President Trump warns Iran of ‘decapitation’ and gives a ‘last chance’ for a deal

WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump called off a planned weekend attack on Iran, and on Monday, offered what he described as a “last chance” for negotiations.

“I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” Trump said.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump insisted talks were underway and outlined a potential deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as early as Tuesday. The president said negotiations would follow on what he referred to as the “denuclearization of Iran,” which he noted would “take a while.”

The president said he held off on military strikes, which he described as “the biggest attack since World War II,” after Gulf allies and Iranian officials urged him to give diplomacy another opportunity.

“It was going to come last night, and it would have gone on for a long time, and there’d be essentially very little left. There’d be nothing left. And, if I’m given a chance to let a lot of people live, I want to give that chance,” Trump said.

On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied negotiating with the U.S. Tehran claimed that the country’s only current discussions are with Oman regarding a “temporary” safe route for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a social media post, Trump accused Iran’s leaders of being “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they privately requested talks while publicly denying they were happening.

This is not the first time Trump has threatened a major attack on Iran, then held off to allow more time for diplomacy.

Watch the latest developments on the Iran war: