source: reuters
Iran said on Thursday it was reviewing Washington’s latest position on ending the war after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he was prepared to wait a few days to “get the right answers” from Tehran but warned of renewed attacks if it did not agree to a deal.
“We have received U.S. views and are reviewing them,” Iranian state-run agency Nour News quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Pakistan, which hosted peace talks last month and is acting as the conduit for messages between the two sides, continues to mediate between Tehran and Washington, he added, with several rounds of communication having taken place. Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran on Wednesday.
Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire came into force, talks to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring oil prices have raised concern over inflation and the impact on the global economy. Trump is also under pressure at home ahead of midterm elections in November, with his approval rating dropping close to its lowest level since he returned to the White House on the surge in fuel prices.
“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said, “It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.”
Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. “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,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. “Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way.”
Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned against renewed attacks. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” it said in a statement.
