Trump says Iran wants deal, suggests Tehran may be waiting for US midterms
Washington, Oct 28 (UNI) US President Donald Trump said Iran wanted to reach a deal with Washington but suggested Tehran has adopted delaying tactics and negotiations, possibly until the US midterm elections, adding that he would decide when to end the conflict.
"It's a question of when do I want to end it," Trump told reporters while returning from rallies in Texas. "They've wanted to make a deal, but they like tapping it along. Maybe they're waiting for the election or something - but that's not gonna help them." Trump, speaking at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday, said the United States has not started the conflict and accused Iran of waging a war against Washington since 1979. "America did not start the war with Iran. Iran has been waging this war against America since 1979, killing many of our great people. They've killed thousands of our soldiers and wounded so many more," he said.
He criticised previous US administrations for failing to resolve the conflict, saying they lacked the "courage or intelligence" to do so. Asked when the war would end, Trump said: "Whenever I want it to end." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, meanwhile, accused Washington of undermining diplomacy and reneging on its commitments under a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) linked to talks in Islamabad. In a post on X, Baqaei said Trump's reported dismissal of the Islamabad MoU as a waste of time exposed Washington's disregard for diplomatic commitments.
"Washington has a long record of reneging on its commitments and treating international obligations as disposable whenever they become inconvenient," he said. Baqaei also criticised European countries for what he described as shielding Washington from accountability. "Broken commitments cannot be excused, international law cannot be applied selectively, and no amount of political spin can absolve Washington of accountability," he said.
Trump also said his administration is making progress towards resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that a meeting would be arranged soon. "We're making a lot of progress with Russia-Ukraine. There'll be a meeting set up very soon," he said. US First Lady Melania Trump said on Tuesday that a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has taken effect in an area beyond Oleshky in the Kherson region, two days ahead of schedule, to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries.
In a post on X, she said the ceasefire began at 4 am Moscow time on October 27 and that its geographical scope had been expanded to allow safe passage for humanitarian convoys. She added that General Valery Vasilyevich, Joint Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, has confirmed the development.
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