Trump says Iran talks 'in final stages', willing to wait for 'right answer'

Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiations to secure a peace agreement with Iran are "in the final stages" and that his administration is prepared to wait a few days for the "right answer."

"We're in the final stages of Iran," Trump told reporters. "We'll see what happens."

He said the United States would either conclude a deal or take unspecified military action, but added he hoped confrontation could be avoided. "We'll either have a deal, or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty. But hopefully that won't happen," he said.

Trump rejected the idea of a limited agreement narrowly aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. "We're going to give this one shot," he said, adding: "I'm in no hurry. You never think, 'Oh, the midterms, I'm in a hurry.' I'm in no hurry."

The president also said he had a "very good" phone call earlier on Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has been viewed as a key mediator in US–Iran talks.

Tensions remain high. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Wednesday that renewed US or Israeli aggression would extend the conflict beyond the wider West Asia region. Iranian deputy foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also posted on X that returning to war with Iran would bring further surprises for the United States, citing a congressional report acknowledging the loss of dozens of aircraft.

The current crisis followed joint US–Israeli strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities on 28 February that killed Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders and civilians. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US bases and assets across the region. A ceasefire took effect on 8 April, and a subsequent round of talks in Islamabad on 11–12 April failed to produce an agreement.

In recent days, US and Israeli officials have renewed threats of further strikes. Trump said on Tuesday that Iran's leaders were "begging" to make a deal and warned that another US attack could come in the coming days if no agreement is reached.

(Inputs from IANS)