Trump says Iran ‘wants deal’, cites gains

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said Iran is seeking a deal with Washington but is hesitant to publicly acknowledge it, even as he claimed major military gains against Tehran.

Speaking at a House Republican dinner on Wednesday (local time), Trump said ongoing pressure from the US had forced Iran into negotiations.

“They are negotiating, by the way, and they wanna make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it,” Trump said.

He suggested Iranian leaders fear internal consequences for pursuing diplomacy. “They figure they’ll be killed by their own people,” he added.

Trump portrayed recent US actions as decisive in weakening Iran’s capabilities. “We knocked out their navy, we knocked out everything,” he said.

He also pointed to strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear programme, saying, “We obliterated the site… and we saved it there too.”

The President argued that these actions prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “Iran would’ve had a nuclear weapon within two weeks to four weeks,” he said.

Trump described the broader outcome as a strategic success for the United States. “The war essentially ended a few days after we went in,” he said.

He reiterated that stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions was the central objective of US policy. “We had to cut out the cancer… The cancer was Iran with a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Trump also defended his earlier decision to exit a previous nuclear agreement, saying it prevented Iran from advancing its programme. “If I didn’t terminate it, that weapon would’ve been used three years ago,” he said.

While emphasising military pressure, Trump indicated that diplomacy remains active, suggesting that talks are underway even if not publicly acknowledged by Tehran. He did not provide details of the negotiations or a potential framework for a deal.

The US has long maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a core national security objective. Previous administrations have pursued a combination of sanctions, negotiations and, at times, military deterrence to address Tehran’s nuclear programme.

IANS