President Trump demanded Iran "put up the white flag of surrender" as the U.S.-Iran truce expired without renewal, and confirmed for the first time that Washington has opened a direct backchannel with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran surrender and "put up the white flag" as the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding expired Monday without renewal, ending the two-month window for a negotiated truce that was intended to ease hostilities in the five-month conflict. In a Fox News interview, Trump also confirmed for the first time that his administration has opened a direct backchannel with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The development marks a major shift in the standoff, with Washington pressing Tehran to end the war on American terms rather than extend a truce that produced no lasting agreement.
Trump made clear he is under no deadline pressure, telling Fox News he has "no time schedule" and is "not in a hurry" to reach a deal. He described the IRGC leadership as under severe strain, calling them "good poker players, but they're dying." The president's message was blunt: the conflict ends when Iran raises the white flag of surrender.
The memorandum of understanding took effect in mid-June and was designed to create space for negotiations between Washington and Tehran. It lapsed Monday with neither side indicating any willingness to extend it, and both governments have accused the other of violating its terms throughout the truce period.
Trump said he has no intention of renewing the agreement, signaling that the United States will not accept another open-ended pause that fails to resolve the underlying issues. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran has "not yet made a decision to restart negotiations with the United States," leaving the diplomatic track in limbo.
The most significant revelation came when Trump confirmed that U.S. officials have been in direct contact with IRGC officials through a backchannel that bypasses traditional mediators and Iran's political leadership. It is the first time the administration has acknowledged such a channel, and it suggests Washington is pursuing multiple paths to end the conflict while maintaining maximum pressure on Tehran.
The direct line to the IRGC could prove decisive. The Revolutionary Guard has been the primary target of U.S. and Israeli operations throughout the war, and its leadership is widely seen as the institution that actually holds the keys to Iran's strategic decisions. Reaching the Guard directly cuts through the noise of Iranian political theater and puts the choice to surrender or continue fighting squarely before the people who matter.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard publicly pushed back on Trump's claim, with spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi calling it a "delusion" and insisting that no talks are taking place between IRGC officials and the United States. Iran's Foreign Ministry separately denied reports of unofficial contacts, dismissing them as "media techniques and psychological operations."
The denials are familiar Iranian messaging. Tehran has a long history of publicly disavowing channels it is privately using, particularly when those channels threaten to expose divisions between the Guard and the country's political establishment. The contrast between Trump's confident acknowledgment of the backchannel and Iran's denials tells its own story about who is driving events.
Trump's comments came on the same day he reiterated his warning to Oman not to interfere with efforts to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, and he floated the possibility of declaring the strait U.S. territory. The United States maintains a blockade of the waterway, and Trump said he likes the idea of formalizing American control over it.
The president has also been reaching beyond the Middle East, praising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and ordering the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, which he said declined to help with Iran. Asked Monday whether Kim had responded to his overtures, Trump said he had, describing the conversations as "very positive" without offering details.
With the truce expired and no new agreement on the table, the coming days will test whether the IRGC backchannel produces a breakthrough or whether the conflict grinds on. Trump has made clear the United States will not chase an endless negotiation, and his willingness to engage the Guard directly suggests he is prepared to force a decision.
For Tehran, the choice is becoming starker by the day: surrender on terms that preserve what remains of the regime, or face the consequences of a war it cannot win. For Washington, the path forward is one of strength, patience, and a president who refuses to accept anything short of a real resolution.
President Trump demanded Iran "put up the white flag of surrender" as the U.S.-Iran truce expired without renewal, and confirmed for the first time that Washington has opened a direct backchannel with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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