Here’s what was said.
Iran is facing growing pressure from the Trump administration, and according to White House officials, some leaders inside Tehran now wish they had reached an agreement with President Donald Trump before tensions escalated.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Tuesday that divisions are emerging inside Iran’s government as American military and economic pressure continues to mount.
“There are elements in the country, in the government, that are desperate to make a deal with the United States,” Miller said.
The remarks come after the Trump administration resumed military strikes against Iran following what the White House says was Tehran’s violation of a ceasefire agreement through attacks on commercial shipping routes.
According to Miller, Iran spent years challenging previous American presidents without paying a meaningful price. He argued that Iranian leaders made a serious miscalculation by believing they could use the same strategy against President Trump.
“They forgot that Donald Trump is the president of the United States,” Miller said.
Miller said the administration’s response sends a clear message that violations of agreements and attacks on international shipping will not go unanswered.
He also emphasized that the United States has multiple ways to increase pressure on the Iranian regime, including military operations, economic sanctions, naval blockades, and coordinated international action.
According to the White House, the goal is to convince Iran’s leadership that continuing its current policies will only bring greater isolation and economic hardship.
Miller argued that the strategy is already producing visible results.
For decades, he said, Iran’s ruling establishment largely presented a united front. Now, he claims, significant disagreements are emerging within the government over the country’s future and how to respond to increasing American pressure.
“For nearly five decades, the parties were closely aligned with virtually no meaningful separation,” Miller said. “Today, that unity has been replaced by an enormous divide as Americans struggle over the direction and future of the country.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that its primary objective is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Officials argue that lasting peace in the Middle East will require Iran to permanently abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions while ending actions that threaten regional stability and international commerce.
As tensions continue to rise, the White House says its maximum-pressure strategy is producing results, with some Iranian officials now reportedly seeking negotiations that administration officials believe should have happened much sooner.
Whether those reported divisions ultimately lead to renewed negotiations remains uncertain, but the administration maintains that sustained pressure has placed Iran in a far weaker position than it was just months ago.
