Iran sought deal during US strikes: Trump

Washington, July 15 (IANS) Iranian representatives contacted the United States about an hour before President Donald Trump’s Fox News interview and indicated that Tehran wanted an agreement, Trump said, as American strikes continued for a third consecutive night.

Trump said his representatives had communicated with Iranian officials shortly before the interview at the White House.

“Well, not me, but let’s say my representatives,” Trump said when asked when he had last spoken with an Iranian official. “I have spoken to them, but my representatives over the course of, well, actually, an hour ago.”

Asked what message Iran had conveyed, Trump said: “They wanna make a deal.”

But he accused Tehran of repeatedly abandoning agreements and said he was not certain whether the latest contact would produce a breakthrough.

“But every time they make a deal, they break it,” Trump said. “They don’t wanna die. People don’t wanna die.”

Trump said the United States had delivered a blunt warning in response.

“You better make a deal. You’re not gonna have any, you’re not gonna have anybody left,” he said.

“We’re being very careful with the civilian population as you know, but I said, ‘You better make a deal, you’re not gonna have anything left,’” Trump added.

Asked whether he believed Iran would accept an agreement, Trump replied: “They should. I don’t know if they will or not.”

Trump said the two sides had reached an agreement shortly before the latest escalation, but Iran withdrew at the last moment.

“Literally two days ago, we had a deal and then they broke it at the last moment,” he said. “They broke it.”

Later in the interview, Trump said he was no longer interested in immediate negotiations.

“Well, now we, I don’t wanna negotiate now,” he said. “I said, ‘Let’s not negotiate.’ Three days ago, we had a deal.”

Trump said Iran had no alternative but to return to the negotiating table as US military pressure intensified.

“I think they have no choice,” he said when asked whether Iranian leaders were serious about reaching an agreement.

The president said preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remained his most important objective.

“There will be no nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “And when you listed the three things, by far, the most important is they will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump argued that military pressure was the only effective way to secure an agreement with Tehran.

“The only way you can negotiate with these people is through strength,” he said. “And the only strength is military strength.”

–IANS

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