The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated this Tuesday (20) that he hopes that Washington “ends up making a big deal” with Iran to end the war that has been going on for weeks, but reiterated that he does not intend to extend the current ceasefire, which expires this Wednesday, April 22. The statement was made in an interview given by the North American president to CNBC.
Speaking to the “Squawk Box” program, Trump said he believes the United States is in a strong position and that this should pressure Iran to accept an understanding. “I think they have no choice,” he said, commenting on the prospect of a second round of peace talks with Tehran.
The president highlighted the impact of recent military actions on Iran’s defense structure. “We wiped out their navy, we wiped out their air force, we wiped out their leaders,” he declared.
In Trump’s assessment, the replacement of key figures at the top of the Iranian regime “complicates things in some ways, but these leaders are much more rational”. He went so far as to characterize the current situation as a kind of regime change: “It’s a regime change, whatever you want to call it, which is not something I said I would do, but I did it indirectly.”
During the interview, Trump also indicated that Washington welcomes new peace negotiations with Iran on Pakistani territory. According to him, there is confidence that these talks can take place, and Iranian authorities are evaluating the possibility of participating.
With the possibility of a new meeting at the last minute still on the radar, the president reinforced that the continuity of the truce is conditional on progress in negotiations. Trump said the United States is ready to resume strikes against Iran if an agreement is not reached soon, without detailing deadlines, but making clear that the window for an understanding is limited.
