Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that planned talks with Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to reach an agreement and avoid a fresh escalation in American strikes. He said negotiations are expected to begin in the next day or two and should focus first on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and then on addressing US concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.
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Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump also said he had held back from ordering a new round of major strikes after appeals from Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He said a plan had been ready for what he described as “the biggest attack since World War II” on Sunday, but that he chose to give diplomacy more time.
“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearisation,” Trump said. “And that will take a little while.” He later added, “This the last chance for them to sign a good document.” Earlier in the day, he had criticised Iran on social media as being “unbelievably duplicitous” after Tehran said its meetings with Oman were focused only on setting up a temporary route for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil trade.
Trump said the US and Iran were in fact discussing steps to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. “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,” he said. He added, “Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking.” Asked about repeatedly threatening Tehran before stepping back, Trump said he was showing patience to spare Iranian lives. “I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” he said, adding, “Hopefully, they’ll come to their senses.”
Trump has threatened to widen attacks on Iran several times since the US and Israel began strikes on February 28, before later stepping back and saying progress had been made through diplomacy. In early April, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire less than two hours before a deadline Trump had set for Tehran to capitulate or face attacks on bridges and power plants. On May 18, he said he was delaying a planned strike because “serious negotiations” were under way. In June, he threatened to hit Iran “VERY HARD” and seize Iran’s energy base on Kharg Island, before later saying peace efforts with senior Iranian leaders had advanced.
Critics said the pattern reflected inconsistency in the administration’s approach. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation”: “I think what we’re seeing here is a president who has an approach that’s just rather erratic. At this point, he’s trying to get us back to February. And I think if he could – if he had a big reset button he could hit – he would certainly take that option.”
Trump suggested that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a particularly important role in the latest decision to avoid escalation. The two leaders spoke by phone on Saturday before Trump announced he was halting the strikes. According to a person briefed on the call, the crown prince said a wider conflict could have a severe effect on the global economy if Tehran responded by targeting US allies in the Gulf. The person, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said Saudi officials had told the Trump administration that while Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE were in a strong position to defend themselves, Kuwait could be more exposed to attacks by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
Trump has said the November midterm elections are not influencing his decisions, but the conflict has become a political concern for Republicans. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research published last week found that about two-thirds of US adults believe the war with Iran has not been worthwhile. That included most Democrats and independents, along with about 37 per cent of Republicans.
One of Trump’s close allies in Congress, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Washington’s debate had lost sight of the damage already inflicted on Iran by the US military. At the same time, he said further escalation could push energy prices even higher and bring “a lot of inflation for the American people”. Kennedy said tightening sanctions and targeting Iran’s nuclear programme, rather than widening the war, might be the better option for now. “They’re all hellish choices,” he said. “But for the moment I’d maintain the status quo.”
Trump’s latest remarks combined a renewed warning to Tehran with another pause in military action, as his administration prepared for more talks on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme while pressure grew at home and concerns persisted across the Gulf.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
