U.S. President Donald Trump said that the ceasefire agreement with Iran last summer was merely a “waste of time,” while stressing that the current confrontation and tensions would end very soon.
Trump made the remarks during a mass rally for Republican Party supporters in Corinth, Mississippi, ahead of the 3 November elections.
Regarding the military confrontation with Iran, Trump said: “The United States had no other option left; this should have been done years ago, and what is happening now will end very quickly.
Regarding previous efforts to calm the situation, he said: “We agreed to a short-term ceasefire that I myself did not have much faith in, because I knew it was a waste of time. We even allowed a number of ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in order to demonstrate good intentions, but that step was also merely a waste of time.”
Trump’s harsh remarks come as diplomatic efforts continue at the regional level to avert a broader war. In that context, Tehran hosted talks with senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey with the aim of reducing tensions and creating the conditions for negotiations.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had reaffirmed the continuation of indirect contacts with Washington through intermediary countries, and indicated that Washington was seeking to impose new conditions on Tehran’s proposal for a ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
