Trump says Iran deal possible before China summit, warns of renewed bombing

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States could reach a peace agreement with Iran before his May 14-15 summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, while threatening to resume bombing at a "much higher level and intensity" if Tehran refuses a deal.

The standoff has left more than 22,500 mariners aboard over 1,550 commercial vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf, making a swift resolution critical to global shipping. The U.S. is reportedly near a one-page memorandum of understanding that would end the military campaign and establish a framework for nuclear negotiations.

Speaking to PBS News, Trump said he was optimistic a deal could come together before he departs for Beijing. "It's possible, yeah," Trump said when asked whether negotiations would wrap up before his China trip.

When pressed on how close the two sides were to an agreement, Trump offered a more measured assessment. "Yeah, I think so, but I felt that way before with them, so we'll see what happens. I think we'll have a very good chance of making a deal again. If we don't, we'll go back to our old ways," he told PBS News.

Under the reported terms of a potential agreement, according to Axios, Iran would pledge not to operate its underground nuclear facilities and would export its highly enriched uranium to the United States. Trump has rejected any framework that allows Iran to enrich uranium to 3.67%.

Trump underscored the consequences of a breakdown in talks in a pair of Truth Social posts. "If they don't agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," he wrote. In a separate post, he outlined what a successful outcome would look like: "Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran."

Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against Iran that began in late February 2026, briefly paused the Project Freedom mission guiding trapped commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated the campaign was concluded. Trump told PBS News he expects any final agreement to be negotiated in Washington, with a possible signing ceremony held elsewhere.

"I think it's got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn't end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them. Very simple," Trump said, according to PBS News.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine are among those involved in the negotiations, Axios reported. The Korea Times contributed to this report.