Trump Says Iran Is ‘Begging’ for a Deal, Calls Them ‘Lousy Fighters but Great Negotiators’
US President Donald Trump took a characteristically blunt shot at Iran on Monday, calling the country’s leadership “lousy fighters but great negotiators” and insisting it is Tehran, not Washington, that is desperate to end the conflict now entering its fourth week.
Speaking at the start of his first Cabinet meeting since the US entered the war with Iran, Trump pushed back hard against reports suggesting the administration was the one angling for a diplomatic off-ramp. “They’re begging to make a deal, not me,” he said.
Trump’s remarks were a mix of mockery and grudging respect. He dismissed Iran’s military performance while acknowledging its strategic shrewdness at the bargaining table. “They’re not fools, they’re very smart actually in a certain way,” he said. “I say they’re lousy fighters but they’re great negotiators.”
🔥🚨LMFAO! President Trump just ROASTED Iran with this absolute banger:
"I say they're lousy fighters but great negotiators. They're BEGGING to work out a deal!"
Trump is calling it exactly like it is — the regime is getting crushed militarily, and now they’re desperate to… pic.twitter.com/bRPjKi0TS7— The Patriot Oasisâ„¢ (@ThePatriotOasis) March 26, 2026
Even as Trump insisted Iran was pushing for talks, he stopped well short of committing to any engagement. “They are begging to work out a deal,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that. I don’t know if we’re willing to do that.”
Iranian officials, for their part, have denied that any negotiations are underway and say no formal talks have been initiated, despite ongoing backchannel speculation.
Trump also suggested that Iran had already missed its window. “They should have done that four weeks ago,” he said a remark that implied whatever terms may have been on the table earlier are no longer available.
The comments come amid a broader set of statements from Trump that ranged across foreign and domestic issues. He criticized NATO allies for staying out of the conflict, pushed congressional Republicans to move aggressively on legislation, and blamed Democrats for a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security.