Trump pressures Iran: Capitulation or consequences

Tensions between Washington and Tehran are escalating sharply as President Donald Trump openly questions why Iran has not “capitulated” under mounting U.S. military pressure aimed at forcing a new nuclear agreement.

Speaking to Fox News, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump is “astonished” that Iran has not yielded despite the deployment of significant American naval power in the Gulf, including two aircraft carriers. 

“Why, under this pressure, with that maritime force sitting there, haven’t they come to us and said: ‘We don’t want the bomb, here’s what we’re prepared to do’?” Witkoff asked. He acknowledged, however, that pushing Tehran to that point remains difficult.

The comments come after a second round of indirect talks near Geneva, mediated by Oman, as Washington intensifies both diplomatic engagement and military signaling. Trump has reportedly given Iran a 15-day ultimatum to reach a deal, warning that “bad things” would happen otherwise.

In a striking move, Witkoff also confirmed he met Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, on instructions from the president. 

The meeting fuels speculation about Washington’s broader strategy. Pahlavi, who has positioned himself as a pro-democracy alternative to the Islamic Republic, recently declared his readiness to lead Iran toward a “democratic and secular future.” Trump himself has hinted that regime change “would be the best thing that could happen” to Iran.

Tehran, for its part, insists it seeks a swift agreement, on terms that serve both sides. 

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has expressed willingness to reach a “rapid deal,” even as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that Trump “will not succeed in destroying the Islamic Republic.”

The nuclear stakes are high. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is enriching uranium to 60% purity, far above the 3.67% limit set under the 2015 deal and dangerously close to weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran remains the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich at such a high level.

At the same time, Tehran is under intense economic strain. Decades of sanctions have battered the economy, fueling chronic inflation and a plunging rial. The economic crisis has sparked waves of protests, adding domestic pressure to the regime’s external standoff.

With warships in position, deadlines ticking, and political rhetoric hardening on both sides, the coming days may determine whether diplomacy prevails, or whether the standoff spirals into a far more dangerous confrontation.