US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that he would start bombing Iran if it does not agree to a deal with the US before the end of the two-week ceasefire on Wednesday. “Well, I don’t want to do that,” said Trump when asked if he would extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow time for the peace talks to reach a deal to end the war.
“They have to negotiate. And, you know, the one thing I’ll say is this: Iran can get themselves on a very good footing. If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again,” he added.
Trump said that if the ceasefire ends on Wednesday without an agreement, he is prepared to resume attacking Iran. “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” he said.
The President said he thinks the US is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the weeks-long war. “I think they have no choice,” Trump said when asked about his expectations from the second round of peace negotiations with Iran. “We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders,” he said.
“It is regime change, no matter what you want to call it, which is not something I said I was going to do, but I’ve done it indirectly,” he added. While the first round of US-Iran talks ended without an agreement, uncertainty still surrounds the second round.
US forces capture sanctioned oil tanker in Indian Ocean
US forces have boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia, the Pentagon said on Tuesday as it puts into place a global warning to track down vessels tied to Tehran.
US forces “conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction” and boarded the M/T Tifani “without incident”, the Pentagon said on social media.
The Tifani was captured in the Bay of Bengal between India and Southeast Asia, and was carrying Iranian oil, according to a US defence official. The US military will decide in the next four days what to do with the vessel — tow it back to the US or turn it over to another country, he said.
Ceasefire could be extended, says former CIA director
Even as Iran rejected joining the second round of peace talks with the US in Islamabad over the forced naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz and the detention of an Iranian cargo ship by the US navy, former US Central Command chief David H Petraeus feels the ceasefire is likely to be extend as both sides appear willing to continue negotiations despite the deadlock.
The former CIA director’s comments came after Trump said he was preparing a second delegation for “Islamabad talks 2.0” with Vice-President JD Vance expected to lead the delegation again.
Also read: Iran rejects peace talks with US amid naval blockade
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