White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Tuesday that some Iranian officials are "desperate" to strike a deal with the Trump administration as renewed strikes and escalating U.S. pressure are placed on Tehran.
"There are elements in the country, in the government, that are desperate to make a deal with the United States," Miller said during an appearance on 'Hannity.' He added that Iranian leaders "forgot that Donald Trump is the president of the United States" and have made a mistake by assuming they could test U.S. leaders without consequence, as they had done with previous administrations.
Miller's remarks come as the Trump administration has resumed strikes against Iran following the collapse of a ceasefire that the White House asserts Iran violated by attacking commercial shipping. He detailed the administration's stance, stating, "You do not cross the United States, you do not violate an agreement with the United States. You do not break your word with President Trump or America, and you attack shipping in violation of that agreement, and you will pay a hellish price, and that is what has happened."
The deputy chief of staff argued that Tehran had grown accustomed to testing previous U.S. leaders without facing consequences. He asserted that Iran's current regime, through "bombing, blockade, economic strangulation, or global pressure," will ultimately be forced to change its ways.
Miller believes the apparent divisions within Iran are evidence that the president's strategy is succeeding. "For 47 years, there wasn't an inch of daylight. There wasn't any crack," he said. "Now you have this giant canyon-sized fissure as the country is fighting amongst itself for its future."
The administration's objective remains preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with Miller reiterating that the regime must abandon its nuclear ambitions before lasting peace can be achieved.