President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would either reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job," renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Donald Trump © Mena Today
President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would either reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job," renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Indirect U.S.-Iran talks ended last week without any public sign of headway toward a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to create space for diplomacy following the U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered the conflict.
"We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job. OK. And it won't be tough to finish the job. I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply.... They don't have any money now. We haven't given them any money."
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr called Trump's threat "delusional."
"Iranians are unfamiliar with the language of threats. So speak to the Iranian people with respect, otherwise we will respond in another language," Zolqadr said in comments carried by state media.
Trump spoke after Khamenei's weekend funeral where, rather than looking weakened by the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, Iranians appeared to be defiant, united and determined to shape what comes next.
The 60-day ceasefire was intended by Washington to revive diplomacy on stopping Iran developing a nuclear arsenal.
By Bo Erickson, Steve Holland and Elwely Elwelly
Iran's theocratic rulers are mobilising mass crowds of the revolutionary faithful on the streets of Tehran, but behind the display of unity it is far from clear they have resolved gaping internal fractures over the economy and state repression.
The funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was more than a national farewell. The sea of mourners in Tehran sent a message to the United States and Israel that their attempt to break the Islamic Republic had failed.
NATO leaders will gather in Ankara for a summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, amid pressure from President Donald Trump for Europe to step up defence spending and following months of transatlantic friction over the Iran war and Greenland.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.