‘Iran talks in final stages,’ says Trump, warns of ‘nasty’ action as Tehran threatens wider war
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Iran talks in final stages,’ says Trump, warns of ‘nasty’ action as Tehran threatens wider war")
President Donald Trump said he called off attacks this week at the last minute on requests from Gulf nations. Photograph: (AFP)
President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that Iran must agree to strict terms limiting its military and nuclear capabilities, while Iran demands guarantees against future US strikes and removal of sanctions.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran were in the final stages, while warning of further attacks if Iran does not agree to a deal. “We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“We’re going to give this one shot. I’m in no hurry,” Trump said. “Ideally I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way.”
The remarks come six weeks after Trump paused Operation Epic Fury under a ceasefire arrangement, halting a conflict that had fuelled fears of a broader war in West Asia. However, there has been little progress in negotiations for ending the conflict and curbing Iran’s nuclear and military activities.
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Trump acknowledged this week that he had come close to authorising additional military strikes but decided against immediate action to give diplomacy more time.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that Iran must agree to strict terms limiting its military and nuclear capabilities, while Iran demands guarantees against future US strikes and the removal of sanctions.
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The standoff has kept regional governments and global markets on edge amid concerns that any collapse in negotiations could quickly reignite military conflict across the Gulf and wider West Asia.
Tehran has accused Washington of preparing the ground for renewed hostilities. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any new attacks would trigger retaliation extending beyond West Asia.
“If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” the Revolutionary Guards said.
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Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator at peace talks, said in an audio message that “obvious and hidden moves by the enemy” showed the Americans were preparing new attacks.
Iran had submitted a new offer to the US this week, largely repeating the terms previously rejected by Trump, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops from the area.
Trump has said he called off attacks this week at the last minute in response to requests from several of Iran’s Gulf neighbours. On Tuesday he said he had been an hour away from ordering strikes.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, welcomed what he said was a decision by Trump to allow more time for diplomacy.
Iran has largely shut the Strait of Hormuz to all ships apart from its own since the US-Israeli campaign began in February, causing the biggest disruption to global energy supplies in history.
The US retaliated with a naval blockade of Iran’s ports.
