Trump Says Decision on Iran Coming ‘Very Soon’: ‘We Blow Them Up or Make a Deal’

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States will soon have to decide whether to reach a deal with Iran or launch new military strikes, warning that the seven-month standoff with Tehran is nearing an end.

“Maybe you blow them up,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked how Washington could negotiate with Iranian leaders he has repeatedly described as irrational, according to reports. “We have to make that decision. We blow them up, make a deal. But the time is coming. It’s going to end very soon, one way or the other.”

Trump also claimed Washington now had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which much of the world’s oil flows. “We’re literally running the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, while conceding the situation could change “if they drop one mine.”

The remarks came as Iran confirmed it had received Washington’s official response to its latest ceasefire offer. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conveyed the American reply to Tehran’s government, with Qatar continuing to mediate between the two sides, according to reports.

Trump had rejected Tehran’s earlier proposal to reopen the strait over the weekend, saying it “would not be acceptable.” Meanwhile, Iran’s currency tumbled to a record low of more than 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, and the U.S. Treasury unveiled fresh sanctions targeting people and firms it accused of supporting Iran’s military supply chain.

Sources:

• AP report on Iran’s ceasefire response and Trump’s Oval Office remarks, via KTSA
• AP report via The Hindu BusinessLine