WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was “open” to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian after Tehran sent a list of demands for terminating the war.
Speaking to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump said “very big things” would happen in the “not-so-distant future” and warned Iran that it “better behave”. He said he was weighing options that included reaching a deal, allowing Iran to face further economic pressure or taking military action.
“There the choices on the table for Iran included wiping them out, letting them rot economically, or making a deal,” Trump told Fox News, as Yingst said.
The US President said: “My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave.”
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday that Tehran had conveyed to Washington through mediators its conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which it has attempted to blockade throughout the Middle East war, AFP reported.
Iranian President Pezeshkian is expected to attend the UN General Assembly in New York this week and Trump was asked about meeting his Iranian counterpart, replying he would “probably be open” to it.
The US and Iran are locked in a tense standoff nearly seven months after Washington and Israel launched attacks on Tehran.
Trump told Axios on Thursday that he had a “big decision coming up,” over whether to “annihilate” Iran’s regime.
The US President on Sunday said some of the officials are “hiding like rats” and accused Tehran of failing to put people at the negotiating table who have the authority to strike a deal with the US.
The developments came as Trump abruptly cut short his weekend at Camp David, returning to the White House on Saturday night—a day earlier than originally scheduled. The White House did not provide an explanation for the sudden change in plans.
Meanwhile, the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect, putting additional pressure on Iran’s economy.
US Central Command said Saturday that American forces had escorted more than 1 billion barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months, while protecting more than 2,000 commercial vessel transits and helping clear shipping lanes of mines.
Update from CENTCOM Commander: pic.twitter.com/PTX6n9fn56
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 19, 2026
“Even with this progress, we remain clear-eyed and laser-focused as we work with our teammates in the U.S. interagency, as well as all six partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council, known as the GCC, as well as insurance and shipping companies to increase the volume of traffic flow through the Strait of Hormuz,” the commander of US Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper in a video released on Saturday morning on social media.
“The effort is paying off. The volume of crude oil, cargo and liquid natural gas these past two weeks is higher than at any point in the last six months,” he added.
