"I will deal with them until they make a deal," Trump told Fox News, when asked if he could deal with the current leadership in Iran, or if there needs to be another round of "regime change."
Trump added that Iranian negotiators told him that the United States would need to remove "nuclear dust" from destroyed Iranian facilities, since Iran allegedly lacks the technology to do so.
The escalation has nearly halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for the delivery of oil and liquefied natural gas from Persian Gulf countries to global markets, driving up fuel prices.
On May 3, Trump announced Project Freedom to assist ships blocked in the Strait of Hormuz and seeking to leave it. On May 5, Trump said he decided to pause the operation for a short period of time to see whether the peace deal with Iran can be achieved.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, causing damage and civilian casualties. On April 7, Washington and Tehran announced a two-week ceasefire. Subsequent talks in Islamabad ended inconclusively, and Trump extended the cessation of hostilities to give Iran time to come up with a "unified proposal."