Will Trump Ask It's Gulf Partners To Foot The Bill On The War In Iran? Here's What The White House Said
The White House also claimed that talks with Iran were ongoing at a good pace, adding that Tehran may be speaking something else in public from what it tells US during its private discussions.
Washington: The war in the Middle East has now dragged on for more than a month, shows no signs of de-escalation, and now, seeing the costs of the conflict amounting to a large sum, the United States may be mulling to ask its Gulf partners to foot the bill.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US President Donald Trump may be looking at options to ask US' Arab partners to share the financial burden of the war with Iran. Speaking to reporters, Leavitt said that Trump "would be interested" in asking the Arab countries to contribute towards the cost of military operations. The US President may be speaking further on the issue, she added.
The White House also claimed that talks with Iran were ongoing at a good pace, adding that Tehran may be speaking something else in public from what it tells US during its private discussions.
Donald Trump's Warning
In a fresh warning to Iran, US President Donald Trump warned that if Iran does get “serious” with talks and does not strike a “peace deal”, it may blow up the energy rich country's infrastructure, including electricity plants, oil wells, and Kharg island.
Trump said on Truth Social that his administration “is in serious discussions” with Iran to end military operations, but he threatened mass destruction of the country’s energy resources unless a deal is reached “shortly.”
“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!),” Trump posted.
Back and Forth on Negotiations
Trump has been reportedly pestering Iran to get on talks with the US, to put an end to the war in the Middle East. However, the war has shown no signs of letting up: Tehran struck a key water and electrical plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery in Israel came under attack.
Earlier, in an interview with the a daily, Trump warned that American troops could seize the country’s Kharg Island export hub, at the same time repeatedly pressing on that talks with Iran are ongoing, though Tehran denies negotiating directly. He has, at the same time, ramped up his threats, as more Marines and U.S. troops continue to be deployed into the Middle East.
In the interview, Trump said his preference would be to “take the oil in Iran,” a move that would require seizing Kharg Island, the terminal through which nearly all of Iran’s oil exports pass.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,” he continued, stressing, “We have a lot of options.”
How Has Tehran Responded
While Iran has claimed that there are no negotiations ongoing, though the US and its allies have expressed their intent to talk over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said that it remains to be seen how much the American's are willing to give them all “necessary concession”.
“Our armed forces are among the world's most powerful. We crushed the aggressors; now they beg to negotiate over the Strait of Hormuz. But we must see how much they are really ready to give the necessary concessions,” Reza Aref said in a post on X.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that the Americans have not engaged in any direct talks with them, and have only put out “excessive, unreasonable demands” through some intermediaries.
The Iranians have also reasoned that while their stance is clear, US “diplomacy” has often flipped, he said.
What Are Tehran's Demands
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian laid out the Iranian terms for ending the war. Pezeshkian wrote on X that he had spoken to his counterparts in Russia and Pakistan, and had reaffirmed “Iran’s commitment to peace”.
“The only way to end this war – ignited by the Zionist regime & US – is recognizing Iran’s legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm int’l guarantees against future aggression,” he posted on X.
Published By : Satyaki Baidya
Published On: 31 March 2026 at 00:04 IST