Economics

Trump Threatens Escalation With Sides at Odds on Peace Talks

A man surveys the damage to a car following a strike in the Arab-Israeli city of Kfar Qassem, on March 26. — A man surveys the damage to a car following a strike in the Arab-Israeli city of Kfar Qassem, on March 26.
Photographer: IliaYefimovich/AFP/Getty Images

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By Arsalan Shahla, Kateryna Kadabashy, and Magan Crane

March 26, 2026 at 8:53 AM UTC

Updated on

March 26, 2026 at 4:26 PM UTC

US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with intensified military action and said he’s unsure whether a diplomatic agreement can be reached, with the two sides at loggerheads on how to end the near month-long war.

Iran had “better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!” Trump posted on social media Thursday, after Tehran rejected an initial US ceasefire proposal via intermediaries overnight.