Trump says Iran gave the US an oil-and-gas prize “related to the flow” of the strait, Hegseth admits “we negotiate with bombs,” a 15-point US demand document surfaces — and Israel fears it will be left exposed by a weak deal
By TRH World Desk
New Delhi, March 25, 2026 — US President Donald Trump declared the Iran war effectively over on Tuesday, telling reporters the United States has already achieved “regime change” in Tehran, that Iran handed Washington a major oil-and-gas concession tied to the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran has agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons programme — even as his own Defence Secretary boasted that America “negotiates with bombs,” and Israel’s Prime Minister privately showed alarm that a weak deal is taking shape.
The “gift” and the strait
Trump was characteristically dramatic about the breakthrough. “They gave us a present and the present arrived today. It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money,” he told CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs. Asked if it was related to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump confirmed it was “related to the flow” and the strait itself. “We will have control of anything we want,” he said.
He framed the outcome in maximalist terms. “We have, really, regime change. The leaders are all very different than the ones that we started off with, that created all those problems.” He said Iran had agreed to no nuclear weapons — “It starts with no nuclear weapons, and they have agreed to that. There won’t be any.”
The negotiating team — and the bombers
Trump identified his negotiating team as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear the military considers itself part of the same process. “We see ourselves as part of this negotiation as well,” Hegseth said, adding: “We negotiate with bombs.”
Trump then revealed — apparently with some amusement — that both Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine were “quite disappointed” when he suggested the conflict could be settled soon.
The 15-point document
Behind the scenes, the shape of US demands has hardened considerably. Reuters journalist Phil Stewart reported a 15-point US document — cited by Israel’s Channel 12 — that demands no uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, full decommissioning of the Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow nuclear plants, an end to Iranian funding of regional proxies, and a “free maritime zone” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Netanyahu’s fear
Israel is not celebrating. Citing two Israeli sources, journalist Barak Ravid reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is deeply concerned Trump may strike a deal that falls well short of Israel’s objectives, includes significant concessions to Tehran, and — critically — limits Israel’s ability to conduct future strikes against Iran independently.
Journalist Murtaza Hussain offered the sharpest dissent. A negotiated deal, he argued on X, would likely produce detailed intelligence on Iran’s nuclear facilities through inspections — intelligence that would then be used to target those facilities after a future administration tears up the agreement and reimpose sanctions. “If this sounds overly cynical,” he wrote, adding: “it’s exactly what happened last time.”
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