Trump Says US-Iran Will Talk Next Week, Mideast War Over for Now
President Donald Trump said the US would hold a meeting with Iran next week but cast doubt on the need for a diplomatic agreement on the country’s nuclear program, citing the damage that American bombing had done to key sites.
“We’re going to talk to them next week,” Trump said Wednesday at a press conference during the NATO summit at The Hague, without giving more details. “We may sign an agreement. I don’t know, to me, I don’t think it’s that necessary.”
He reiterated that the US strikes on the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow facilities had “obliterated” them, again disputing an American intelligence assessment that said Tehran’s nuclear program had only been set back by a matter of months.
The comments came on day two of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, ending 12 days of conflict that threatened to escalate into a wider regional war and upend energy markets. As the missiles fell silent and oil prices plunged — wiping out most of their increase during the hostilities — focus has switched to a possible next stage of nuclear diplomacy.
Trump said the conflict was effectively “over” after the US bombing mission — though he also warned: “Can it start again? I guess someday it can. It could maybe start soon.”
Iran has been sending signals that it’s ready to resume talks, which were underway with the US before Israel attacked. “The logic of war has failed — return to the logic of diplomacy,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said Wednesday. The mission didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s hint at new talks.
Before Israel’s June 13 attack on Iran, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff had taken the lead in five rounds of talks with the Islamic Republic, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump abandoned during his first term.
Source : Bloomberg
