US President Donald Trump said he decided to pause military strikes on Iran to give diplomacy another opportunity, but warned that the United States could resume expanded military action if the ongoing negotiations fail.
In an interview with Axios on Monday, Trump said discussions with Iran were progressing but stressed that Washington would not wait indefinitely for a breakthrough.
“We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” Trump said.
When asked how long he was willing to give diplomacy, the US President replied, “Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.”
According to Trump, he decided to halt the strikes on Friday after countries mediating the talks urged him to allow negotiations another chance.
“All of the people that deal with Iran asked me: ‘Don’t fire,” Trump said, adding that he believes Iran wants to reach an agreement.
The current negotiations are focused on securing a new deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revive discussions on a comprehensive nuclear agreement. The talks are primarily being conducted between Iran and Oman, with Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, and Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also playing active roles.
Explaining his decision to pause military operations, Trump said, “Nothing gained, nothing lost,” while noting that oil prices had fallen and stock markets had risen following the suspension of strikes.
Trump is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, where Iran is expected to dominate discussions.
“I am going to talk to Bibi about the fact that if I weren’t president, Iran would have had nuclear weapons by now and Israel would have been destroyed,” Trump said.
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