‘Biggest Surprise I Had’: Donald Trump On Iran's Attack On Gulf Nations

Last Updated:March 15, 2026, 12:05 IST

Iran launched missiles and drones at several countries in the Gulf region during the conflict, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

US President Donald Trump has said that he was “very surprised" that Iran decided to attack other Middle Eastern countries in response to the US-Israeli joint strikes beginning February 28, even as he claimed Tehran is ready to negotiate a deal to end the war.

In a telephone interview with NBC News, Trump said Iran appeared willing to negotiate but he was not ready to agree to a deal because the proposed terms were not acceptable.

“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet," Trump said, adding that any agreement to end the conflict would have to be “very solid."

Though Trump declined to reveal specific conditions for a potential ceasefire agreement, he indicated that a commitment by Iran to permanently abandon its nuclear ambitions would likely be a key requirement.

“He’s not interested in that right now, and we’re going to continue with the mission unabated. Maybe there’s a day, but not right now," a senior White House official told news agency Reuters.

Another senior White House official expressed similar views, saying that while new potential leadership in Iran has indicated they want to talk and eventually will talk, as Trump told them. “For now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated," he added.

The US President also said that he was caught off guard by Iran’s decision to retaliate against several countries in the region following the US and Israel airstrikes that began on February 28.

“I was very surprised," Trump said, describing Iran’s attacks on US allies in the Middle East as “the biggest surprise I had of this whole thing."

Iran launched missiles and drones at several countries in the Gulf region during the conflict, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Trump also claimed that US strikes had “totally demolished" most of Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, and warned that Washington could launch more attacks.

Meanwhile, the Iranian sources said Tehran has rejected efforts by several countries to negotiate a ceasefire until the US and Israel end their airstrikes and meet Iran’s demands, which include a permanent end to US and Israeli attacks and compensation as part of a ceasefire, news agency Reuters reported.

Trump has, so far, put forth varying estimates about the timeline of the conflict. While he initially said the American military campaign could last for 4–5 weeks, he has since insisted that American forces are “way ahead of schedule" and that there is “practically nothing left to target" in Iran.

(With inputs from agencies)

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