‘I’m not sure if they ever get there’: President discusses Iran leadership chaos
President Trump doubled down on a theme that has become familiar throughout Operation Epic Fury: Iran’s disjointed and vacuous leadership problem
by Summer Lane | May 1, 2026
President Donald Trump shared a few updates on the Iran War on Friday, even as his administration has hit the integral 60-day deadline set forth in the War Powers Act.
“They want to make a deal,” he told reporters, “but I’m not satisfied with it. So, we’ll see what happens. Iran wants to make a deal because they have no military left, essentially, and they want to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied with it.”
The president also praised Pakistan, which has been acting as a key mediator in these negotiations. He did not, however, cast a rosy view of the diplomacy on Iran’s part.
“We’re doing everything, in terms of the negotiation…telephonically,” the president noted. “They’ve made strides, but I’m not sure if they ever get there. There’s tremendous discord, they’re having a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran, the leadership is very disjointed. They’ve got two to three groups, maybe four…with that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.”
This has been a repetitive theme throughout the conflict with Iran: internal chaos. Initial strikes in the region, at the behest of the U.S. and Israeli forces, killed several layers of internal Iranian leadership, creating a dangerous power vacuum.
“…Their leaders are all gone,” President Trump said in March. “The next set of leaders are all gone. And the next set of leaders are mostly gone. And now, nobody wants to be a leader there anymore. We’re having a hard time. We want to talk to them, and there’s nobody to talk to! …And you know what? We like it that way.”
The lack of organized leadership in Iran has made it difficult for the U.S. to get a unified answer on securing a peace deal in the region.
Now, President Trump must address the 60-day War Powers deadline, which pressures him to either withdraw from or wind down the conflict, or seek congressional approval to continue the war.
“Nobody’s ever sought it before,” he told reporters on Friday, referring to the needed congressional approval to extend the conflict. “Nobody’s ever asked for it before…why should we be different?”
He also told the press that the U.S. was “on our way to another victory – a big victory, and I don’t think that it’s constitutional, what they’re asking for…when they say, even the losers… admit that it’s been amazing what we’ve done. The Strait is totally shut down, it’s flawless…we’ve been dealing with Iran, they want to make a deal, they’re not there.”
And lastly, the president was asked about the military options on the table presented to him by U.S. Central Commander Adm. Brad Cooper in a recent briefing. “Well, there are options,” the president said. “Do we want to go in and just blast the hell out of them forever? Or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options.”
The president was asked if he wanted to “blast the hell out of” Iran.
“I’d prefer not,” Trump replied. “On a human basis, I’d prefer not.”
