Trump Says New Talks Are The 'last Chance' For Iran To Forge A Deal And Avoid U.s. Strikes

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that recently planned talks pinch Tehran are nan “last chance” for Iran to forge a woody and debar an escalation of U.S. strikes connected nan country.

Trump, speaking astatine nan Oval Office, said he expects negotiations that will reopen nan Strait of Hormuz and create a pathway for Iran to reside nan United States’ concerns astir its atomic programme will statesman successful nan adjacent time aliases two.

“The first shape is nan opening of nan straits. The 2nd shape will beryllium nan denuclearization,” nan Republican president said. “And that will return a small while.”

While Trump has reveled successful nan U.S. subject decimating layers of Tehran’s activity and devastating its aerial unit and navy, Iran is betting it tin outlast Trump arsenic he faces diminished stockpiles of munitions and nan trouble of executing a warfare that is unpopular pinch nan American electorate up of November’s midterm election.

Trump said he decided to clasp disconnected connected ordering American forces to transportation retired caller monolithic strikes against Iran astatine nan urging of Gulf friends Qatar, Saudi Arabia and nan United Arab Emirates.

He said that a scheme was successful spot for U.S. forces to transportation retired “the biggest onslaught since World War II” connected Sunday. But he decided to scrap nan scheme and springiness diplomacy much clip to play retired aft proceeding from cardinal Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — arsenic good arsenic astatine nan petition of unnamed Iranian officials.

But Trump reiterated that he’s moving retired of patience pinch Iran.

“This nan past chance for them to motion a bully document,” Trump told reporters.

Earlier Monday, Trump had criticized Iran connected societal media arsenic being “unbelievably duplicitous.”

His ire was raised by Iran claiming that its meetings pinch Oman connected Monday were focused solely connected establishing a impermanent way for safe navigation done nan Strait of Hormuz, a captious waterway for nan world lipid trade.

“They inquire for a meeting, immoderate would opportunity ‘beg,’ talks begin, pinch much scheduled successful nan contiguous future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having immoderate discussions, that thing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing pinch Oman,” Trump grumbled.

Trump said whether “Iran wants to admit it aliases not, we are, successful fact, talking” astir preventing Iran from processing atomic weapons.

Trump whitethorn still travel to nan conclusion that a monolithic escalation successful nan conflict pinch Iran is necessary.

But critics opportunity his hesitation besides mightiness bespeak an unspoken knowing wrong nan management that U.S. subject mightiness unsocial whitethorn not beryllium capable to compel Iran to backmost down and bring an extremity to a now monthslong warfare that Trump had earlier downplayed arsenic a weekslong excursion.

“I deliberation what we’re seeing present is simply a president who has an attack that’s conscionable alternatively erratic,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat connected nan Senate Armed Services Committee, connected CBS News’ “Face nan Nation.” “At this point, he’s trying to get america backmost to February. And I deliberation if he could — if he had a large reset fastener he could deed — he would surely return that option.”

There person been several moments complete nan people of nan conflict erstwhile Trump has demonstrated his proclivity for nan bellicose only to backmost disconnected astatine nan past minute, while declaring his threats spurred progress:

In early April, nan United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire successful an announcement that came little than 2 hours earlier a deadline Trump had set for Tehran to capitulate aliases look attacks connected bridges and powerfulness plants — strikes he said would mean “a full civilization will die.”

Then successful June, Trump threatened to deed Iran “VERY HARD” and prehend Iran’s power guidelines connected Kharg Island to “assume full power of their Oil and Gas Markets,” he wrote connected societal media, only to telephone disconnected nan strikes successful a later station aft claiming that bid negotiations had progressed pinch high-level Iranian leaders.

Left unsaid by nan president was that specified an endeavor would require U.S. troops connected nan crushed successful Iran — a risky proposition politically for a president who campaigned connected avoiding overseas entanglements and criticized past administrations for getting bogged down successful endless wars.

With this latest episode, Trump suggested that Bin Salman played a peculiarly important domiciled successful him turning distant from escalating nan fight.

The U.S. president said by telephone pinch nan de facto leader of nan kingdom connected Saturday earlier announcing he was halting strikes.

The crown prince conveyed that an escalation successful fighting could person a terrible effect connected nan world system if Tehran responded to a caller U.S. bombardment by targeting immoderate of nan United States’ Gulf allies, according to a personification briefed connected nan telephone who was not authorized to remark publically and requested anonymity.

Saudi officials, nan personification added, person underscored successful their engagements pinch nan Trump management that nan kingdom is successful a bully position to take sides itself against further imaginable Iranian strikes — arsenic are chap power titans Qatar and nan United Arab Emirates — but that Kuwait could beryllium much susceptible to attacks by Iranian-backed militias successful Iraq.

Also Monday, Iran’s judiciary said it executed 2 men aft convicting them of spying for Israel during some past year’s 12-day warfare and nan ongoing conflict.

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency identified nan 2 arsenic Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat, who were accused of providing subject coordinates, images and different intelligence utilized successful attacks connected Iranian targets.

Last week, Iran publically hanged 2 men convicted of sidesplitting 4 constabulary officers during nationwide anti-government protests successful January.

Madhani writes for nan Associated Press.
AP writers Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel and Josh Boak contributed reporting.