US, Iran trade threats, Trump says Tehran wants peace deal
large anti-American banner that reads in Persian, "Our cannons are full", referring to the Strait of Hormuz, is placed across a bridge that spans the a highway in Tehran on May 12, 2026.(AFP)
President Donald Trump warned on May 19 that the United States may strike Iran again — a day after he said he had held off a major assault in hopes of a peace deal — but Tehran's army threatened to open "new fronts" if he went ahead.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been just "an hour away" from relaunching Washington's attacks on Iran before postponing the order after weeks of a fragile ceasefire and talks to end the war, which began on February 28.
"You know how it is to negotiate with a country where you're beating them badly. They come to the table; they're begging to make a deal," he said.
