There's no question in my mind that they'd use it, there's no question - and I deal with these people. They're extremely radicalised", he added.
Barak Ravid, a reporter for Axios, wrote in a post on X that Trump has said that renewed military strikes on Iran could happen in the next few days, and he will give Iran a "limited period of time" to make a deal.
"Trump on Iran strike timeline: "2-3 days, maybe Friday or Saturday, early next week. A limited period of time"", Ravid wrote on X.
Trump on Iran strike timeline: "2-3 days, maybe Friday or Saturday, early next week. A limited period of time"
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 19, 2026
The comment follows Trump's recent statement on Sunday that "the clock is ticking" for Iran to accept a peace deal with the United States and "there won't be anything left of them" if Tehran's leaders don't "get moving, FAST".
However, on Monday, Trump called off what he said was a scheduled attack on Iran on Tuesday. He said that he postponed the attack because "serious negotiations" were taking place towards a peace agreement.
Trump Held Off Iran Attacks At The Request Of Gulf Countries
Trump also said that he was holding off on fresh strikes at Iran at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
"We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I have put off attacking Iran for a little while, hopefully forever, on the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and some others (in the Gulf)," Trump said.
He said that he was "an hour" away from making a decision to restart attacks on Iran but put it off after receiving a call from interlocutors.
"I was an hour away. We were all set to go... it would have been happening right now," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Read | "Won't Be Anything Left Of Them": Trump's "Clock Ticking" Warning To Iran
However, Trump added he had instructed the US military to be "prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached".
Since the ceasefire took hold on April 8, Tehran and Washington have held a single round of talks, which failed to culminate in a deal.
All the while, Iran has maintained a tight grip over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.
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