US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran was ‘close to over’ and that Tehran was ‘badly’ seeking a deal with Washington. Responding to a question during an exclusive interview with Fox News, Trump said had he not launched military operations in Iran, the latter would have developed nuclear weapons.
The US President also said Iran would take nearly 20 years to rebuild the country he continued strikes, adding that the operation hasn’t finished yet.
“I think it's close to over. Yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over. You know what? If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we're not finished. We'll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly,” Trump said.
Pakistan likely to host second round of US-Iran talks
A second round of discussions between the United States and Iran to ease tensions in the Gulf could be held in Islamabad in the next two days, US President Donald Trump has said, according to a media report published on Tuesday.
"You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there," Trump told The New York Post.
Separately, Fox News reported that Iran’s return to negotiations was linked to the US decision regarding the blockade of Iranian ports.
The initial round of talks between the two sides ended without success. Iran reportedly rejected the proposal put forward by the US delegation, leading to a breakdown in progress at that stage.
US continues blockade of Iranian ports
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it has fully enforced a maritime blockade on Iranian ports, stating that all sea-based commercial movement to and from Iran has been effectively stopped. The command further added that economic trade with Iran via maritime routes has been entirely brought to a halt.
"A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East. An estimated 90 per cent of Iran's economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea," Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement.
