US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he is dissatisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to conclude the war, casting doubt on the Islamic Republic’s ability to ever accept a deal.
“They want to make a deal," Trump said, adding, “I’m not satisfied with it."
He did not spell out precisely what in Iran’s latest document he could not accept, going on to suggest officials in Tehran may never come around to a negotiated settlement to the war.
“They’ve made strides, but I’m not sure if they ever get there," Trump said, describing “tremendous discord" among Iran’s leaders.
“The leadership is very disjointed," he said. “It’s got two to three groups, maybe four, and it’s a very disjointed leadership. And with that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up."
Trump also stated that his options on Iran boil down to a major military escalation or striking a deal.
“There are options. Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do we want to try and make a deal. That’s the options," Trump said, stressing that his preference was not to restart the bombing campaign.
“On a human basis, I’d prefer not," he said. “But that’s the option: do we want to go in there heavy and just blast them away or do we want to do something?"
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that Iran is "dying to make a deal," adding that "hopefully it can be worked out very soon."
Asked about the future of negotiations, Trump replied, "Nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people."
Trump stressed, “The bottom line is for this world, for our country, but certainly for Israel, the Middle East and Europe, much closer, you cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
Trump last weekend cancelled a visit by his envoys to Islamabad for talks with Iran. On Wednesday, he told reporters that efforts to bring an end to the war with Iran are continuing through telephone conversations rather than in-person meetings.
“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 said.
“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."
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)