The conflict between the US and Iran is close to being settled, President Donald Trump has claimed, adding that the second round of peace talks between the two sides could take place in the next few days.
The US president gave interviews to several outlets on Tuesday, where he detailed Washington’s stance on the negotiations with Tehran.
Washington’s delegation, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, met with Iranian diplomats in Islamabad, Pakistan over the weekend. The discussions, however, did not result in any breakthroughs.
The US reacted by announcing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for Iran-linked vessels. Tehran said the negotiations had failed because of Washington’s “unrealistic demands.”
The conflict, which started with a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, is “very close to being over,” Trump told FOX Business anchor Maria Bartiromo.
However, he again threatened Tehran with a resumption of US strikes, saying that “if I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished.”
“We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly,” the president said, referring to the Iranians.
In a phone call with the New York Post, Trump suggested that another round of talks with Tehran “could be happening over the next two days.”
The venue will likely again be Islamabad, he said. Pakistani Field Marshal General Asim Munir, who helped set up the initial negotiations, “is fantastic, and therefore it’s more likely that we go back there. Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?” the president noted.
In a separate interview with ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, Trump stressed that he has no intention of extending the two-week ceasefire with Iran, which is set to expire on April 22.
The conflict “could end either way, but I think a deal is preferable because then they [Tehran] can rebuild,” he said.
Iranian consul general in Mumbai Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh told RT on Tuesday that there is “a deep mistrust” in Tehran towards Washington, but, despite this fact, the Islamic Republic “remains ready to negotiate… provided the discussions are realistic.”
During his press conference in the Chinese capital on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that both Moscow and Beijing support the continuation of diplomatic contacts between the US and Iran.
Lavrov expressed hope that the Americans “will be realists... and will not continue the unprovoked aggression” against Tehran, which affects the Middle East, including Washington’s allies in the Gulf states.