- President Expresses Confidence in Negotiations While Emphasizing Preference for Diplomacy Over Long-Term Military Engagement
WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump said the United States has already achieved nearly all of its objectives in negotiations with Iran and expressed confidence that Tehran would ultimately agree to Washington’s key demands.
“And we are negotiating,” Trump said in an interview with CNBC. “I think they will agree to just about everything we need.”
Trump also stressed that he had no intention of engaging in a prolonged military conflict with Iran, drawing comparisons with previous US wars that lasted for years.
“We were in Vietnam for 19 years. We were in Afghanistan for about 10 years. We were in the Korean War for a very long time. I do not even want to mention World War One and World War Two,” Trump said.
“But we spent many, many years in every war. I’ve been there for four months. What have I done? I’ve defeated them militarily,” he added.
The president’s remarks come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran aimed at reducing tensions and advancing discussions on a range of critical issues.
According to the source material, the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched military operations against Iranian targets, including in Tehran and other major cities. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps subsequently announced a large-scale retaliatory campaign, targeting Israel and US military installations across several countries in the Gulf and the wider Middle East.
The report further states that Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities on multiple fronts, including Lebanon. Follow-up talks on implementing the agreement were held on June 21-22 at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock, with mediation by Qatar and Pakistan.
In a joint statement issued after the first round of negotiations, Pakistan and Qatar said discussions between Iranian and American representatives were conducted in a positive and constructive atmosphere, with meaningful progress achieved and a framework established for further technical consultations.
The diplomatic process is expected to continue as both sides seek to address outstanding issues and promote regional stability through dialogue and negotiation.
BY: The Times Union
