President Donald Trump has said the United States may launch fresh strikes against Iran if ongoing negotiations fail, claiming Tehran is now eager to reach a deal following recent hostilities.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump disclosed that he had come close to authorising another military strike before deciding to postpone the action.
“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump said.
The US President spoke a day after announcing that he had paused a planned resumption of hostilities following what he described as a new proposal from Tehran aimed at ending the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Trump warned that Washington could still carry out a limited military operation within days if no agreement is reached.
“Well, I mean, I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time, because we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon,” he stated.
He also claimed that Iran’s leadership was “begging for a deal.”
Despite the renewed threat of military action, oil prices eased after Trump’s remarks, with Brent crude falling 1.64 per cent to trade at 110.26 dollars per barrel.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Washington and Tehran had made significant progress in negotiations and suggested that neither side wanted a return to full-scale conflict.
In Tehran, Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi said Trump’s decision to pause a strike reflected Washington’s understanding that any military action against Iran would provoke a “decisive military response.”
Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s latest proposal includes ending hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon, the withdrawal of US forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for damage caused by recent US-Israeli strikes.
According to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, Tehran is also demanding the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and an end to the US marine blockade.
A fragile ceasefire is currently holding following recent US-Israeli military strikes on Iranian targets.
