Strangest White House week yet with Netanyahu, coal, Epstein row & Vance's ‘Armenian genocide’ gaffe

U.S. President Donald Trump is signaling a hard‑line but “deal‑first” approach to Iran and the wider Middle East, insisting he wants an agreement that leaves Tehran with zero nuclear capability while repeatedly warning that U.S. military options remain on the table if diplomacy fails. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during the February 10 briefing framed Trump’s Middle East policy as “peace through strength,” stressing that all the points she outlined came from that single briefing. She said Trump wants a deal with Iran that leaves it with zero nuclear capability, but warned that he is fully prepared to use military force and escalate sanctions if Tehran does not cooperate.