US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington faces a clear choice in its approach towards Iran: either seek a negotiated settlement or military escalation, as tensions continue in the Middle East.“There are options. Do we want to go and blow them up and end them forever? Or do we want to try to reach an agreement. Those are the options,” Trump told reporters, referring to the US Central Command briefings.While acknowledging the military route, he added: “On a humanitarian basis, I would prefer not to do that.”
Doubts about the agreement, and questions about the Iranian leadership
Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with Tehran’s recent proposal to end the conflict. “They want to reach an agreement, but I am not satisfied with it, so we will see what happens,” he said, adding: “They have made great strides, but I am not sure whether they will get there or not.”He also pointed to internal divisions within Iran, saying: “The leadership is very fragmented… Two to three groups, maybe four… They all want to reach an agreement, but they are all in chaos.”
“Treason” for questioning the war effort
In separate statements, Trump criticized domestic opponents who question the war’s progress, calling such claims “treason.” “We have the radical left saying, ‘We are not winning,’” he said. “This is, in fact, a betrayal.”He claimed that the Iranian military had been severely weakened, asserting “they have no navy… no air force… no radar… their leaders have all gone,” although he did not provide evidence.
Trump also defended US strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme, saying: “We stopped them with B2 bombers… If we hadn’t done that, they would have had a nuclear weapon,” warning that Israel, the Middle East and Europe could be in danger.In his response to news agency ANI, Trump acknowledged that Pakistan is opening land transit routes for trade with Iran, expressing support for its leadership. This step comes at a time when thousands of containers are still stuck due to US restrictions on Iranian ports.Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, Trump stressed that the United States would not exit the conflict prematurely, saying: “We’re not going to exit early and have this kind of problem in another three years.”
