President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Iran appears to have abandoned its pursuit of nuclear weapons. He noted that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are at the forefront of peace discussions.

Trump mentioned that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was less enthusiastic about reaching a diplomatic conclusion as the conflict enters its fourth week. “Pete didn’t want it to be settled,” Trump commented.

Just a day prior, Trump disclosed a temporary five-day pause on U.S. attacks targeting Iranian energy facilities. This move, accompanied by discreet negotiations with Tehran through intermediaries, suggests that Trump might be exploring avenues to de-escalate tensions.

However, despite ongoing talks, the U.S. is contemplating the deployment of approximately 3,000 troops to bolster a potential ground invasion, supplementing the thousands of Marines already stationed in the Middle East.

As Trump provided updates on the situation with Iran, he also oversaw the swearing-in of former Senator Markwayne Mullin, who will succeed Kristi Noem as the head of the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump gave an update on Iran as he swore in ex-Senator Markwayne Mullin to take over the Department of Homeland Security from the ousted Kristi Noem.

In the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, he was asked what made him start pursuing a ceasefire when he previously spoke of wanting to continue bombing Iran.

‘They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense,’ the President replied.

He explained that the priority of the conflict was to ensure Iran didn’t build a nuclear weapon.

‘I don’t want to say in advance, but they’ve agreed they will never have a nuclear weapon,’ Trump said.

President Donald Trump gave an update on the Iran war during a swearing-in ceremony for Senator Markwayne Mullin who is now the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles have advised Trump on the war

When the President was asked if he planned to send envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to conduct direct negotiations with Iran, Trump answered that the US was already doing just that.

‘We’re in negotiations right now. They’re doing it along with Marco, JD. We have a number of people doing it. And the other side, I can tell you, they’d like to make a deal,’ Trump said. 

Both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considered top candidates for the 2028 GOP nomination. 

Trump has been cagey about who the US is speaking to in Iran, as droves of leaders of the Islamic Regime have been killed in the joint Israeli and US strikes.

‘We killed all their leadership and then they met to choose new leaders and we killed all of them. And now we have a new group and we can easily do that but let’s see how they turn out,’ Trump said.

The President continued to refuse to name names, but he said Iranian leaders the US is dealmaking with gave the country a ‘present.’

‘They did something yesterday that was amazing. Actually, they gave us a present and the present arrived today and it was a very big present, worth a tremendous amount of money,’ Trump said. ‘And I’m not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize and they gave it to us.’ 

Trump said that gesture signaled one thing to him. 

First aid responders arrive to the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on March 24, 2026. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2

A plume of smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an update on the Iran war from the Oval Office, with President Donald Trump revealing that Hegseth doesn’t want the war to end 

‘We’re dealing with the right people,’ he stated. 

When a reporter guessed that it was nuclear related, Trump pushed back. 

‘It was oil and gas related and it was a very nice thing they did,’ the President said. 

Another reporter asked if the ‘present’ was related to the Strait of Hormuz, the major shipping lane where Iran has been mounting attacks.

‘Yeah, it was related to the flow and to the Strait, yeah,’ Trump answered. 

Trump had previously bashed NATO members, some of the US’s most important allies, for not volunteering to help patrol the Strait amid the Iranian attacks. 

The President also had Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who was attending the swearing-in ceremony, briefly give an update on ‘military operation’ in Iran.

‘People don’t like me using the word war,’ Trump joked. ‘So I won’t, but the Democrats call it a war.’ 

After Hegseth’s update, that’s when the President revealed that the Pentagon chief didn’t want the war to end. 

‘You know the only two people who were quite disappointed, I don’t want to say this but I have to – Pete and General “Raizin” Caine,’ Trump said, referencing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.