US President Donald Trump said that Washington could take new actions against Iran if a deal with Tehran is not reached. He made the statement during a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, two days before the midterm elections for Congress.
“The only reason we are not done with Iran yet is because I want to be good. I want to try to save as many lives as possible“, Trump told his supporters. Then he added: “But at some point we are going to have to let them know.“
Before the rally, the US president told reporters that the conflict would be resolved "very soon" one way or another. "Either they make a deal or we just end it," Trump said. He suggested the United States could do it "the easy way," but did not elaborate on what he meant.
His comments come amid diplomatic efforts to revive talks between Washington and Tehran. According to Axios, Qatar is mediating between the two countries, with Qatari representatives having spoken with Iranian officials in an attempt to resume direct dialogue.
Netanyahu urges post-election strike
On October 31, Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Axios, the two discussed the state of negotiations between the US and Iran, as well as the possibility of returning to military action.
The publication reports that Netanyahu is pushing Trump to order a strike against Iran immediately after the US midterm elections on November 3. However, the American president for now prefers to let the negotiations continue. An Israeli source described the conversation as “heavy“, and an American official described it as “frank“.
This is not the first signal that Washington and Jerusalem are discussing different options for the development of the conflict after the elections. American officials have warned several Middle Eastern countries to prepare for possible new strikes against Iran, as well as for retaliatory actions by Tehran, the Associated Press reported.
Sources: axios.com, apnews.com