Newsletters
U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Washington and Tehran are “getting a lot closer” to an agreement aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, while warning that Iran could face severe strikes if no deal is reached.
Trump made the remarks in a phone interview with CBS as U.S.-Iran diplomacy continued through regional mediation.
The U.S. president said talks were moving forward, but added that failure to reach an agreement would bring major consequences.
If the U.S. and Iran do not come to an agreement, “we're going to have a situation where no country will ever be hit as hard as they're about to be hit,” Trump said.
Trump struck a less optimistic tone in a separate interview with Axios on Saturday morning, saying there was a “solid 50/50” chance of reaching a deal.
Axios reported that Trump warned he would “blow them to kingdom come” if no agreement was reached.
The U.S. president was expected to meet Saturday with Vice President JD Vance, as well as negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Axios reported.
Both CBS and Axios reported that Trump was also scheduled to speak by phone with Gulf leaders later Saturday.
Iran said Saturday it was finalizing a 14-point “framework agreement” for a possible deal with the U.S.
Tehran signaled that major gaps still remained, even as discussions continued.
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, has been in Iran this week as part of efforts to bring the two sides closer to an agreement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to India, said there “may be some news a little later today,” but added, “there may not be.”
Reports on Friday suggested Trump was considering a fresh round of strikes on Iran as the conflict entered its 13th week.
Trump abruptly announced Friday that he would skip his son’s wedding this weekend because of “circumstances pertaining to government.”
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
