Hours after Iran sent its latest proposal for talks with the United States through mediators in Pakistan, US President Donald Trump avoided answering a reporter’s question about whether he was weighing strikes on Tehran.
Trump later said he was “not satisfied” with the proposal, but gave no details about its clear weaknesses. While negotiations are still underway, Trump is also claiming the war has been “terminated” because of the ceasefire. Follow US-Iran live updates here.
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Will the US strike Iran amid stalled negotiations? Trump answers
While speaking to the media in Washington, a reporter asked Trump, "Are you considering new strikes on Iran?"
The US president stepped back and replied, "Why would I tell you that?" bringing the exchange to an end.
Earlier, while speaking to reporters, Trump expressed frustration over the present state of talks with Iran but did not go as far as threatening fresh military action in the nine-week conflict.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, while speaking to reporters, Trump expressed frustration over the present state of talks with Iran but did not go as far as threatening fresh military action in the nine-week conflict.
{{/usCountry}}“They want to make a deal but I’m not satisfied with it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. “We just had a conversation with Iran. Let’s see what happens. But I would say that I am not happy.”
When asked about the administration’s choices, Trump said, “Do we want to just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever, or do we want to try and make a deal?” He added that “on a human basis, I prefer not” to order more strikes.
What’s the latest in US-Iran negotiations?
Tehran sent a fresh proposal to Washington through Pakistan, which helped mediate a first round of direct talks last month, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said on Friday.
In the latest proposal, Tehran offered to discuss its terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz while still insisting that the US commit to ending its attacks and lifting its blockade, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The future of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war, remains central to the deadlock. Both Iran and the US have indicated they are waiting for the other side to act first before easing limits on movement.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was ready to continue diplomacy if the US changes what he called its "excessive approach, threatening rhetoric and provocative actions."
On Thursday, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, raised concerns over the chances of a deal. He made a rare statement in which he vowed not to give up the country’s nuclear or missile technologies.
“They’re having a tremendous problem getting along with each other,” Trump said on Friday. There are “two to three groups, maybe four, and it’s a very disjointed leadership.”
Meanwhile, Iran has activated air defences and is preparing a response if attacked, after assessing there could be a short, intense US strike, possibly followed by an Israeli attack, two senior Iranian sources were quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
With inputs from agencies