OSAKA (Japan), June 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — 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 drone, which Tehran says violated its airspace. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif later published maps with data from the radar, proving Tehran’s point.
Washington insists that its drone was flying over neutral waters of the Strait of Hormuz when it was destroyed, releasing maps of its own.
US President said he ordered strikes on targets in Iran, but called off the attacks at the last minute because there would be a disproportionate response. Instead, Trump said, he decided to impose further sanctions on Tehran.
It was a more conciliatory tone than the bellicose rhetoric issued by the US leader just before his trip to Japan.
On Wednesday, the US president said any conflict “wouldn’t last very long”, an assertion quickly rejected by Iran’s foreign minister, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.
“‘Short war’ with Iran is an illusion,” Foreign Minister Javid Zarif wrote on Twitter.
Tensions between Teheran and Washington have spiralled since Trump withdrew from an international nuclear deal. — NNN-AGENCIES
