US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the US is “very close” to making a deal with Iran, as a two-week ceasefire between the two countries nears its expiration.
“And if that happens, oil goes way down, prices go way down, inflation goes way down, and you won't have nuclear holocaust,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We're getting along very well with the new Iranian leaders. It really is a regime change.”
But Trump did not give a clear message on whether the ceasefire would be extended.
“I'm not sure it needs to be extended,” he said. “Iran wants to make a deal, and we're dealing very nicely with them ... and they're willing to do things today that they weren't willing to do two months.”
He claimed Iran agreed not to have a nuclear weapon. “They've agreed to it, very powerfully, they've agreed to give us back the nuclear dust.”
Trump said he might visit Islamabad if a deal is reached.
Asked about the next round of direct talks, Trump responded that it would happen “maybe over the weekend.” The first round was held on Saturday in the Pakistani capital, but an immediate agreement to permanently end the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on Feb. 28 was not reached.
He said the deal would be announced “fairly soon,” adding: “That'll give us free oil and free Hormuz Strait. Everything will be nice and I think your oil price will go down lower than it was before.”
The two-week Pakistan-mediated truce was announced last week, and is set to expire on April 22.
Earlier Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that US forces remain “locked and loaded” to resume strikes if Iran rejects a deal.
Speaking later in Las Vegas, Nevada, Trump said “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly.”
“We can do whatever we want. And it should be ending pretty soon. It was perfect,” he said.
Courtesy: Anadolu Agency
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
