US President Donald Trump said on Friday there was “no rush” around the settlement of the US-Iranian tensions and expressed hope for positive developments on the issue.
“We have a lot of time, there is no rush. They can take their time. There is absolutely no time pressure,” Trump said at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan’s Osaka, as aired by the Fox television network.
“Hopefully, in the end, it’s going to work out,” Trump pointed out.
On Tuesday, Trump suggested that the US is “not going to need an exit strategy” if war broke out with Iran.
Relations between the United States and Iran deteriorated recently after Iran downed a spy drone, which Tehran says violated its airspace. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif later published maps with data from the radar, proving Tehran’s point.
US President said he ordered strikes on targets in Iran, but called off the attacks at the last minute because they would be a disproportionate response. Instead, Trump said, he decided to impose further sanctions on Tehran.
This is not the first time that the Trump administration is threatening Iran with military action as a result of heightened tensions between the two sides over the past few weeks.
Trump stepped up his anti-Iran rhetoric after pulling out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May last year and immediately launching a campaign of “maximum pressure” to force Tehran into negotiations on its ballistic missile program and growing regional influence.
In addition to several rounds of sanctions that target Iran’s economy, most notably it’s oil exports, Trump has also sent troops and military equipment to the Persian Gulf region to counter what it calls “threats” from Tehran.
Source: Sputnik
