U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran were in the final stages, while warning of further attacks unless Iran agrees to a deal.
Donald Trump © Mena Today
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran were in the final stages, while warning of further attacks unless Iran agrees to a deal.
Six weeks since Trump paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have shown little progress so far. Trump has said this week he came close to ordering more attacks, but held off to allow more time for negotiations.
"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."
Tehran, for its part, accused Trump of plotting to restart the war, and threatened to retaliate for any strikes with attacks beyond the Middle East.
"If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time," the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's top negotiator at peace talks, said in an audio message released on social media that "obvious and hidden moves by the enemy" showed the Americans were preparing new attacks.
Iran submitted a new offer to the United States this week. Tehran's descriptions of the proposal suggest it largely repeats terms previously rejected by Trump, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of U.S. 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.
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Iran has warned the United States that it would respond forcefully to an Israeli offensive on a mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon where Iranian military personnel are holed up alongside Hezbollah fighters, three officials briefed on the message told Reuters.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the renewed U.S. campaign against Iran would not continue for "too long" after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July.
Top aides to President Donald Trump are pushing to keep the Iran war from escalating before November's midterm elections to staunch Republican electoral losses, four people familiar with the discussions said, a strategy already under strain as the U.S. and Iran exchanged back-and-forth attacks overnight.
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