WASHINGTON (Kashmir English): US President Donald Trump said fresh negotiations with Iran will begin on Monday afternoon after he decided against launching new strikes on Iran in favour of pursuing a diplomatic agreement.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iran wanted to avoid further military action and was aware of the scale of the planned strikes.
Trump stated conversations with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran had prompted him to cancel a massive attack on Friday.
“Obviously, they don’t want to be attacked. They knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming,” Trump said.
“They didn’t want us to do it, and frankly, Saudi Arabia didn’t want it either. They thought that a deal is imminent … having to do with the Hormuz Strait and also ultimately denuclearization,” he said.
“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” he added.
Responding on whether there’s a deadline for negotiations with Iran, the president added, “We’ll just see how it is. We’re ready to go any time we want. Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people… We don’t want that.”
