Trump Says Strike on Iran Possible 'Maybe Tomorrow' While Tehran Denies Offering Hormuz Deal

With the U.S. naval blockade and the Strait of Hormuz standoff still unresolved, President Donald Trump said Saturday, Oct. 24, that a new strike on Iran could come as early as Sunday, Oct. 25.

Trump spoke to reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, after casting his midterm ballot. Asked whether an attack was coming, he declined to say.

"Do you really think I would tell you that? Maybe tomorrow... There's a possibility I will. There's also a possibility we'll have a nice, big, beautiful agreement," Trump said. "They want to make a deal, but the problem is, will they hold the deal?"

No strike has been announced as of tonight.

Trump: "Either way, we win"

Trump told reporters he is "thinking about doing it" and described both military action and negotiation as live options. "I may have to finish it off, or maybe they'll make a deal," he said. "But I'm not sure. Either way, we win."

He said his goal is to stop Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon. He argued that an earlier operation involving B-2 bombers would not guarantee a lasting result. "I've got to make it permanent," he said. "That's the only reason I'm doing it."

At a separate campaign rally in Florida, he repeated the threat in blunter terms. "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree," he told the crowd, referring to the earlier U.S. campaign against Iran. "If they're smart, they'll just say, 'Let's get down to business.' But, you know, I doubt they'll do that because perhaps they're not smart."

Trump also made claims about the war's results that these documents do not independently verify. He said U.S. forces have "knocked out every jet fighter of Iran" and that "259 ships are at the bottom of the sea." He added that Iran is "only left with record inflation." He also said oil shipments through Hormuz have increased since the war began.

Tehran denies the Hormuz offer

A Saudi Arabian outlet reported that Iran had told Washington, through Pakistani mediators, that it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifted its naval blockade.

Tasnim, which is affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Tehran has made no new proposal to the Pakistani mediators. Press TV, citing sources quoted by Tasnim, said the Saudi outlet's claim was "a lie and fabrication."

The denial is an Iranian state-aligned account, and so is the claim it rebuts. Neither the offer nor the denial has been confirmed by an independent party. Trump's remark that Iran "wants to make a deal" fits the idea of some channel being open, but he gave no terms.

Diplomats in the crosshairs

The threat picture around the talk of strikes is also darkening. An internal U.S. memo dated Oct. 23, obtained by Axios, says American intelligence agencies have detected a "substantially increased" Iranian effort to target U.S. diplomats and government officials in the Middle East and elsewhere.

According to that memo, some of the suspected plots that could cost lives have reached "advanced stages." The State Department has reduced staffing at several U.S. embassies in the region.

Washington is also watching for a wider campaign by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. They could extend attacks beyond Saudi Arabia to other countries in the region.

Post-election planning

The New York Times, citing U.S. officials and people briefed on high-level deliberations, has reported that U.S. and Israeli preparations for renewed strikes after the American midterms are advancing. Its account describes detailed plans for a potentially brief but intensive offensive, with both militaries stepping up exercises.

Trump's "maybe tomorrow" remark points to a possible earlier timeline than that reporting describes. He offered no schedule and no details of a settlement, and his phrasing, "Do you really think I'd tell you that?", signals he is not confirming any date.

Trump left Florida to campaign in Georgia after voting. He also took questions on Russia and Ukraine, saying Washington will do business with both countries once their war ends.

What is unresolved

The open question for Sunday is whether Trump acts or the Pakistani channel produces something concrete. Iran says it has put nothing new on the table, and Trump says he is unsure Tehran would keep any deal it signed. Each is publicly doubting the other's good faith while the blockade and the closed strait remain in place.