Washington, Aug 17 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has urged Iran to raise the “white flag of surrender” as a 60-day ceasefire understanding expires, while signalling that he is in no hurry to set a deadline for Tehran.
Trump told Fox News in an interview that American naval pressure on Iran would continue. The US President also issued a stark warning to Oman over its parallel talks with Tehran concerning control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry,” Trump was quoted as saying in a telephone interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst.
The US President said Iran should raise the “white flag of surrender”. He described Iranian officials as good poker players but said the country was “dying”, according to Yingst.
Trump also rejected suggestions that the US midterm elections were shaping his Iran policy.
The 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expires on Monday. However, Trump’s remarks indicated that he did not regard the deadline as binding.
The US naval blockade was continuing to exert economic pressure on Iran, Yingst reported. He said it was costing the Iranian government hundreds of millions of dollars each day. More US Treasury sanctions were also expected this week.
Trump was particularly blunt when asked about talks between Iran and Oman over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the S out of them,” Trump said, according to Yingst.
The US President also confirmed that Washington has a back channel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. US officials were speaking directly with IRGC representatives even as tensions remained high, the report said.
Trump said preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remained Washington’s top priority.
On US military preparedness, Trump said the weapons used so far amounted to “peanuts”. He said the United States had many mid-level weapons available, but claimed that several advanced systems had been given to Ukraine by former President Joe Biden.
Trump also addressed developments involving Israel and Hamas. His son-in-law and negotiator, Jared Kushner, met Hamas chief Khalil Al-Hayya in Egypt. The president said the United States had a separate channel with Hamas and that the group was giving up its weapons.
He said Israel should not carry out strikes in Gaza because Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms. Trump also praised Israel’s military capabilities, saying, “They fight very well alongside our forces.”
Asked about Israel’s elections scheduled for October, Trump said: “I think it’s most appropriate for me to stay out of Israeli elections, but I may endorse somebody.”
–IANS
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