WASHINGTON — Newly planned talks with Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of US strikes on the country, President Donald Trump said Monday.
Trump, speaking at the Oval Office, said he expects negotiations that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and create a pathway for Iran to address the United States’ concerns about its nuclear programme will begin in the next day or two.
“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearisation,” the Republican president said. “And that will take a little while.”
While Trump has reveled in the US military decimating layers of Tehran’s leadership and devastating its air force and navy, Iran is betting it can outlast Trump as he faces diminished stockpiles of munitions and the difficulty of executing a war that is unpopular with the American electorate ahead of November’s midterm election.
Trump said he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new massive strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He said that a plan was in place for US forces to carry out “the biggest attack since World War II” on Sunday.
But he decided to scrap the plan and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.
But Trump reiterated that he’s running out of patience with Iran.
“This the last chance for them to sign a good document,” Trump told reporters.
Earlier Monday, Trump had criticized Iran on social media as being “unbelievably duplicitous.”
His ire was raised by Iran claiming that its meetings with Oman on Monday were focused solely on establishing a temporary route for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the global oil trade.
“They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’ talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with Oman,” Trump grumbled.
Trump said whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking” about preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump has threatened to escalate attacks on Iran only to edge away from his threats several times since the start of US and Israel strikes on Feb. 28.
Asked by a reporter how Americans view him repeatedly making grim threats on Tehran before backing away, Trump responded that he’s showing patience out of a consideration for Iranian life.
“I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” Trump said. He added, “Hopefully, they’ll come to their senses.”
