Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Aug 17: US President Donald Trump has urged Iran to raise the “white flag of surrender” as a 60-day ceasefire understanding expires on Monday, while indicating that Washington is in no hurry to impose a deadline on Tehran.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said US naval pressure on Iran would continue and issued a strong warning to Oman over its parallel discussions with Tehran regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry,” Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst in a telephone interview, according to the report.
Trump said Iran should raise the “white flag of surrender”, describing Iranian officials as skilled “poker players” while claiming that the country was “dying”.
The US President also dismissed suggestions that the upcoming US midterm elections were influencing his Iran policy.
The 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expires on Monday, but Trump's remarks suggested that he does not consider the deadline binding.
According to Yingst, the US naval blockade is continuing to exert economic pressure on Iran and is costing the Iranian government hundreds of millions of dollars a day. Additional US Treasury sanctions are also expected to be announced this week.
Trump was particularly blunt when asked about talks between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the S out of them,” Trump said, according to Yingst.
Trump also confirmed that Washington maintains a back channel with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to the report, US officials have been communicating directly with IRGC representatives despite the continuing tensions.
The President said preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains Washington's top priority.
On US military preparedness, Trump described the weapons used so far as “peanuts”. He said the US has a large stockpile of mid-level weapons but claimed that several advanced systems had been supplied to Ukraine during former President Joe Biden's administration.
Trump also spoke about the situation involving Israel and Hamas. His son-in-law and negotiator, Jared Kushner, has met Hamas chief Khalil Al-Hayya in Egypt, while Trump said the US maintains a separate channel of communication with Hamas.
According to Trump, Hamas is giving up its weapons. He said Israel should not carry out strikes in Gaza because Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms.
Trump also praised Israel's military capabilities, saying, “They fight very well alongside our forces.”
Asked about Israel's elections scheduled for October, Trump said he believed it was most appropriate for him to stay out of the Israeli electoral process, while adding that he might endorse a candidate.