President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) warned Iran and said the United States (US) was all set conduct its “biggest attack of since World War II” but decided to halt it following a request by Tehran, reiterating that the Middle East nation must make a deal to end the over five-month long conflict between the two countries.
He was speaking at an event in Las Vegas.
The 80-year-old Republican leader claimed Iran has once again urged for talks, adding that Tehran respects it. Restating that the Islamic Republic cannot have a nuclear weapon, he said Iran has weakened a lot due to US military action. He also said the US was “doing the same thing” that it had done in Venezuela.
“In Venezuela, it was a 48-minute war, and we paid for the war with what we’ve taken out… to the victor belongs the spoils, and we are doing the same thing in the lovely Islamic Republic of Iran. We are knocking the hell out of them. I would rather make a deal, because I do not want to kill people,” Trump said.
“We were set for the biggest attack, since World War II, and they called me and they said, ‘Please don’t do it. Let’s talk.’ Then they said we never said that. You know what the fake news knows. They did say that, but we are talking. Let’s see what happens,” he said.ย
His remarks came as Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz is in the “final stage” of drafting. He said a joint statement will be issued “if certain parties do not obstruct this process”, referring to the US.
According to a report by Associated Press, the draft deal will reopen the Strait, but it will require a final approval from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Citing an official, the report said the draft deal to the agreement signed by Iran and the US, and could pave the way for them to resume negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Reopening of Hormuz remains crucial for the world because oil prices have surged since the conflict started; although the rates have eased a little recently. On Wednesday, Brent crude was around USD 80 per barrel, which was below the levels it hit at the height of the conflict, as per the Associated Press.
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