US President Donald Trump said that Iran is “desperately” eager to reach an agreement with the United States, but is afraid to say so for fear of endangering its leadership.
Trump made these statements during a fundraising dinner for the Republican Party’s election campaign in the House of Representatives in Washington, where he indicated that Tehran is conducting secret contacts with the aim of reaching an agreement, but is reluctant to announce it due to fears of internal reactions.
He explained: “No one has ever seen what we are doing in the Middle East with Iran. They are negotiating and want to make an agreement very much, but they are afraid to say it because they think they may be killed by their own people, and they are afraid that we will kill them, too.”
Trump confirmed that the United States is achieving victory in its confrontation with Iran, denying the validity of the news about Washington’s defeat in the Middle East, and adding that the Iranians “no longer have a navy or an air force.”
He also indicated that the United States had no other choice but military intervention, considering that the goal was to “eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat.” He added that Washington “has eradicated the cancer of the Iranian nuclear threat and is preparing to finish the mission completely.”
In the context of his talk about the ongoing military operation, Trump explained that he preferred not to use the term “war” to describe the events, because this description requires the approval of Congress, and he contented himself with describing it as an “overwhelming military operation.”
He also addressed the issue of the assassination of former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani during his first term, saying that the Iranian leadership was unable to find a replacement for him.
These statements come as what some have described as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues for the twenty-sixth day, with the continued exchange of missile and drone strikes. In this context, Trump indicated the existence of indirect contacts with Tehran.
The White House said earlier Wednesday that talks with Iran had not reached a dead end, although Tehran did not immediately agree to a 15-item plan aimed at ending the “war.”
Two US administration officials also told CNN that Washington is working to organize a meeting in Pakistan to discuss a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi acknowledged the existence of an exchange of messages with the United States through intermediaries, but stressed that these contacts do not reach the level of direct negotiations.
