Video: The White House
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday that it must “sign a very fair deal” with the United States or it “won’t exist any longer,” speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn before departing for campaign stops in Texas and Oklahoma.
“Now I have to make a decision,” Trump told reporters. “They’ll either sign a very fair deal, or they won’t exist any longer.”
The president also said it was “possible” that Iran or its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was connected to the alleged attempt by a co-pilot to crash a FlyDubai passenger jet bound for Israel this week.
“I would say the answer based on what I’m hearing is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said — presenting the claim as preliminary and unverified. No official finding linking Iran to the incident has been announced.
In a striking admission, Trump also told reporters the ongoing Iran war could “possibly” cost Republicans the November midterm elections — though he argued it “should help” because, in his words, “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”
The remarks come as the administration escalates its campaign against Iran. This week the USS Theodore Roosevelt — a third U.S. aircraft carrier — was deployed to the region, the Treasury Department sanctioned Iran’s automotive and rail sectors, and Trump told Time magazine he had rejected Tehran’s latest peace offer as “not good enough,” saying he could resume bombing after the midterms.
The U.S. and Iran have been at war since February, when Trump ordered strikes on the country.
Footage: Official White House video, “President Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure from the White House, Oct. 1, 2026” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsZFFQocGsI. Used under 17 U.S.C. § 105 (U.S. federal government work, public domain).