Trump warns Iran: 'Last chance before decapitation'

President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Iran on Monday (local time), saying talks with Tehran are ongoing and warning that this is "the last chance" for the country to sign a deal.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had called off a strike on Iran at the request of Middle Eastern nations, and added: "We are currently in talks with Iran. This is their last chance to sign a good document."

"I want to give them every last chance before decapitation," Trump said. "We've already carried out a lot of large-scale strikes — those were ordinary large-scale strikes. I hope they come to their senses." The remarks were widely interpreted as a threat to launch a high-intensity assault, potentially including the elimination of Iran's leadership, if negotiations fail.

Trump also claimed that the strike he had been prepared to carry out last weekend — called off after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar urged restraint — would have been the largest military operation since World War II. The assertion fit his characteristic pressure tactic: warning adversaries that failure to reach a deal will bring consequences they cannot withstand.

Trump said negotiations with Iran would move quickly, and went on to say that the first step under discussion is the full opening of the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday. Denuclearization would come next, he added, though that process would take more time.

Trump also said he would not allow Iran to impose tolls on merchant vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said he was not under time pressure to reach a deal with Iran because he is not seeking a third term. The comment appeared aimed at deflecting domestic criticism that he was rushing toward an end to the war with Iran out of concern for the impact on November's midterm elections.

Trump said he called off a major strike against Iran on Saturday night at the request of Middle Eastern countries and urged Tehran to reach a swift agreement. Earlier that day, he had expressed frustration over what he described as Iran's duplicity — privately seeking negotiations while publicly denying it.

Meanwhile, Trump signed an executive order establishing a Military Spouses Council to support military families. Jennifer Hegseth, wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was named to lead the council. The move was seen as an effort to reassure service members and their families at a time when US casualties in the Iran war have been mounting.

Trump also lashed out at Washington, D.C., US Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she asked a court to drop charges against a man indicted for allegedly damaging an artificial pond in the capital. "That was a mistake. I'm really disappointed," he said.

Pirro had determined that the damage resulted from faulty construction rather than deliberate vandalism, but Trump stood firm that it was intentional. Pirro, a longtime Trump supporter who rose to prominence as a Fox News host, was appointed US Attorney for Washington, D.C., last year.