rki.news
Sources: Anadolu
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Washington would give diplomacy one final opportunity to secure a permanent settlement with Iran, while warning that military action remains an option if talks fail.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Joint Base Andrews, Trump said negotiations with Iran were in their “final stages” and stressed that he preferred a peaceful outcome over further conflict in the region.
“I’m in no hurry. Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot,” Trump said, while criticizing Iranian leadership over worsening living conditions and rising public anger inside the country.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran for his second visit within a week and met Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. Pakistan has continued diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Iran, the US and Israel.
Regional tensions escalated after US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year, followed by Iranian missile and drone attacks across the region. A ceasefire was later achieved through Pakistani mediation, although negotiations in Islamabad failed to secure a permanent agreement.
Trump also reaffirmed close coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying both countries remained united on Iran policy.
Addressing graduates at the Coast Guard Academy later in the day, Trump claimed Iran’s military had been severely weakened and repeated that the US would not allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons.