WASHINGTON, October 25 (Aalimi Nation) – United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington could strike Iran as early as Sunday or could instead reach a major agreement with Tehran, offering no clear indication of which course he would take. He spoke to reporters as the region braced for a possible resumption of fighting.
Asked how close he was to ordering an attack, Mr. Trump said: "We're thinking about doing it, and maybe tomorrow." Pressed on whether he would disclose his plans, he replied: "Do you really think I'm going to tell you if I'm going to do it?"
Trump keeps both options open
Mr. Trump said there was a possibility of military action and also "a possibility we'll have a nice, big, beautiful agreement." He maintained that Iran wants a deal, but questioned whether Tehran would honour one. "I may have to finish it off, or maybe they'll make a deal... Either way, we win," he said.
He said the aim was to make the outcome on nuclear weapons permanent and that Iran must never be allowed to develop one. He also claimed that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz had risen compared with the period before the war, though he gave no figures.
The comments sit uneasily with an earlier statement. Mr. Trump had said on social media that the United States would not strike Iran again before the November 3 midterm elections.
Tehran blames Washington
In Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of wrecking efforts to conclude an interim agreement meant to end the war. In remarks aired on state television, he said the Americans had "messed everything up", and accused Washington of breaking the "rules of the game" by disrupting negotiations.
Even so, Mr. Pezeshkian said Iran should still try to finish the process, and said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had instructed officials to pursue a deal.
Background
The US-Israeli war on Iran began in February and widened into a regional conflict in the Middle East. It remains unresolved. A ceasefire and an agreement to finalise a peace deal have been announced, but strikes and counter-attacks have continued to be reported across the region in recent days, including attacks attributed to the Houthi movement in Yemen and emergency alerts in Saudi Arabia over an aerial threat.
Israel votes in a general election on Tuesday, and the United States holds its midterm elections on November 3. Fears have been voiced that the United States or Israel could resume attacks on Iran before or just after those votes.
No decision has been announced by the White House. The next signals are likely to be any formal statement from Washington on Sunday, whether negotiators from the two sides return to the table, and how Iran responds if strikes begin.
This is a developing story, and the claims above are attributed to those who made them.
