US President Donald Trump during the first Cabinet meeting at the White House since the start of the conflict
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran was “begging” for an agreement to end the war, but warned of further strikes if Tehran did not abandon its nuclear ambitions.Speaking during the first Cabinet meeting at the White House since the beginning of the conflict, Trump said Iran was now trying to negotiate after weeks of fighting.
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“They’re begging for a deal, not me. They’re begging for a deal,” Trump said, calling them “lousy fighters” but “great negotiators.” But he also suggested that the window for diplomacy may be closing and suggested that Washington may no longer be willing to move forward with an agreement. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it,” he said of the prospects for reaching an agreement. “I don’t know if we’re ready to do that.”Meanwhile, Trump warned Iran to change course or face further military action.
“They, Iran, now have the opportunity to permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions and join a new path forward,” Trump said. “We’ll see if they want to do it. If they don’t, we’re their worst nightmare. In the meantime, we’ll keep keeping them away.”Trump also said US military operations against Iran are “way ahead of schedule,” citing an original timeframe of four to six weeks for the war that began about a month ago.
“We have estimated that it will take approximately four to six weeks to accomplish our mission. Twenty-six days later, we are very, very ahead of schedule,” Trump said.Earlier in the day, Trump also warned Tehran on social media to “get serious soon” about negotiating an end to the war. The post came a day after he announced that an agreement was close, despite Tehran’s rejection of his 15-point ceasefire plan.A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday that Washington’s proposal to end nearly four weeks of fighting was “one-sided and unfair” although diplomacy was continuing.At the same time, the United States was preparing for the arrival of thousands of troops that could be used on the ground in Iran.The war continued to inflict heavy casualties across the region. The death toll rose to more than 1,900 people in Iran and about 1,100 in Lebanon, with dozens killed in Israel and elsewhere in the region. 13 American soldiers were also killed, while millions of people were displaced in Iran and Lebanon.
