"We will either achieve a deal or we will finish off this problem, that's it. And finishing the job is not difficult at all. Anyway, I still prefer a deal because I don't want to affect 91 million people," US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on 6/7.

He added, "We could take down their bridges within one hour, we could destroy their energy supplies. Now, they also have no money left. We haven't given them a dime."

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on 6/7. *Photo: AFP*

Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, dismissed the threat from the US President as "a delusion."

"The Iranian people are unaccustomed to the language of threats. So, speak to the Iranian people with respect, otherwise we will respond in a different language," Iranian state media quoted Zolqadr as stating.

President Trump's statement came after massive crowds flocked to Iran's capital, Tehran, last weekend to bid farewell to the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his family members, who were killed in a US-Israeli strike in late February.

The mourners chanted slogans demanding revenge as Iran's new leadership navigates reconstruction, trade recovery, and negotiations. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf emphasized diplomatic measures backed by a "fighting spirit" and battlefield advantages, while calling on the regional Islamic bloc to unite against pressure.

A ceasefire agreed in April helped prevent a resurgence of conflict, but the situation remains fragile. Mediated negotiations have helped establish a preliminary memorandum on the Strait of Hormuz, terms for sanctions relief, and nuclear restrictions. However, efforts towards a lasting peace agreement have yet to yield substantial results.

Vu Hoang (According to Reuters, AFP, AP)