Trump rules out negotiating with Iran for now, but confirms communication between Washington and Tehran
Trump assured that he could order new attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities and defended the maritime blockade imposed on Iran
Donald Trump stated this Tuesday that, for the moment, he is not willing to resume negotiations with Iran, although he revealed that representatives of both governments had recent contacts and assured that Tehran remains interested in reaching an agreement with Washington in the midst of the military escalation in the Middle East.
In an interview with Fox News, the president made it clear that diplomatic channels are not currently among his priorities, despite recognizing that there is communication between both parties.
“Now I don't want to negotiate,” Trump responded when asked about the possibility of reactivating dialogue with the Islamic Republic. However, he added that US representatives “spoke today” with Iranian officials and maintained that “they want to reach an agreement.”
The statements come days after a new US military offensive against Iranian targets and in a context of growing regional tension, marked by crossed attacks, restrictions on maritime traffic and warnings of new military actions by Washington.
During the interview, Trump reiterated that the United States is prepared to attack Iranian nuclear facilities again if it considers them to represent a threat to national security or to its allies.
Commenting on satellite images of one of the Iranian nuclear complexes hit during previous bombings, the president assured that the Iranian authorities tried to reinforce the infrastructure.
“They put concrete in some entrances, but we could cause enormous damage in a matter of minutes,” Trump said, insisting that Washington maintains full capacity to destroy strategic Iranian facilities if necessary.
The statements reinforce the “maximum pressure” strategy promoted by the White House, which combines economic sanctions, military operations and maritime restrictions to limit Tehran's strategic capabilities.
However, during the interview, Trump also criticized the Iranian leadership.
He described Iran's previous rulers as “evil” and stated that, although the current leadership also includes “very bad people,” it is precisely those leaders who, in his opinion, prevent reaching an understanding with the United States.