Trump offers Iran rare 'credit', vows US will 'hit them very hard' as war reaches 5-month mark

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Friday, July 31, said that he gives Iran "credit" for continuing to fight despite months of conflict, while also providing an update on the status of negotiations between Washington and Tehran. 

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump said senior administration officials remain engaged in talks with Iran, though he accused Tehran of repeatedly misrepresenting what is discussed during the negotiations. His remarks came as reports also surfaced that the US is planning additional strikes on Iran in coordination with Israel, amid escalating tensions in the region.

Trump credits Iran's resilience despite months of conflict

When asked how many more military strikes it would take to significantly weaken Iran, Trump said the country had continued resisting despite suffering major military losses.

"Well, you never know. Most people would've given up by now," the 80-year-old said. "They've got no Navy. They got no Air Force, so most people would've given up. They haven't, so I give them credit for that." He added, "They are known as being tough. They're tough."

Despite acknowledging Iran's resilience, Trump reiterated that the US' objective remained preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. "We just wanna win," he said, arguing that Iran's military capabilities had been significantly degraded. "They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and they can't have a nuclear weapon."

The president also defended his decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, saying that had the US remained in the deal, Iran would already possess a nuclear weapon. He argued that such an outcome could have threatened Israel and destabilized the wider Middle East.

Trump further signaled that military pressure would continue, saying, "We'll be hitting them very hard. And, you know, at some point, they're gonna say, 'We just can't take it anymore.'"

Trump says Witkoff, Vance and Rubio remain engaged in Iran negotiations

Despite the recent military escalation, Trump said diplomatic discussions with Tehran remain underway and identified several senior administration officials involved in the talks.

"Steve is talking, Jared, we have very good people. JD's involved, very strongly involved. Marco's involved," he said, referring to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "We have the best people talking."

The president said, however, that he was growing frustrated with what he described as Iran's handling of the negotiations. "They break their word so often," Trump remarked. He claimed that after lengthy meetings focused on Iran's nuclear program, Iranian officials would publicly deny that the issue had even been discussed.

"We'll be in there talking about nuclear for seven hours... and then they'll go out, and I'll say they discussed nuclear. And they'll go out and they'll say, 'We never discussed nuclear.' All they do is make me angry," he said. Trump also questioned whether a deal could ultimately be reached, saying he was "losing faith" because Iran "do lie, and they do misrepresent."