US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that efforts to bring an end to the war with Iran are continuing through telephone conversations rather than in-person meetings.
Speaking from the Oval Office, the president expressed frustration over the lengthy travel required to send American delegations to Islamabad for talks that have so far failed to resolve the conflict.
“We have talks, we’re having talks with them now, and we’re not flying anymore with 18-hour flights every time we want to see a piece of paper," the president told reporters.
“We’re doing it telephonically, and it’s very nice. I make a call, or I have my people make a call, and you know the answer in 15 - I always like face to face, you know, I consider it better," he continued. “But when you have to fly 18 hours every time you want to have a meeting, and you know what the meeting is all about, and you know they’re going to give you a piece of paper that you don’t like before you even leave, it’s ridiculous, and they’ve come a long way."
Trump’s comments were made after he rejected Iran’s most recent proposal, telling Axios that he intends to maintain a naval blockade on Iran until Tehran agrees to terms addressing American concerns over its nuclear program.
Trump indicated that, at present, he views the blockade as a more effective tool than direct military action, telling Axios, "The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing."
The Iranian proposal rejected by Trump envisions reopening the Strait of Hormuz while postponing discussions on Iran’s nuclear activities. A US official told Reuters on Monday that Trump is not satisfied with the new Iranian proposal, citing its failure to adequately address Tehran’s nuclear program.
On Wednesday, commenting on the current impasse, Trump warned Iran that it had “better get smart soon."
“The question is whether or not they’re going to go far enough, so at this moment, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons," Trump added.
During the same series of remarks, Trump revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had offered assistance regarding Iran’s enriched uranium during a telephone conversation earlier in the day.
“He would like to be of help. I said, before you help me, I want to end your war," Trump said.
Trump described his conversation with Putin as “very good" and predicted that a resolution to the Ukraine conflict would arrive “relatively quickly."
“He told me he’d like to be involved with the enrichment. He can help us get it," Trump said.
Russia had previously suggested assuming control over Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, similar to its proposed role in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
While Trump did not completely dismiss the possibility of Iran transferring its uranium to Russia, he indicated greater interest in first achieving progress on ending the war in Ukraine.
“I’ve known him a long time. I think he was ready to make a deal a while ago," he said of Putin. “I think some people made it difficult for him to make a deal."