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According to a video on NBC News, on Monday June 8, 2026, President Donald Trump said that Iran’s reluctance to finalize a deal was rooted in national pride rather than genuine negotiating strength, arguing that the country’s leadership could not come to terms with the dramatic reversal in its position after nearly five decades of operating without serious consequences from the international community.
Trump made the remarks during an interview with NBC News anchor Kristen Welker at Kuster Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
When Welker questioned why Iran had not yet accepted the terms Trump was proposing, given his repeated claims that the country was desperate for a deal, Trump acknowledged the apparent contradiction.
He said Iran had long operated under leadership that was accustomed to weak and ineffective responses from the United States and other nations, and that the current situation was unlike anything the country had experienced.
Trump argued that Iran’s leadership simply could not accept the reality that it had been left with no good options.
He said the country had operated with near-total independence for forty-seven years, killing Americans and conducting itself without accountability, and that coming to the negotiating table on terms set by Washington required a psychological adjustment that was proving difficult.
In his words, Donald Trump said, “They’re proud. There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice. And it takes a little while. You know, you’re talking about 47 years of getting away with whatever they wanted.
“I mean, we should this should have been done long ago. This should have been done by other presidents or other countries,” he said.
Trump said the slow pace of negotiations was not a sign of failure but simply the natural consequence of asking a proud nation to concede on terms it had never imagined accepting. He remained confident a deal would be reached.
