West Asia war: Trump says ‘we are going to take Iran’s nuclear dust’, slams NATO, UK; says China could do more

President Donald Trump on Sunday made a series of remarks on the ongoing tensions involving Iran, indicating the possibility of direct communication while also expressing confidence that the conflict could end soon.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said Iran could initiate dialogue with the United States, suggesting talks may even take place over the phone. “If Iran wants to talk, they can call us,” he said, adding that some of the individuals involved in current negotiations were “very reasonable,” while others were not.

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Trump expressed optimism about the trajectory of the conflict, stating he believes the Iran war “will come to an end very soon” and asserted that “we will be victorious.” He also said the US aims to address Iran’s nuclear capabilities as part of any negotiation, referring to plans to “take Iran’s nuclear dust.”

On global responses, Trump criticised allies, saying NATO “was not there for us on Iran.” He also referred to the United Kingdom’s stance, saying it had indicated it would send ships only after the war ends, which he described as “not good.”

Trump noted that China could have played a larger role, though he added he was “not overly disappointed,” stating the country “could help more” but “could have been much worse.”

The US president also referenced ongoing diplomatic engagement on other global conflicts, saying he has had conversations with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the Ukraine situation.

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Additionally, Trump mentioned that King Charles III is expected to visit, without providing further details.

Iran-US peace talks

Trump cancelled the scheduled trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner to Islamabad for a second round of direct talks, citing the 15-hour travel time, saying the US would not keep flying back and forth to deliver documents that were "not good enough."

"We're going to do it by phone. If Iran wants to talk, they can call us," Trump said yesterday in a post on Truth Social. He added that he hoped Iran would be "smart" and expressed confidence the conflict would end "very soon" with a US victory.

Trump said he had received a new proposal from Tehran, describing it as offering "a lot but not enough." He also said the US planned to take Iran's nuclear material as part of any final agreement. Trump noted that some of the Iranian interlocutors were "very reasonable" while others were not, reflecting longstanding US concerns about fractures within Iran's leadership and whether negotiators are empowered to decide on uranium enrichment.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad after a brief visit to Oman. Tehran had ruled out a direct meeting with American negotiators in Islamabad.